Men's 400 metres at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad | |||||||||||||
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![]() Interior view of the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, where the Men's 400m took place. | |||||||||||||
Venue | Olympic Stadium | ||||||||||||
Dates | 12 August 2016 (Heats) 13 August 2016 (semi-final) 14 August 2016 (final) | ||||||||||||
Competitors | 53 from 35 nations | ||||||||||||
Winning time | 43.03 WR | ||||||||||||
Medalists | |||||||||||||
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Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics | ||
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Qualification | ||
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 | ||
Long jump | men | women |
Triple jump | men | women |
High jump | men | women |
Pole vault | men | women |
Shot put | men | women |
Discus throw | men | women |
Javelin throw | men | women |
Hammer throw | men | women |
Combined events | ||
Heptathlon | women | |
Decathlon | men | |
The men's 400 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 12 and 14 August at the Olympic Stadium. [1] Fifty-three athletes from 35 nations competed. [2] The event was won by 0.73 seconds by Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa, who broke the world record and won the nation's second gold medal in the men's 400 metres (after Bevil Rudd in 1920). Kirani James of Grenada and LaShawn Merritt of the United States became the sixth and seventh men to win two medals in the event, but Michael Johnson remained the only man with two gold medals.
Kirani James was the Olympic champion in 2012 and was in good form before the competition with a run of 44.08 seconds placing him second on the global rankings. The 2008 Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt topped the lists for the season as the only man under 44 seconds. Wayde van Niekerk ranked third and was the 2015 World Championships winner. At that competition the trio had all run under 44 seconds for medals (a first for the sport) and were the principal challengers to the Olympic title. Two younger athletes, Baboloki Thebe and Machel Cedenio, were the next fastest athletes to enter. [3] [4] James was the fastest in the first round with 44.93 and Cedenio was the other heat winner under 45 seconds. The 2016 World Indoor Champion Pavel Maslák, David Verburg and Rafał Omelko qualified as fastest losers. Former European champions Martyn Rooney and Kevin Borlée were eliminated. [5]
In the semi-finals, James had a season's best time of 44.02 to win the round nearly two tenths ahead of Merritt. Cedenio won the 2nd semi final ahead with van Niekerk second. Bralon Taplin won the third semi final. Fastest loser qualifiers Karabo Sibanda, Matthew Hudson-Smith and Ali Khamis all set personal bests. [6]
In the final, the three favorites James, van Niekerk and Merritt led from the start. By the end of the turn, van Niekerk had a clear 2 metre lead, Merritt just slightly ahead of James who had closed the gap during the turn. Cedenio was another four metres back, with Taplin another metre back. In the home straight van Niekerk increased his lead while James overtook Merritt, finishing second and third. Cedenio was fourth, Taplin faded, and in lane 1, 18-year-old Karabo Sibanda finished fifth.
Van Niekerk set a new world record of 43.03 seconds, beating Michael Johnson’s previous record set at the 1999 World Championships by 0.15 seconds. [7] Johnson was in the stadium, working in the British commentary booth. [8] This was also the first time that the event has been won and the world record broken by a runner in lane 8.
Cedenio set the national record for Trinidad and Tobago and Ali Khamis in sixth set the national record for Bahrain.
This was the 28th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The top six finishers from 2012 (in order: Kirani James of Grenada, Luguelín Santos of the Dominican Republic, Lalonde Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago, Chris Brown of the Bahamas, and Kevin Borlée and Jonathan Borlée of Belgium) returned. LaShawn Merritt of the United States, 2008 gold medalist who was injured and could not finish his heat in 2012, also returned. A new challenger was Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa. James (2011), Merritt (2013), and van Niekerk (2015) were the latest three world champions. [2]
Bahrain and Niger appeared in this event for the first time. Also competing was one member of the Refugee Olympic Team. The United States made its 27th appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.
