The men's 400 metres hurdles at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

2009 World Championships in Athletics

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....

 was held at the Olympic Stadium on 15, 16 and 18 August.

The United States hurdling team

United States at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

United States compete at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics from 15–23 August. A team of over 100 athletes was announced in preparation for the competition. Team USA athletes honoured Jessie Owens' memory by displaying the letters JO on their competition singlets. Selected athletes achieved...

 was by far the strongest entered by any country, comprising defending champion Kerron Clement

Kerron Clement

Kerron Stephon Clement is Trinidadian-born track and field athlete who represents the United States and specializes in the 400-meter hurdles...

, two-time Olympic champion Angelo Taylor

Angelo Taylor

Angelo F. Taylor is an American athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics....

, 2005 World Champion Bershawn Jackson

Bershawn Jackson

Bershawn Jackson is an American athlete, who mainly competes in the 400 m hurdles, but is also a capable 400 m runner.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Jackson won a bronze medal in the 400 m hurdles...

, and the emerging Johnny Dutch

Johnny Dutch

Johnny Dominique Dutch is an American hurdling athlete.-Career:Dutch attended Clayton High School in North Carolina. In high school, he was a nine-time state champion in both hurdle events. At the 2007 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, Dutch won gold in the 110 m hurdles and...

. The world-leading 400 m hurdler L.J. van Zyl, veterans Danny McFarlane

Danny McFarlane

Danny McFarlane, OD is a Jamaican hurdler, who has won numerous international medals in individual and relay contests...

 and Félix Sánchez

Felix Sanchez

Félix Sánchez —nicknamed Super Felix, the Invincible and the Dictator— is a track and field athlete from New York City, United States who competes for The Dominican Republic...

, and the improving Isa Phillips

Isa Phillips

Isa Phillips is a Jamaican hurdling athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles.The Kingston native made his international debut at the 2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics, finishing sixth in the 400 m hurdles semi-finals. He won the national under-18s championship in the event...

 and Javier Culson

Javier Culson

Javier Culson Pérez is a Puerto Rican athlete who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles.-Athletic career:Born in Ponce, Culson Pérez won his first international gold medal in his home town at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade with a time of...

 were also identified as possible medal contenders.

In the heats, Briton Dai Greene completed an unexpected and comfortable win, while seventeen-year-old Jehue Gordon

Jehue Gordon

Jehue Gordon is a Trinidadian track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. He turned professional on June 24, 2010, and signed a deal with Adidas in August 2010....

 of Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

Trinidad and Tobago competed at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics from 15–23 August. A team of 20 athletes was announced in preparation for the competition. Selected athletes had achieved one of the competition's qualifying standards....

 surprised with a senior national record to qualify for the semis. In the semi-finals, van Zyl failed to qualify, following his pattern of poor performances at the biggest races of the season. Dutch and Phillips also failed to make the cut. Clement and Sánchez lead the way in the first semi, while Jackson and Greene (who set a personal best) took the top two spots in the other final.

In the final, Clement, Jackson and Culson all started the race well. However, it was the favourite, Clement, who took the gold medal: he was ahead at the final straight and did not relinquish his position, recording a world-leading time to win. Culson set a Puerto Rican record to take the silver, while Jackson fended off a challenge from national-record-breaking Gordon to keep third and win the bronze.

Although Clement's winning time was the second slowest in the history of the Championships, it remained a close race for the silver and bronze medals, with just 0.6 seconds between the silver medallist and seventh-placed Greene. The race had a breadth of ages, with Trinidadian Gordon becoming the youngest ever finalist of any men's sprint event at the Championships, and 37-year-old McFarlane being the oldest ever to do the same feat. Clement became the third man to win two consecutive world titles in the event, after Ed Moses

Edwin Moses

Edwin Corley Moses is an American track and field athlete who won gold medals in the 400 metre hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. Between 1977 and 1987, Moses won 107 consecutive finals and set the world record in his event four times...

 and Félix Sánchez.

Medalists

Gold	Silver	Bronze
Kerron Clement Kerron Clement Kerron Stephon Clement is Trinidadian-born track and field athlete who represents the United States and specializes in the 400-meter hurdles... '	Javier Culson Javier Culson Javier Culson Pérez is a Puerto Rican athlete who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles.-Athletic career:Born in Ponce, Culson Pérez won his first international gold medal in his home town at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade with a time of... '	Bershawn Jackson Bershawn Jackson Bershawn Jackson is an American athlete, who mainly competes in the 400 m hurdles, but is also a capable 400 m runner.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Jackson won a bronze medal in the 400 m hurdles...   '

Records

Prior to the competition, the following records were as follows.

