Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres

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Men's 400 metres
at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad
Crossing the finish line
VenueBeijing National Stadium
Dates18 August
21 August (final)
Competitors55 from 40 nations
Winning time43.75
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) LaShawn Merritt  United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Jeremy Wariner  United States
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) David Neville  United States
← 2004
2012 →
Athletics at the
2008 Summer Olympics
Track events
100 mmenwomen
200 mmenwomen
400 mmenwomen
800 mmenwomen
1500 mmenwomen
5000 mmenwomen
10,000 mmenwomen
100 m hurdleswomen
110 m hurdlesmen
400 m hurdlesmenwomen
3000 m
steeplechase		menwomen
4 × 100 m relaymenwomen
4 × 400 m relaymenwomen
Road events
Marathonmenwomen
20 km walkmenwomen
50 km walkmen
Field events
Long jumpmenwomen
Triple jumpmenwomen
High jumpmenwomen
Pole vaultmenwomen
Shot putmenwomen
Discus throwmenwomen
Javelin throwmenwomen
Hammer throwmenwomen
Combined events
Heptathlonwomen
Decathlonmen

The men's 400 metres at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 18–21 August at the Beijing National Stadium.[1] Fifty-five athletes from 40 nations competed.[2]

The event was won by LaShawn Merritt of the United States, in what would ultimately be the final of seven consecutive American victories stretching from 1984 to 2008; it was the 19th overall title in the event by the United States. Jeremy Wariner took silver to become the fourth man to win two medals in the event, though Merritt kept him from matching Michael Johnson's pair of golds. David Neville's bronze completed the American podium sweep, the second consecutive sweep in the event and the fifth overall (1904, 1968, 1988, 2004).

Summary[edit]

The defending champion was Jeremy Wariner, who also won World Championship titles in 2005 and 2007 preceding the 2008 Olympics. Wariner made headlines earlier in the season when he dropped long time coach Clyde Hart, in favor of Hart's assistant Michael Ford. All season, Wariner did not show the dominance of the previous three seasons.[3] At the Olympic Trials he was runner up to LaShawn Merritt, the World Championship silver medalist. The semi-finals showed the same two in the same position, Merritt .03 faster than Wariner.[4]

Wariner started fast in the final: running in lane 7, he caught up with Martyn Rooney to his outside making up the stagger before the 200 mark. Further outside but more difficult to calculate, David Neville was also out fast, while Merritt was even relative to the stagger against Chris Brown in lanes 4 and 5. Around the final turn Merritt separated from the others and the three Americans were ahead, with Neville in first as the turn was ending. Once they hit the straightaway, it was Merritt who had the speed, sprinting away with a high knee action that increased his gap over Wariner and Neville. Wariner had no answer, Neville looked depleted, while Brown was steadily gaining. Merritt sped away to a personal best 43.75, Wariner gave up the chase and jogged across the finish line in second, barely ahead of Brown, who looked like he had passed Neville. In the last two steps, Neville leant forward and fell right at the finish line, his hands technically crossing the line ahead of Wariner. But it is the torso that counts and Neville's body crossed the line in third, .04 ahead of Brown and .06 behind Wariner. Merritt had gained just shy of a full second on Wariner over the last 90 metres for the win. Neville completed an American sweep of the event.[5]

Background[edit]

This was the 26th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Four of the finalists from 2004 returned: gold medalist Jeremy Wariner of the United States, fourth-place finisher Alleyne Francique of Grenada, seventh-place finisher Leslie Djhone of France, and eight-place finisher Michael Blackwood of Jamaica. Wariner also won the 2005 and 2007 world championships, but teammate LaShawn Merritt (runner-up at the 2007 worlds) had beaten Wariner twice in 2008 (including the U.S. Olympic trials). The two were heavy favorites over a field without other significant challengers.[2]

The People's Republic of China, the Czech Republic, São Tomé and Príncipe, and San Marino appeared in this event for the first time. The United States made its 25th appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.

Qualification[edit]

Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) was able to enter up to three entrants providing they had met the A qualifying standard (45.55) in the qualifying period (1 January 2007 to 23 July 2008). NOCs were also permitted to enter one athlete providing he had met the B standard (45.95) in the same qualifying period.[6]

Competition format[edit]

The competition used the three-round format introduced in 2004. The "fastest loser" system, introduced in 1964, was used for the first round and semifinals. There were 7 first-round heats, each with 8 runners (before a withdrawal reduced one heat to 7). The top three runners in each heat advanced, along with the next three fastest overall. The 24 semifinalists were divided into 3 heats of 8 runners each. The top two runners in each semifinal heat and the next two fastest overall advanced, making an eight-man final.[7][2]

Records[edit]

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows:

World record  Michael Johnson (USA) 43.18 Seville, Spain 26 August 1999
Olympic record  Michael Johnson (USA) 43.49 Atlanta, United States 29 July 1996

No new world or Olympic records were set for this event.

