PARIS, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- American sprinter Quincy Hall produced a late burst of speed to clinch the men's 400m title at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old was fourth as he entered the final straight before powering home to win gold in a personal best time of 43.40 seconds, just four hundredths of a second ahead of Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith.

"I just won. It's over. Next four years I can say I'm an Olympic champion," Hall said.

"I've got determination. That's what got me to that line. A lot of hurt, a lot of pain," added the Kansas City native, who took bronze in the 400m at last year's world championships.

Hall looked out of contention with 100 meters left but he dug deep into his energy reserves to overtake Trinidad and Tobago's Jereem Richards, Grenada's Kirani James and Hudson-Smith.

Competing at his first Olympics, Hall is the United States' first men's 400m champion since LaShawn Merritt at the Beijing 2008.

His time was the fourth fastest in history while Hudson-Smith's performance was the fifth quickest. Enditem

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