The men's 400 metres hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 23 to 26. There were 35 competitors from 24 nations. The event was won by Félix Sánchez of the Dominican Republic, the nation's first medal in the men's 400 metres hurdles. Silver went to Danny McFarlane of Jamaica, returning to the podium in the event for the first time since 1992. Naman Keïta's bronze was France's first medal in the event in over 100 years; the last Frenchman to medal in the long hurdles was Henri Tauzin in 1900. The United States' five-Games gold medal streak ended; for only the second time in the history of the event, Americans competed but won no medals.
Natalya Nikolayevna Antyukh is a Russian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres and 400 metres hurdles. She won the bronze medal in the 400 metres and a silver for the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Andrea Melissa Blackett is a Barbadian athlete who specializes in the 400 metres hurdles. She is also a women's track assistant coach at her alma mater, Rice University.
Sandra Marie Farmer-Patrick is a Jamaican-born American former athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres hurdles. She won silver medals in that event at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart. She also won the 400 metres hurdles at the World Cup in 1989 and 1992. Her best time for the event of 52.79 seconds (1993), is the former U.S. record. That performance once ranked her second on the world all-time list, and as of 2024, ranks her 15th on the world all-time list.
Mariya Dzhumabaevna Pinigina is a former Olympic athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres, training at Spartak in Kyiv. She represented the Soviet Union.
Tonja Yvette Buford-Bailey is an American former Olympian who competed mainly in the 400 meter hurdles. She competed as Tonja Buford until marrying Victor Bailey on October 28, 1995. In 1982, when she was 12 years old, she met former track runner Wilma Rudolph. She attended Meadowdale High School in Dayton and the University of Illinois.
Joshua Culbreath was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 400 meter hurdles—the national outdoor champion from 1953 to 1955; three-time winner of the event in the Penn Relays in the same years, and Olympic bronze medal winner in 1956, while he was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps; and world record holder in 1957. Culbreath was inducted into the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
Michael L. McDonald is a Jamaican runner who competed mainly in the 400 metres.
Lashinda Demus is a retired American hurdler who specialized in the 400 meter hurdles, an event in which she was the 2011 world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, becoming the first woman from the United States to win the Olympic 400 m hurdles title.
Ian Weakly AKA Ian Weakley is a retired male hurdler from Jamaica. Weakly's best performance came in 2003 with a time of 48.55 in the 400 meter hurdles, ran in Trikala, Greece.
The men's 400 metres hurdles was an event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There were 55 competitors from 35 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Derrick Adkins of the United States, the nation's fourth consecutive and 16th overall victory in the event. Samuel Matete of Zambia earned that nation's first medal in the event with his silver. American Calvin Davis took bronze.
Since the early 20th century, Jamaica has won 42 Commonwealth Golds, 14 World Championship Golds and 17 Olympic gold medals in athletics alone. Jamaica has a population of 2.85 million people, making it the 138th most populous country in the world.
Zuzana Hejnová is a retired Czech athlete who specialised in the 400 metres hurdles. She won the silver medal in the event at the 2012 London Olympics. Hejnová is a two-time World Champion, having claimed titles at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships in Athletics. She won bronze at the 2012 European Championships and silver for the 400 metres at the 2017 European Indoor Championships.
Kaliese Spencer Carter is a Jamaican track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. She won the bronze medal in the event at the 2012 London Olympics. Spencer was the Commonwealth Games champion in 2014 and a double silver medallist at the 2014 World Indoor Championships. She finished fourth at both the 2009 and 2011 World Championships in Athletics.
The 3rd Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships was held in Xalapa, Mexico, on 25–28 August 1978. This was already the second time that the city was hosting this event after the 2nd junior CAC games in 1976. Moreover, both the inaugural 1st CAC senior championships in 1967 and the VI CAC senior championships in 1977 took place in Xalapa, Veracruz. Both junior (under-20) and youth (under-17) competitions were held.
Ashley Spencer is an American track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metres and the 400 metres hurdles. In the 400m hurdles, she is the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist. In the 400m, she is the 2012 World Junior Champion and the 2016 World Indoor silver medalist. She is coached by 1996 Olympic bronze medalist Tonya Buford-Bailey.
The 400 metres hurdles at the Summer Olympics is the longest hurdling event held at the multi-sport event. The men's 400 m hurdles has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900, with a sole gap at the 1912 Summer Olympics. The women's event was added to the programme over eighty years later, at the 1984 Olympics. It is the most prestigious 400 m hurdles race at elite level.
Janieve Russell is a Jamaican track and field athlete who competes mainly in the 400 metres hurdles and the 400 metres sprint. She won an Olympic bronze medal in the 4 × 400 m relay in Tokyo 2021, where she also finished fourth in the 400m hurdles final in a personal best of 53.08 secs. She is a four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, winning the 400m hurdles title in 2018 and 2022, and the 4 × 400 m relay in 2014 and 2018. She has also won two relay silvers at the World Championships and a relay gold at the World Indoor Championships.
Rushell Clayton is a Jamaican athlete specialising in the 400 metres hurdles. She won the bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships and again at the 2023 World Championships, setting her personal best of 52.81 seconds, In 2024, she became the first Jamaican woman since 2011 to break the 53-second barrier in the 400m hurdles.
Shiann Salmon is a Jamaican track and field athlete who specializes in the 400 metres hurdles and 400 metres. She represented Jamaica at the 2019 World Athletics Championships, competing in women's 400 metres hurdles.
