American Quincy Hall storms from behind to claim 400-meter gold

Saint-Denis, FRANCE -- Quincy Hall produced an incredible late surge to overtake Great Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith and take a first Olympic 400-meter gold for the United States since 2008 in another scintillating race on Wednesday.

Hudson-Smith seemed on course to win his country's first gold over the distance since "Chariots of Fire" Eric Liddell in the Paris Games 100 years ago, but he tied up at the end and Hall swept past in a personal best 43.40 seconds and give the U.S. their first triumph since LaShawn Merritt in Beijing.

Hudson-Smith bettered his own European record with 43.44 for silver and Zambia's 21-year-old Muzala Samukonga set his second successive national record with 43.74 to take bronze.

Hall, who took bronze behind Jamaica's Antonio Watson and Hudson-Smith at last year's world championship, looked out of contention coming into the final straight a distant fourth as the long-striding Hudson-Smith seemed on course for a first global gold of an injury-plagued career.

He was still well adrift heading into the last 30 meters but somehow found the energy to drive past everyone and become the fourth-fastest man over the distance, behind world record holder Wayde van Niekerk (43.03), Michael Johnson (43.18) and Butch Reynolds (43.29). Hudson-Smith is now fifth.

Fourth-placed Jereem Richards set a Trinidad and Tobago national record of 43.78 and former Olympic champion Kirani James in fifth was also under 44 seconds in 43.87.

"Sometimes the journey is better than the outcome," said Hudson-Smith, who has world silver and bronze and now Olympic silver to his name. "My time is going to come."

U.S. athletes have now won 19 gold, 13 silver and 11 bronze for 38 medals in the event. Britain is next with two golds and eight medals overall.

WOMEN'S POLE VAULT

Australia's Nina Kennedy soared to the gold medal in the Olympic women's pole vault, a year after she shared gold at the world championships with American Katie Moon.

The 27-year-old Kennedy cleared a season's best 4.90 meters (slightly over 16 feet) in a victory that was also redemption for the Tokyo Olympics in which injuries caused her to be eliminated in the preliminary round.

Moon, who won gold in Tokyo, cleared 4.85 meters for silver while Canada's Alysha Newman went over the same height but was awarded bronze due to more missed jumps.

Kennedy and Moon decided to share gold at year's world championships in Budapest after they both vaulted 4.90m.

MEN'S DISCUS

Jamaica's Roje Stona won gold in the Olympic discus throw, upsetting world record holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania who had hoped to follow in his father's footsteps to become Olympic champion.

Alekna had to settle for silver and Australia's Matthew Denny, who finished fourth in Tokyo, claimed the bronze.

Alekna, 21, was favorite to win, having thrown 74.35 meters in April to break the world record that had stood since 1986.

--Reuters, Special to Field Level Media