PARIS — Quincy Hall became the latest American to electrify Olympic track and field with an out-of-nowhere comeback Wednesday night at the Paris Olympics. Hall sprinted from far behind in the 400 meters to reel in three runners and capture the gold medal. Buried in fourth place as the runners rounded the last bend, Hall outran the runner on his outside, then two more to the inside to cross the line in 43.40 seconds, the fourth-fastest time ever. He dropped to the track to do snow angels in celebration.
Matthew Hudson-Smith of Britain finished second and Muzala Samukonga of Zambia took bronze. Hall is the first American since LaShawn Merritt in 2008 to capture gold in the one-lap race. His victory came an evening after teammate Cole Hocker pulled off a similar come-from-behind win in the men's 1,500 meters.
Track and Field Highlights
In the men's steeplechase, Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco defended his title with a .36-second win over American rival Kenneth Rooks. Rooks had the lead heading into the homestretch but El Bakkali overtook him. Rooks still beat his personal best by almost 9 seconds to capture silver — the second silver in three Olympics for the United States in this event.
Nina Kennedy of Australia won gold in the women's pole vault, clearing 4.95 meters to beat defending champion Katie Moon of the U.S. That gold was Australia's 18th at these Games, an Olympic record for the country. In the women's boxing featherweight division, Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan advanced to the gold-medal bout by defeating Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey 5:0. Lin, along with welterweight Imane Khelif of Algeria, has been at the center of a gender eligibility controversy but both have dominated their bouts. Lin will fight for gold on Saturday.
Team Sports and Cycling
The U.S. women's basketball team continued its winning ways, defeating Nigeria 88-74 in the quarterfinals. A'ja Wilson scored 20 points and Jackie Young added 15. The victory extended the Americans' record Olympic winning streak to 59 games. They will face Australia in the semifinals on Friday night, aiming for an eighth consecutive gold medal. Nigeria's run was historic as the first African country to reach Olympic basketball quarterfinals.
The American women's pursuit cycling team finally won gold after three previous silver medals. The quartet of Kristen Faulkner, Chloe Dygert, Jennifer Valente, and Lilly Williams led from the start against New Zealand and held on through a ragged finish. They won by nearly two seconds at some points but had to fight to the end. In the men's pursuit, Australia defeated Britain to win gold for the first time in two decades.
Weightlifting and Figure Skating
Hampton Morris became the first U.S. men's weightlifter to earn an Olympic medal in 40 years, taking bronze in the 61-kilogram division. The 20-year-old, trained by his dad in their garage in Marietta, Georgia, finished third behind Li Fabin of China, who defended his Tokyo title and set an Olympic snatch record.
A touch of winter came to the Summer Games when the U.S. figure skating team finally received their gold medals from the 2022 Beijing Olympics, awarded after a doping saga involving the Russian team. Nine American skaters attended the special ceremony in Paris, including Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, and Alexa Knierim. Japan received upgraded silver medals, while Russia's appeal was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Artistic Swimming and Other Events
China won gold in the artistic swimming team event, dominating in the absence of Russia, which had won every gold since 2000. The United States took silver, its first medal in the sport since 2004, and Spain earned bronze. The sport, formerly synchronized swimming, allowed men to compete for the first time at these Olympics, though no teams selected male swimmers. There is consideration to add a mixed duet for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Additional highlights included American Noah Lyles advancing to the 200-meter final after finishing second in his semifinal heat; he will race for gold Thursday. The U.S. men's basketball team will also play in its semifinal later this week. As Day 12 concluded, the United States remained atop the overall medal table, ahead of China and host nation France. The Paris Olympics continue with more finals in track and field, boxing, and cycling.
Source: Ksl News