The following national records were established during the competition:

Nation Athlete Round Time
 Virgin Islands Tabarie Henry Heat 7 45.36
 Belgium Kévin Borlée Semifinal 1 44.88
 Costa Rica Nery Brenes Semifinal 1 44.94
 Virgin Islands Tabarie Henry Semifinal 1 45.19

Schedule[edit]

Since 1984, all rounds have been held on separate days.

All times are China Standard Time (UTC+8)

Date Time Round
Monday, 18 August 2008 09:00 Round 1
Tuesday, 19 August 2008 21:45 Semifinals
Thursday, 21 August 2008 21:20 Final

Results[edit]

Round 1[edit]

The first round was held on 18 August. The first three runners of each heat (Q) plus the next three overall fastest runners (q) qualified for the semifinals.

Heat 1[edit]

Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 4 Leslie Djhone  France 0.190 45.12 Q
2 5 David Neville  United States 0.189 45.22 Q
3 6 William Collazo  Cuba 0.180 45.37 Q, SB
4 8 Kévin Borlée  Belgium 0.149 45.43 q
5 9 Denis Alekseyev  Russia 0.299 45.52 DSQ[8]
6 3 Young Talkmore Nyongani  Zimbabwe 0.249 45.89
7 7 Eric Milazar  Mauritius 0.209 46.06
8 2 Gakologelwang Masheto  Botswana 0.183 46.29 SB

Heat 2[edit]

Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 6 Chris Brown  Bahamas 0.205 44.79 Q
2 7 Joel Milburn  Australia 0.155 44.80 Q, PB
3 4 Johan Wissman  Sweden 0.229 44.81 Q, SB
4 5 Gary Kikaya  Democratic Republic of the Congo 0.184 44.89 q, SB
5 8 Sanjay Ayre  Jamaica 0.177 45.66
6 9 Arismendy Peguero  Dominican Republic 0.236 46.28
7 3 Ivano Bucci  San Marino 0.209 48.54 SB
8 2 Liu Xiaosheng  China 0.245 53.11

Heat 3[edit]

Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 8 Nery Brenes  Costa Rica 0.196 45.36 Q
2 3 James Godday  Nigeria 0.200 45.49 Q
3 9 Andretti Bain  Bahamas 0.225 45.96 Q
4 7 Niko Verekauta  Fiji 0.161 46.32 SB
5 6 Fernando de Almeida  Brazil 0.158 46.60
6 2 Lewis Banda  Zimbabwe 0.244 46.76
7 4 Vincent Mumo Kiilu  Kenya 0.212 46.79
8 5 Nagmeldin Ali Abubakr  Sudan 0.247 47.12

Heat 4[edit]

Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 7 Martyn Rooney  Great Britain 0.207 45.00 Q
2 8 Sean Wroe  Australia 0.182 45.17 Q, PB
3 5 Ricardo Chambers  Jamaica 0.211 45.22 Q
4 3 Erison Hurtault  Dominica 0.246 46.10
5 9 Andrés Silva  Uruguay 0.265 46.34
6 2 Rudolf Götz  Czech Republic 0.157 46.38
7 6 Yuzo Kanemaru  Japan 0.225 46.39
— 4 California Molefe  Botswana — DNS

Heat 5[edit]

Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 2 LaShawn Merritt  United States 0.214 44.96 Q
2 7 Saul Weigopwa  Nigeria 0.172 45.19 Q
3 8 Claudio Licciardello  Italy 0.186 45.25 Q, PB
4 3 Jonathan Borlée  Belgium 0.225 45.25 q, PB
5 6 Ato Modibo  Trinidad and Tobago 0.195 45.63
6 9 Alleyne Francique  Grenada 0.215 46.15
7 5 Geiner Mosquera  Colombia 0.268 46.59
8 4 Siraj Williams  Liberia 0.288 47.89

Heat 6[edit]

Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 7 Andrew Steele  Great Britain 0.248 44.94 Q, PB
2 5 Renny Quow  Trinidad and Tobago 0.266 45.13 Q
3 6 Michael Mathieu  Bahamas 0.193 45.17 Q, PB
4 8 Michael Blackwood  Jamaica 0.204 45.56
5 2 Tyler Christopher  Canada 0.172 45.67
6 3 Joel Phillip  Grenada 0.198 46.30
7 9 Félix Martínez  Puerto Rico 0.347 46.46
8 4 Daniel Dąbrowski  Poland 0.260 47.83