A National Olympic Committee (NOC) could enter up to 3 qualified athletes in the men's 400 metres event if all athletes meet the entry standard during the qualifying period. (The limit of 3 has been in place since the 1930 Olympic Congress.) The qualifying standard was 45.40 seconds. The qualifying period was from 1 May 2015 to 11 July 2016. The qualifying time standards could be obtained in various meets during the given period that have the approval of the IAAF. Indoor and outdoor meets were accepted. NOCs could also use their universality place—each NOC could enter one male athlete regardless of time if they had no male athletes meeting the entry standard for an athletics event—in the 400 metres. [9] [10]
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 7 or 8 runners. 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. [11] [2]
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
World record | ![]() | 43.18 | Seville, Spain | 26 August 1999 |
Olympic record | ![]() | 43.49 | Atlanta, United States | 29 July 1996 |
Area | |||
---|---|---|---|
Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | |
Africa ( records ) | 43.48 | Wayde van Niekerk | ![]() |
Asia ( records ) | 43.93 | Yousef Ahmed Masrahi | ![]() |
Europe ( records ) | 44.33 | Thomas Schönlebe | ![]() |
North, Central America and Caribbean ( records ) | 43.18 | Michael Johnson | ![]() |
Oceania ( records ) | 44.38 | Darren Clark | ![]() |
South America ( records ) | 44.29 | Sanderlei Parrela | ![]() |
The following new world, Olympic and African record were established during this competition:
Date | Round | Athlete | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
14 August | Final | ![]() | 43.03 | WR, OR, AR |
The following national records were established during the competition:
Country | Athlete | Round | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Slovenia | ![]() | Semifinals | 45.07 | |
Bahrain | ![]() | Semifinals | 44.49 | |
South Africa | ![]() | Final | 43.03 | WR, OR, AR |
Trinidad and Tobago | ![]() | Final | 44.01 | |
Bahrain | ![]() | Final | 44.36 |
All times are Brasília Standard Time (UTC-3)
Date | Time | Round |
---|---|---|
Friday, 12 August 2016 | 21:00 | Round 1 |
Saturday, 13 August 2016 | 20:30 | Semifinals |
Sunday, 14 August 2016 | 22:00 | Final |
Qualification rule: first 3 of each heat (Q) plus the 3 fastest times (q) qualified. [12]
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Machel Cedenio | ![]() | 0.179 | 44.98 | Q |
2 | 7 | Gil Roberts | ![]() | 0.168 | 45.27 | Q |
3 | 4 | Yoandys Lescay | ![]() | 0.199 | 45.36 | Q, SB |
4 | 6 | Fitzroy Dunkley | ![]() | 0.176 | 45.66 | |
5 | 3 | Kevin Borlée | ![]() | 0.138 | 45.90 | |
6 | 5 | Alberth Bravo | ![]() | 0.205 | 46.15 | |
7 | 1 | Alex Lerionka Sampao | ![]() | 0.199 | 46.62 | |
8 | 8 | Ousseini Djibo Idrissa | ![]() | 0.173 | 50.06 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Bralon Taplin | ![]() | 0.162 | 45.15 | Q |
2 | 2 | Nery Brenes | ![]() | 0.151 | 45.53 | Q |
3 | 7 | Karabo Sibanda | ![]() | 0.166 | 45.56 | Q |
4 | 1 | Matteo Galvan | ![]() | 0.154 | 46.07 | |
5 | 3 | Raymond Kibet | ![]() | 0.234 | 46.15 | |
6 | 6 | Mehboob Ali | ![]() | 0.212 | 48.37 | |
7 | 8 | Bachir Mahamat | ![]() | 0.188 | 48.59 | |
– | 5 | Anas Beshr | ![]() | 0.141 | DQ | R163.3a |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | Wayde van Niekerk | ![]() | 0.147 | 45.26 | Q |
2 | 2 | Luguelín Santos | ![]() | 0.148 | 45.61 | Q |
3 | 8 | Javon Francis | ![]() | 0.172 | 45.88 | Q |
4 | 6 | Jonathan Borlée | ![]() | 0.162 | 46.01 | |
5 | 3 | Alphas Kishoyian | ![]() | 0.147 | 46.74 | |
6 | 5 | Brandon Valentine-Parris | ![]() | 0.144 | 47.62 | |