World record		46.78	Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...	6 August 1992
Championship record		47.18	Stuttgart Stuttgart Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million .... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...	19 August 1993
World leading		47.94	Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...	28 July 2009
African record		47.10	Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....	7 August 1991
Asian record		47.53	Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...	27 September 2000
North American record		46.78	Barcelona, Spain	6 August 1992
South American record		47.84	Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...	7 August 2005
European record		47.37	Lausanne Lausanne Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west... , Switzerland	5 July 1995
Oceanian record		48.28	Atlanta, United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	31 July 1996

Qualification standards

A time	B time
49.25	49.80

Schedule

Date	Time	Round
August 15, 2009	20:20	Heats
August 16, 2009	20:15	Semifinals
August 18, 2009	20:50	Final

Heats

Qualification: First 3 in each heat(Q) and the next 4 fastest(q) advance to the semifinals.

Rank	Heat	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
	3	Kerron Clement Kerron Clement Kerron Stephon Clement is Trinidadian-born track and field athlete who represents the United States and specializes in the 400-meter hurdles...		48.39	Q
	3	Danny McFarlane Danny McFarlane Danny McFarlane, OD is a Jamaican hurdler, who has won numerous international medals in individual and relay contests...		48.65	Q
	3	Jehue Gordon Jehue Gordon Jehue Gordon is a Trinidadian track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. He turned professional on June 24, 2010, and signed a deal with Adidas in August 2010....		48.66	Q, NR Trinidad and Tobago records in athletics The following are the national records in athletics in Trinidad and Tobago maintained by Trinidad and Tobago's national athletics federation: National Association of Athletic Administration of Trinidad and Tobago .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:...
	4	Dai Greene		48.76	Q
	3	Félix Sánchez Felix Sanchez Félix Sánchez —nicknamed Super Felix, the Invincible and the Dictator— is a track and field athlete from New York City, United States who competes for The Dominican Republic...		48.76	q, SB
	1	Isa Phillips Isa Phillips Isa Phillips is a Jamaican hurdling athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles.The Kingston native made his international debut at the 2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics, finishing sixth in the 400 m hurdles semi-finals. He won the national under-18s championship in the event...		48.99	Q
	1	Periklis Iakovakis Periklís Iakovákis Periklís Iakovákis is a Greek athlete mainly competing in 400 metres hurdles. He is the Greek record holder and nine times national champion in the event....		49.12	Q, SB
	2	Javier Culson Javier Culson Javier Culson Pérez is a Puerto Rican athlete who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles.-Athletic career:Born in Ponce, Culson Pérez won his first international gold medal in his home town at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade with a time of...		49.27	Q
	3	Omar Cisneros Omar Cisneros Omar Cisneros Bonora is a Cuban track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metres hurdles. He is the Cuban national record holder for the event with his personal best of 47.99 seconds...		49.27	q
