Reigning Olympic 400m champion Quincy Hall made his intentions clear during the Wanda Diamond League pre-meet press conference on July 4, boldly announcing his bid to break Michael Norman’s Prefontaine Classic meet record.
“I seen it. Matter of fact, I was here two years ago when Michael Norman got the record… I just know what I can do, and I’m here to challenge it,” Hall declared in a pre race conference.
From Witness to Challenger
Back in May 2022, Hall was in Eugene, though in a different event. He paused to watch as Norman blazed to a 43.60-second finish, breaking Michael Johnson’s 22-year-old meet record. It was an unforgettable moment, one Hall admits stuck with him.
Fast forward to 2025, and the tables have turned. Hall arrives at Hayward Field as the man to watch, and this time, he won’t just be observing. He’s chasing that record with purpose.
What makes Hall’s bold claim more than just talk is the form he’s carrying into this race. Since clocking an impressive 43.40 seconds at the Paris Olympics last year, a time faster than Norman’s Prefontaine mark, Hall has shown steady improvement this season.
Opening with a 45.99 at the Shanghai Diamond League, he dropped to 44.80 in Rabat and further to a season’s best 44.13 in Rome.
A Rivalry with a Twist
Adding extra intrigue to this contest is Hall’s close relationship with Norman. The two aren’t just track rivals, they’re roommates. Their healthy competitive spirit was evident at last year’s U.S. Olympic Trials, when Hall surged past Norman in the final stretch to punch his ticket to Paris.
But once the starting gun fires this Friday, there’ll be no room for sentiment.
Hall’s quest for the record won’t come easy. The men’s 400m at this year’s Prefontaine Classic reads like an Olympic final rematch, featuring the likes of Olympic silver medalist Matthew Hudson-Smith and bronze medalist Muzala Samukonga.
Still, with confidence high and form peaking, Quincy Hall knows this could be his moment.