– | 4 | Alonzo Russell | ![]() | 0.159 | DQ | R163.3a |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Lalonde Gordon | ![]() | 0.153 | 45.24 | Q |
2 | 4 | Luka Janežič | ![]() | 0.148 | 45.33 | Q |
3 | 6 | Baboloki Thebe | ![]() | 0.155 | 45.41 | Q |
4 | 1 | Chris Brown | ![]() | 0.147 | 45.56 | SB |
5 | 2 | Martyn Rooney | ![]() | 0.154 | 45.60 | |
6 | 7 | Julian Jrummi Walsh | ![]() | 0.149 | 46.37 | |
7 | 8 | Gustavo Cuesta | ![]() | 0.143 | 46.92 | |
8 | 3 | James Chiengjiek | ![]() | 0.213 | 52.89 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 | LaShawn Merritt | ![]() | 0.235 | 45.28 | Q |
2 | 3 | Abdelalelah Haroun | ![]() | 0.190 | 45.76 | Q |
3 | 6 | Isaac Makwala | ![]() | 0.242 | 45.91 | Q |
4 | 2 | Vitaliy Butrym | ![]() | 0.166 | 45.92 | |
5 | 4 | Donald Blair-Sanford | ![]() | 0.163 | 46.06 | |
6 | 5 | Deon Lendore | ![]() | 0.201 | 46.15 | |
7 | 7 | Hederson Estefani | ![]() | 0.234 | 46.68 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | Kirani James | ![]() | 0.156 | 44.93 | Q |
2 | 5 | Rusheen McDonald | ![]() | 0.179 | 45.22 | Q, SB |
3 | 2 | Matthew Hudson-Smith | ![]() | 0.142 | 45.26 | Q |
4 | 3 | David Verburg | ![]() | 0.167 | 45.48 | q |
5 | 7 | Winston George | ![]() | 0.186 | 45.77 | |
6 | 8 | Diego Palomeque | ![]() | 0.159 | 46.48 | |
– | 4 | Abbas Abubakar Abbas | ![]() | 0.192 | DQ | R163.3a |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | Ali Khamis | ![]() | 0.161 | 45.12 | Q |
2 | 1 | Steven Gardiner | ![]() | 0.149 | 45.24 | Q |
3 | 8 | Liemarvin Bonevacia | ![]() | 0.142 | 45.49 | Q |
4 | 5 | Rafał Omelko | ![]() | 0.177 | 45.54 | q |
5 | 4 | Pavel Maslák | ![]() | 0.183 | 45.54 | q |
6 | 6 | Mohammad Anas | ![]() | 0.158 | 45.95 | |
7 | 2 | Orukpe Erayokan | ![]() | 0.180 | 47.42 | SB |
8 | 3 | Yuzo Kanemaru | ![]() | 0.144 | 48.38 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Kirani James | ![]() | 0.144 | 44.02 | Q, SB |
2 | 6 | LaShawn Merritt | ![]() | 0.271 | 44.21 | Q |
3 | 2 | Karabo Sibanda | ![]() | 0.174 | 44.47 | q, PB |
4 | 7 | Luguelín Santos | ![]() | 0.155 | 44.71 | SB |
5 | 1 | Javon Francis | ![]() | 0.170 | 44.96 | |
6 | 5 | Nery Brenes | ![]() | 0.181 | 45.02 | |
7 | 8 | Liemarvin Bonevacia | ![]() | 0.166 | 45.03 | SB |
8 | 3 | Lalonde Gordon | ![]() | 0.157 | 45.13 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Machel Cedenio | ![]() | 0.243 | 44.39 | Q |
2 | 3 | Wayde van Niekerk | ![]() | 0.156 | 44.45 | Q |
3 | 2 | Pavel Maslák | ![]() | 0.185 | 45.06 | SB |
4 | 6 | Luka Janežič | ![]() | 0.154 | 45.07 | NR |
5 | 1 | David Verburg | ![]() | 0.159 | 45.61 | |
6 | 4 | Rusheen McDonald | ![]() | 0.182 | 46.12 | |
7 | 7 | Abdelalelah Haroun | ![]() | 0.173 | 46.66 | |
— | 8 | Baboloki Thebe | ![]() | — | DNS |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | Bralon Taplin | ![]() | 0.171 | 44.44 | Q |
2 | 8 | Matthew Hudson-Smith | ![]() | 0.143 | 44.48 | Q, PB |
3 | 3 | Ali Khamis | ![]() | 0.145 | 44.49 | q, NR |
4 | 4 | Gil Roberts | ![]() | 0.151 | 44.65 | SB |
5 | 5 | Steven Gardiner | ![]() | 0.156 | 44.72 | |
6 | 7 | Yoandys Lescay | ![]() | 0.216 | 45.00 | PB |
7 | 2 | Rafał Omelko | ![]() | 0.164 | 45.28 | |
8 | 1 | Isaac Makwala | ![]() | 0.173 | 46.60 |
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 8 | Wayde van Niekerk | ![]() | 0.181 | 43.03 | WR |
![]() | 6 | Kirani James | ![]() | 0.134 | 43.76 | SB |
![]() | 5 | LaShawn Merritt | ![]() | 0.204 | 43.85 | SB |
4 | 3 | Machel Cedenio | ![]() | 0.203 | 44.01 | NR |
5 | 1 | Karabo Sibanda | ![]() | 0.164 | 44.25 | PB |
6 | 2 | Ali Khamis | ![]() | 0.148 | 44.36 | NR |
7 | 4 | Bralon Taplin | ![]() | 0.181 | 44.45 | |
8 | 7 | Matthew Hudson-Smith | ![]() | 0.138 | 44.61 |
The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint 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.