10	2	Bershawn Jackson Bershawn Jackson Bershawn Jackson is an American athlete, who mainly competes in the 400 m hurdles, but is also a capable 400 m runner.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Jackson won a bronze medal in the 400 m hurdles...		49.34	Q
11	1	Johnny Dutch Johnny Dutch Johnny Dominique Dutch is an American hurdling athlete.-Career:Dutch attended Clayton High School in North Carolina. In high school, he was a nine-time state champion in both hurdle events. At the 2007 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, Dutch won gold in the 110 m hurdles and...		49.38	Q
12	2	Kazuaki Yoshida		49.45	Q, PB
13	4	L. J. van Zyl L. J. van Zyl Louis Jacob van Zyl, known as L.J. van Zyl, is a South African athlete competing in the 400 metre hurdles. He is the South African record holder in the event with a personal best of 47.66 seconds...		49.48	Q
14	1	Andrés Silva Andrés Silva Andrés Byron Silva Lemos is an Uruguayan track athlete. He competed in the combined events on the youth and junior levels, but has since specialized in the 400 metres and 400 metres hurdles....		49.51	q, NR Uruguayan records in athletics The following are the national records in athletics in Uruguay maintained by its national athletics federation: Confederación Atlética del Uruguay .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:ht = hand timingOT = oversized track-External links:* *...
15	2	Tristan Thomas Tristan Thomas Tristan Thomas is an Australian athlete specialising in the 400 metres hurdles.Currently coached by Craig Hilliard at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, Thomas set personal bests at over a diverse range of distances and was nationally ranked over 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres and...		49.53	q
16	1	Kenji Narisako Kenji Narisako is a Japanese hurdler.He won the bronze medal at the 2001 World Youth Championships, and the gold medals at the 2005 Summer Universiade and the 2006 Asian Games...		49.60
17	4	Brendan Cole		49.63	Q
18	4	Angelo Taylor Angelo Taylor Angelo F. Taylor is an American athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics....		49.64
19	3	Michaël Bultheel		49.67	PB
20	4	Fadil Bellaabouss Fadil Bellaabouss Fadil Bellaabouss is a French track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles.-Achievements:-References:...		49.73
21	4	Aleksandr Derevyagin Aleksandr Derevyagin Alexsandr Derevyagin is a Russian hurdler.He finished 8th in the 400m hurdles final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg....		49.83
22	2	Rhys Williams Rhys Williams (athlete) Rhys Williams , is a Welsh professional athlete, specializing in the 400 m hurdles.-Early life:Williams was born in Bridgend, the son of former Welsh international rugby union player J.J. Williams. Rhys studied at Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari from September 1995 until June 2002...		49.88
23	1	Stanislav Melnykov Stanislav Melnykov Stanislav Melnykov is a Ukrainian is a Ukrainian 400 metres hurdler and two times national champion . Melnykov won bronze at the 2010 European Athletics Championships on the 400 metres hurdles.His personal best time is 46.54 seconds run in Bielsko-Biała .-References:...		50.41
24	1	Mahau Sugimachi		51.05
25	1	Jussi Heikkilä Jussi Heikkilä Jussi Sakari Heikkilä is a Finnish 400 metre hurdler. His personal best is 49.39 seconds, achieved in May 2008 in Tallahassee, Florida....		51.42
26	2	Ibrahima Maïga Ibrahima Maïga Ibrahima Maïga is a Malian hurdler. He was born in Sareyamou.He finished fourth at the 2004 African Championships, fifth at the 2006 African Championships and won the bronze medal at the 2008 African Championships...		51.70
27	3	Jonathan Williams		52.41

