World Championships: Men's 400m hurdles
One of the all-time greats of athletics, Ed Moses, clocked 47.50 to become the inaugural winner, despite an undone shoelace. It gave the world record-holder and 1976 Olympic champion a winning margin of more than a second and represented his 82nd consecutive victory at the event. A distant second was the most recent man to beat him six years earlier, Harald Schmid.
Moses lost his unbeaten record in 1986 to Danny Harris and a year later in Rome, Moses, Harris and Schmid were involved in what is still one of the greatest world championships races in history. Moses started quickly and led by two metres over the last hurdle, but his rivals closed as he tired and the three were virtually inseparable on the line. Moses took the verdict on 47.46 with Harris and Schmid sharing 47.48 and the order was as per the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Kriss Akabusi was seventh in 48.74 but by 1991 in Tokyo the Briton was in much better form and gained Britain’s first medal in the event as he finished strongly to beat eventual Olympic champion Kevin Young and Harris, to take bronze in a top-quality 47.86. Up ahead, Zambia’s Samuel Matete, who had recently gone to second all-time with 47.10, started uncharacteristically quickly and repelled the late challenge of Winthrop Graham.
Akabusi later won a surprise gold in anchoring Britain’s 4x400m team to a memorable victory.
By the time of Stuttgart in 1993, Young was world record-holder, but had lost to Matete and Graham prior to the championships. However, in the final he outclassed the opposition with a still-standing championship record of 47.18. Four metres back, Matete just beat Graham for second as they just overhauled long-time second placer Stephane Diagana, whose 47.64 became the fastest time not to win a medal.
The Gothenburg final was an exciting three-way battle for gold and was won by Derrick Adams, who had finished seventh then sixth in the previous two finals. Matete and European record-holder Diagana finished closely behind to take the other medals.
The Frenchman had to miss the 1996 Olympics through injury, but was back in form for Athens in 1997 and, like Adkins, won gold in his third final, running 47.70. In second, 20-year-old South African Llewellyn Herbert ran 47.86 from lane one for the silver.
In Seville, Italy’s Fabrizio Mori, improving from fourth last time out, finished strongly to overtake a tiring Diagana and won in an Italian record of 47.72. Mori was initially disqualified from his semi-final for going out of lane but later reinstated. Protests after the final that he had done the same thing again were not upheld.
Briton Chris Rawlinson was ranked in the top three prior to the event but missed it through injury and, in Edmonton in 2001, was the third fastest in winning his semi-final, but in the final was slower and wound up in fifth. It was an exciting finish with Felix Sanchez’s 47.49 giving Dominican Republic its first World Championships medal as he just held off Mori. For the first time, a global 400m hurdles final featured no Americans as Olympic champion Angelo Taylor almost fell in his semi-final and was eliminated.
Sanchez proved unbeatable after Edmonton and in Paris in 2003 outclassed the opposition, winning by almost a second in 47.25, which was the 11th fastest time in history. Rawlinson again peaked in his semi-final and was sixth in the final. Herbert was on for second but fell at the final hurdle and finished last in 72.10 in a final again lacking any Americans.
In Helsinki in 2005, Sanchez was back but unfit after injuries and failed to finish as Bershawn Jackson restored US pride by leading a podium-sweep in 47.30. Dai Tamesue, who had only been fourth in his semi and scraped into the final as the slowest fastest loser edged Kerron Clement for the bronze.
The 2007 race in Osaka saw Jackson stumble in his semi-final and miss qualifying for the final, but USA still won through Clement, who ran 47.61 despite a number of errors. Sanchez returned to form to take the silver medal.
Clement retained his title in Berlin as his 47.91 beat Javier Culson’s Puerto Rican record of 48.09 with former champion Jackson third just ahead of Jehue Gordon’s world age best of 48.26. Dai Greene had run 48.27 in his
semi-final but was slower in the final and finished seventh in 48.68.
In Daegu, Gordon’s time in fourth in Germany proved good enough for gold as Greene won an exciting but poor-quality race with a strong finish in 48.26 with Culson repeating his silver medal. The bronze medal-winning time of 48.80 was the slowest since the first world final in 1983. Sanchez was a close fourth in his sixth final and seventh world championships.
An unfit Greene couldn’t defend his title in Moscow in 2013 and went out in the semi-finals. Gordon, who had not made the final in 2011, fulfilled his potential with a 47.69 victory, but it was close as American Michael Tinsley pushed him all the way with 47.70. Serbia picked up a surprise bronze through Emir Bekric. Sanchez, who amazed everyone to win the 2012 London Olympics, finished fifth in 48.22.
In the points table, Sanchez single-handedly puts the Dominican Republic equal second to the USA and they would have been a clear second had he been able to finish that 2005 final!
Year | Winner | Time | Top Brit
1983 Ed Moses (USA) 47.50 3rd ht Gary Oakes 51.23
1987 Ed Moses (USA) 47.46 7th Kriss Akabusi 48.74
1991 Samuel Matete (ZAM) 47.64 3rd Kriss Akabusi 47.86
1993 Kevin Young (USA) 47.18 7th sf Gary Cadogan 49.59 (49.25 ht)
1995 Derrick Adkins (USA) 47.98 Gary Jennings/Cadogan dq ht
1997 Stephane Diagana (FRA) 47.70 5th ht Chris Rawlinson 49.72
1999 Fabrizio Mori (ITA) 47.72 6th ht Anthony Borsumato 50.05
2001 Felix Sanchez (DOM) 47.49 5th Chris Rawlinson 48.54 (48.27 sf)
2003 Felix Sanchez (DOM) 47.25 6th Chris Rawlinson 48.90 (48.56 sf)
2005 Bershawn Jackson (USA) 47.30 6th sf Rhys Williams 49.67
2007 Kerron Clement (USA) 47.61 7th ht Dale Garland 49.98
2009 Kerron Clement (USA) 47.91 7th David Greene 48.68 (48.27 sf)
2011 David Greene 48.26 David Greene
2013 Jehue Gordon (TTO) 47.69 5th sf David Greene 49.25
Top points (8 for 1st etc)
1. USA 139
2= DOM 33
2= JAM 33
4. FRA 30
5. ZAM 26
6. GBR 25
7. RSA 21
8. ITA 20
9. PUR 17
10. SWE 15
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