Harry Lee Reynolds Jr., commonly known as Butch Reynolds, is an American former track and field athlete who competed in the 400 meter dash. He held the world record for the event for 11 years 9 days with his personal best time of 43.29 seconds set in 1988. That year, he was the silver medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and a relay gold medalist. He was falsely accused and banned for drug use for two years by the IAAF; until The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Reynolds due to an apparent drug testing procedural flaw. Reynolds was awarded $27.3 million dollars due to the false accusation damages, but he never received the money.
LaShawn Merritt is an American track and field athlete who competes in sprinting events, specializing in the 400 metres. He is a former Olympic champion over the distance and his personal best of 43.65 seconds makes him the ninth fastest of all time.
Kirani James is a Grenadian professional sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. He won the 400 m at the World Championships in 2011, and the 2012 London Olympics. In the 400 metres, James also won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, thus becoming the first man to earn the full set of three medals in the centennial history of the event. He is Grenada's first and only Olympic medalist. He holds the Grenadian national record in both the 200 metres and 400 metres.
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 winning margin was 0.54 seconds.
The men's 400 metres competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, was held at the Olympic Stadium on 4–6 August. Forty-nine athletes from 38 nations competed. The event was won by 0.52 seconds by Kirani James of Grenada, earning the country its first Olympic medal. Luguelín Santos's silver was the Dominican Republic's first medal in the men's 400 metres. Lalonde Gordon's bronze was Trinidad and Tobago's first medal in the event since 1964.
Grenada competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's eighth consecutive appearance at the Olympics. Few weeks before the Games, Grenadian athletes trained at Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre near Horsham, West Sussex.
The men's 400 metres at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Daegu Stadium on August 28, 29 and 30. The winning margin was 0.03 seconds.
Luguelín Miguel Santos Aquino is a Dominican sprinter, who specialises in the 400 m. He was the silver medallist in the event at the 2012 London Olympics at the age of eighteen. His personal best is 44.11 seconds.
The men's 400 metres at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Luzhniki Stadium on 11–13 August. The winning margin was 0.66 seconds.
Wayde van Niekerk is a South African track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. In the 400 metres, he is the current world and Olympic record holder, having set the record in the Olympic finals.
The men's 400 metres hurdles event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 15–18 August at the Olympic Stadium. There were 47 competitors from 33 nations. The event was won by Kerron Clement of the United States, the nation's 19th victory in the men's long hurdles. Clement became the ninth man to win multiple medals in the event. Both Kenya and Turkey earned their first medals in the men's 400 metres hurdles, the former with Boniface Mucheru Tumuti's silver and the latter with Yasmani Copello's bronze.
Abdalelah Haroun Hassan was a Qatari track and field sprinter. He specialised in the 400 metres. He was the 2015 Asian champion in the event and holds the Asian indoor record.
The men's 400 metres at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Beijing National Stadium on 23, 24 and 26 August. The winning margin was 0.17 seconds.
Fredrick Lee Kerley is an American professional track and field sprinter who started his career competing in the 400 meters until 2020, when he transitioned to the 100 meters and 200 meters. He has earned several medals at the World Championships in the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay including an individual bronze and a relay gold at the 2019 edition. Kerley claimed 100 m gold in the 2022 edition.
The men's 400 metres at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics was held at the London Olympic Stadium on 5, 6, and 8 August. The winning margin was 0.43 seconds.
The men's 400 metres event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place between 1 and 5 August 2021 at the Olympic Stadium. Approximately fifty athletes were expected to compete; the exact number was dependent on how many nations use universality places to enter athletes in addition to the 48 qualifying through time or ranking. 48 athletes from 33 nations competed. The event was won by 0.23 seconds by Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas, with Anthony Zambrano of Colombia taking silver. Those were the first medals in the men's 400 metres for each of those two nations. Kirani James of Grenada won his third consecutive medal in the event with his bronze, making him the first man to earn three medals in the 400 metres.
The men's 400 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships was held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on 1, 2 and 4 October 2019. The winning margin was 0.67 seconds.
The men's 400 metres at the 2022 World Athletics Championships was held at the Hayward Field in Eugene from 17 to 22 July 2022. The winning margin was 0.19 seconds.
The men's 400 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships was held at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary from 20 to 24 August 2023. The winning margin was 0.09 seconds.