| Events at the 2009 World Championships | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Track events | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| 400 m | men | women |
| 800 m | men | women |
| 1500 m | men | women |
| 5000 m | men | women |
| 10,000 m | men | women |
| 100 m hurdles | women | |
| 110 m hurdles | men | |
| 400 m hurdles | men | women |
| 3000 m steeplechase | men | women |
| 4 × 100 m relay | men | women |
| 4 × 400 m relay | men | women |
| Road events | ||
| Marathon | men | women |
| 20 km walk | men | women |
| 50 km walk | men | |
| Field events | ||
| High jump | men | women |
| Pole vault | men | women |
| Long jump | men | women |
| Triple jump | men | women |
| Shot put | men | women |
| Discus throw | men | women |
| Hammer throw | men | women |
| Javelin throw | men | women |
| Combined events | ||
| Heptathlon | women | |
| Decathlon | men | |
The men's 400 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on 18, 19 and 21 August.
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In many countries, athletes previously competed in the 440 yard dash (402.336 m)—which is a quarter of a mile and was referred to as the 'quarter-mile'—instead of the 400 m (437.445 yards), though this distance is now obsolete.
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate.
Contents
The United States had a strong tradition in the event, with an American topping the Olympic 400 m podium every time since the 1988 Olympics. Similar to the 2007 World Championships, Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt were the clear favourites. However, on this occasion recent form favoured the Olympic champion Merritt instead of the reigning world champion Wariner. Both Americans were undefeated that season but Merritt held the world-leading time of 44.50 seconds. A gold or silver medallist outside of these two competitors seemed unlikely; Bahamian Chris Brown, Irishman David Gillick, Frenchman Leslie Djhone and the other two runners from the United States (Gil Roberts and Lionel Larry) were seen to be capable of a bronze at best. [1]
United States competed at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. A team of over 100 athletes was announced in preparation for the competition. Team USA athletes honoured Jesse Owens' memory by displaying the letters JO on their competition singlets. Selected athletes achieved one of the competition's qualifying standards. The squad included reigning champions, such as: Tyson Gay, Allyson Felix, Michelle Perry, Reese Hoffa, Dwight Phillips, Brad Walker, Bernard Lagat, Kerron Clement, and Jeremy Wariner. Furthermore, outside the reigning champions, there were a number of past medallists and world leaders in the squad. With such strength in depth in a large squad, the United States was expected to maintain its dominance of the competition, in which it has not been beaten on total gold medals since 1987. Olympic champion Bryan Clay missed the competition due to injury.
At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul a total number of 42 events in athletics were contested: 24 by men and 18 by women. There were a total number of 1617 participating athletes from 149 countries.
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007. 200 of the IAAF's 212 member federations entered a total of 1,978 athletes, the greatest number of competitors at any World Championships to date. Sarah Brightman, the world's best-selling soprano, performed her single Running at the opening ceremony.
On the first day, Ramon Miller surprised as the fastest qualifier in the heats, scoring a new personal best of 45 seconds. Tabarie Henry, Djhone and Renny Quow were the next fastest, and African record holder Gary Kikaya was most high-profile casualty of the first round, having been disqualified for a lane infraction. [2]
Ramon Miller is a Bahamian sprinter.
Tabarie Joil Henry is a United States Virgin Islands sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. His personal best time is 20.71 seconds in the 200 metres and 44.77 in the 400 metres, achieved in April 2009 in Arkansas City, Kansas and in May 2009 in Hutchinson, Kansas respectively. He is affiliated with Barton County Community College and Texas A&M University, where he was a national champion in 2010 and 2011.
Renny Quow is a Trinidadian male track and field sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres and has made it to both the Olympic and World Finals in the event, a rare feat for athletes from the Caribbean in the 400m. He competes professionally for Adidas. He was born in Tobago. Quow remains the only quarter miler from Trinidad & Tobago to make it to every major 400m finals.