Heat 7[edit]

Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 9 Jeremy Wariner  United States 0.253 45.23 Q
2 6 Tabarie Henry  Virgin Islands 0.165 45.36 Q, NR
3 2 Cedric van Branteghem  Belgium 0.203 45.54 Q
4 4 David Gillick  Ireland 0.275 45.83
5 5 Maksim Dyldin  Russia 0.194 46.03
6 3 Myhaylo Knysh  Ukraine 0.260 46.28
7 7 Mathieu Gnanligo  Benin 0.207 47.10
8 8 Naiel Santiago d'Almeida  São Tomé and Príncipe 0.178 49.08

Semifinals[edit]

The semifinals were held on 19 August 2008.

Semifinal 1[edit]

The first semifinal was held at 21:45.

Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 6 Jeremy Wariner  United States 0.224 44.15 Q
2 5 Chris Brown  Bahamas 0.244 44.59 Q
3 6 Kévin Borlée  Belgium 0.162 44.88 NR
4 7 Nery Brenes  Costa Rica 0.169 44.94 NR
5 4 Saul Weigopwa  Nigeria 0.168 45.02 SB
6 2 William Collazo  Cuba 0.191 45.06 PB
7 8 Tabarie Henry  Virgin Islands 0.165 45.19 NR
8 2 Claudio Licciardello  Italy 0.259 45.64

Semifinal 2[edit]

The second semifinal was held at 21:52.

Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 6 Leslie Djhone  France 0.159 44.79 Q, SB
2 4 David Neville  United States 0.190 44.91 Q
3 5 Joel Milburn  Australia 0.187 45.06
4 9 Ricardo Chambers  Jamaica 0.220 45.09
5 3 Jonathan Borlée  Belgium 0.191 45.11 PB
6 8 James Godday  Nigeria 0.185 45.24
7 2 Andretti Bain  Bahamas 0.196 45.52
8 7 Andrew Steele  Great Britain 0.216 45.59

Semifinal 3[edit]

The third semifinal was held at 21:59.

Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1 7 LaShawn Merritt  United States 0.187 44.12 Q
2 6 Martyn Rooney  Great Britain 0.126 44.60 Q, PB
3 8 Johan Wissman  Sweden 0.211 44.64 q, SB
4 5 Renny Quow  Trinidad and Tobago 0.204 44.82 q, PB
5 2 Gary Kikaya  Democratic Republic of the Congo 0.187 44.94
6 9 Michael Mathieu  Bahamas 0.203 45.56
7 4 Sean Wroe  Australia 0.205 45.56
8 3 Cedric van Branteghem  Belgium 0.199 45.81

Final[edit]

LaShawn Merritt won by a margin of almost a second.

Wariner slowed after Merritt started pulling away from him in the final straight and it became clear that Wariner could not keep pace with Merritt. This resulted in Merritt winning by 0.99 seconds, officially the largest margin of victory in a 400 metres final since 1896 (1.0 seconds).

Rank Lane Athlete Nation Reaction Time Notes
1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 LaShawn Merritt  United States 0.318 43.75 PB
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 Jeremy Wariner  United States 0.209 44.74
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 9 David Neville  United States 0.293 44.80
4 5 Chris Brown  Bahamas 0.231 44.84
5 6 Leslie Djhone  France 0.164 45.11
6 8 Martyn Rooney  Great Britain 0.208 45.12
7 2 Renny Quow  Trinidad and Tobago 0.201 45.22
8 3 Johan Wissman  Sweden 0.218 45.39

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Olympic Athletics Competition Schedule". IAAF. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  2. ^ a b c "400 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  3. ^ Hersh, Philip (2008-07-01). Wariner's, coach's stories don't match. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2016-07-16.
  4. ^ Wenig, Jörg (2008-09-13). Merritt vs. Wariner 2008 – final score: Merritt 4, Wariner 3. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-07-16.
  5. ^ Ramsak, Bob (2008-08-21). Men's 400m - FINAL Archived 2016-08-08 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-07-16.
  6. ^ "Entry Standards - The XXIX Olympic Games - Beijing, China - 8/24 August 2008". IAAF. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  7. ^ Official Report, Results Book for Athletics.
  8. ^ "IOC sanctions four athletes for failing anti-doping tests at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 - Olympic News".

External links[edit]

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