}|| 2 ||align=left| Josef Robertson ||align=left| || || DQ
|-
||| 2 ||align=left| Héni Kechi

Héni Kechi

Héni Kechi is a French track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles.-Achievements:-References:...

 ||align=left| || ||DQ
|-
|||3||align=left| Joseph G. Abraham ||align=left| ||||DQ
|-
| || 4 ||align=left| Kurt Couto ||align=left| || || DQ
|-
| || 4 ||align=left| Ali Obaid Shirook ||align=left| || || DNF
|}
Key: NR = National record, PB = Personal best, Q = qualification by place in heat, q = qualification by overall place, SB = Seasonal best

Semifinals

Qualification: First 3 in each semifinal(Q) and the next 2 fastest(q) advance to the final.

Rank	Heat	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	1	Kerron Clement Kerron Clement Kerron Stephon Clement is Trinidadian-born track and field athlete who represents the United States and specializes in the 400-meter hurdles...		48.00	Q, SB
2	2	Bershawn Jackson Bershawn Jackson Bershawn Jackson is an American athlete, who mainly competes in the 400 m hurdles, but is also a capable 400 m runner.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Jackson won a bronze medal in the 400 m hurdles...		48.23	Q
3	2	Dai Greene		48.27	Q, PB
4	1	Félix Sánchez Felix Sanchez Félix Sánchez —nicknamed Super Felix, the Invincible and the Dictator— is a track and field athlete from New York City, United States who competes for The Dominican Republic...		48.34	Q, SB
5	1	Javier Culson Javier Culson Javier Culson Pérez is a Puerto Rican athlete who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles.-Athletic career:Born in Ponce, Culson Pérez won his first international gold medal in his home town at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade with a time of...		48.43	Q
6	1	Danny McFarlane Danny McFarlane Danny McFarlane, OD is a Jamaican hurdler, who has won numerous international medals in individual and relay contests...		48.49	q
7	2	Periklis Iakovakis Periklís Iakovákis Periklís Iakovákis is a Greek athlete mainly competing in 400 metres hurdles. He is the Greek record holder and nine times national champion in the event....		48.73	Q, SB
8	1	Jehue Gordon Jehue Gordon Jehue Gordon is a Trinidadian track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. He turned professional on June 24, 2010, and signed a deal with Adidas in August 2010....		48.77	q
9	1	L. J. van Zyl L. J. van Zyl Louis Jacob van Zyl, known as L.J. van Zyl, is a South African athlete competing in the 400 metre hurdles. He is the South African record holder in the event with a personal best of 47.66 seconds...		48.80
10	2	Isa Phillips Isa Phillips Isa Phillips is a Jamaican hurdling athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles.The Kingston native made his international debut at the 2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics, finishing sixth in the 400 m hurdles semi-finals. He won the national under-18s championship in the event...		48.93
11	2	Omar Cisneros Omar Cisneros Omar Cisneros Bonora is a Cuban track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metres hurdles. He is the Cuban national record holder for the event with his personal best of 47.99 seconds...		49.21
12	2	Johnny Dutch Johnny Dutch Johnny Dominique Dutch is an American hurdling athlete.-Career:Dutch attended Clayton High School in North Carolina. In high school, he was a nine-time state champion in both hurdle events. At the 2007 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, Dutch won gold in the 110 m hurdles and...		49.28
13	1	Andrés Silva Andrés Silva Andrés Byron Silva Lemos is an Uruguayan track athlete. He competed in the combined events on the youth and junior levels, but has since specialized in the 400 metres and 400 metres hurdles....		49.34	NR Uruguayan records in athletics The following are the national records in athletics in Uruguay maintained by its national athletics federation: Confederación Atlética del Uruguay .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:ht = hand timingOT = oversized track-External links:* *...
14	2	Tristan Thomas Tristan Thomas Tristan Thomas is an Australian athlete specialising in the 400 metres hurdles.Currently coached by Craig Hilliard at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, Thomas set personal bests at over a diverse range of distances and was nationally ranked over 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres and...		49.76
15	1	Brendan Cole		49.92
16	2	Kazuaki Yoshida		50.34

Key: NR = National record, PB = Personal best, Q = qualification by place in heat, q = qualification by overall place, SB = Seasonal best

Final

Rank	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
	Kerron Clement Kerron Clement Kerron Stephon Clement is Trinidadian-born track and field athlete who represents the United States and specializes in the 400-meter hurdles...		47.91	WL
	Javier Culson Javier Culson Javier Culson Pérez is a Puerto Rican athlete who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles.-Athletic career:Born in Ponce, Culson Pérez won his first international gold medal in his home town at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade with a time of...		48.09	NR Puerto Rican records in track and field The following are the national records in athletics in Puerto Rico maintained by its national athletics federation: Federación de Atletismo de Puerto Rico .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:# = not officially ratified by federationOT = oversized track...
	Bershawn Jackson Bershawn Jackson Bershawn Jackson is an American athlete, who mainly competes in the 400 m hurdles, but is also a capable 400 m runner.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Jackson won a bronze medal in the 400 m hurdles...		48.23
4	Jehue Gordon Jehue Gordon Jehue Gordon is a Trinidadian track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. He turned professional on June 24, 2010, and signed a deal with Adidas in August 2010....		48.26	NR Trinidad and Tobago records in athletics The following are the national records in athletics in Trinidad and Tobago maintained by Trinidad and Tobago's national athletics federation: National Association of Athletic Administration of Trinidad and Tobago .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:...
5	Periklis Iakovakis Periklís Iakovákis Periklís Iakovákis is a Greek athlete mainly competing in 400 metres hurdles. He is the Greek record holder and nine times national champion in the event....		48.42	SB
6	Danny McFarlane Danny McFarlane Danny McFarlane, OD is a Jamaican hurdler, who has won numerous international medals in individual and relay contests...		48.65
7	Dai Greene		48.68
8	Félix Sánchez Felix Sanchez Félix Sánchez —nicknamed Super Felix, the Invincible and the Dictator— is a track and field athlete from New York City, United States who competes for The Dominican Republic...		50.11

Key: NR = National record, SB = Seasonal best, WL = World leading (in a given season)