The Daily Gamecock

Quincy Hall wins the Men's 400m Hurdles 2019 National Championship

Since his time at Raytown South High School in Kansas City, Missouri, Quincy Hall has set records.

In his high school days, he won two Missouri titles in the men's 400-meter and set several school records. After high school, he went on to College of the Sequoias in California for two seasons and won various championships for the college, such as the California State Championships in the 400, 400-meter hurdles and 4-x-400 meter relay in 2017 and 2018. Hall would go on to win the 400-meter hurdles title at the 2017 Pan American U20 Championships with a meet record time of 49.02.

Now at South Carolina, Hall continues his success, this time winning the national title for the 400-meter hurdles event at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas. 

Hall is the 17th NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Champion at the University of South Carolina in program history. Johnny Dutch was the last Gamecock to win the 400-meter hurdles back in 2010 with a time of 48.75. Hall ran a 48.48; it was his personal best and enough for the National Championship.

“Before the race, I was really nervous, because I knew there were a lot of 49-flat guys in the heat,” Hall told Gamecocks Online. “I knew it was going to take 48-mid to win it.”

The Men’s 400m Hurdles National Championship was not an easy race for Hall, as he trailed for the entire race until the end.

Texas Tech's Norman Grimes was a close contender and led throughout the race. Grimes appeared to be the next national champion when he was the first to jump over the last hurdle in his lane. 

Then, out of nowhere, Hall bolted and passed Grimes, taking the win and the title. Grimes finished in second place with a time of 48.71.

After the race, South Carolina coach Curtis Frye had some things to say about Hall.

“Quincy fought hard for his teammates,” Frye told Gamecocks Online. “Those are his guys. Quincy laid it on the line. He only had 50 minutes (after winning the 400m hurdles) to come back and run the mile relay, which was tough.” 

Even though Grimes didn’t win the Men’s 400m Hurdles National Championship, Texas Tech’s track and field were named the 2019 Outdoor Track and Field National Champions.

As Hall continues to break records at the University of South Carolina, he has high hopes for the future.

 “(Being an NCAA champion) means a lot. It means the world to me. But now I’m a national champion, and hopefully, I want to be a world champion," Hall told Gamecocks Online.


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