Double World championship heptathlon medalist Anna Hall impressed with a gritty perfomance in the womens 400m hurdles at the Grand slam Track meet in Miam.She secured a third place finish in whta she later described as her second fastest time ever in the event..
Olympic champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin followed up her world-leading 52.07 in the 400m hurdles with a dominant 49.69 win in the 400m flat . She finished nearly two seconds ahead of Anna Hall, who clocked 51.68 after placing third in the hurdles.
In one of her recent interviews, Hall admitted to feeling the pressure in the blocks.
“I was so nervous,” she said. “I’ve been really tense lately in track, so I was just telling myself to relax and take deep breaths. Honestly, I was relieved when I made it to the first hurdle out of lane one — that was a tight turn.”
The opening of the race was anything but smooth, as Hall took one of the early hurdles with her opposite leg before finding her rhythm on her preferred left leg. “Praise the Lord,” she smiled. “Then I just focused on taking one hurdle at a time.”
Midway through the race, Hall began to sense momentum. “I noticed I was running by some people and thought, ‘Okay, I think I might be in this.’ But that was a long last turn,” she said. Despite clipping a hurdle late in the race, Hall powered through the final stretch, battling fatigue with every stride. “Coming off the last hurdle, I wasn’t sure which leg to go with. I just went big and thought, ‘If I fall, I fall.’ But by the grace of God, I got over that last hurdle and tried to finish strong. I was definitely tying up — kind of looked like I was swimming the last few meters — but I made it home.”
When asked about her dramatic surge in the final 100 meters, Hall emphasized that her focus was internal.
“I was really just focusing on myself. I don’t get to practice the 400 hurdles much, so I knew what to expect up to about five hurdles. After that, I just told myself to stay on my left leg and hoped my 15-step pattern would carry me through.”
Her third-place finish was a pleasant surprise and a confidence booster heading into the flat 400 meters. “it was a little higher than I expected to finish, so I’m really happy. It makes me feel good about my fitness,” she said.
“Hopefully, that’ll show in the 400. I’ll be out in lane eight, which is way better than lane one, so I’m excited for that.”
