Men’s 400m final
Laura Arcoleo
Saudi Arabia’s Hamdan O. Al-Bishi outclassed his rivals in the men’s 400m final at the World Junior championships in Santiago and clocked an astonishing 44.66, the second fastest junior time ever.
Only Steve Lewis bettered Al-Bishi’s time when winning the 1988 Olympic Games in 43.87.
A semi finalist at Sydney Olympic Games, Al-Bishi not only set a national senior record but also broke the championships record of 45.27 which was the possession of American Obea Moore since 1996.
Al-Bishi’s winning marge of 1.07 is the biggest ever registered at a world junior 400m championships final.
While Al-Bishi’s victory was never in discussion, the battle for the remaining medals was fierce. Only 0.24 seconds divided silver medallist Brandon Simpson, from sixth place finisher.
Al-Bishi entered the home straight with a five-meter lead over Jamaica’s Brandon Simpson who fought hard to clock 45.73 – a new personal best – and secure the silver medal.
Shinji Ishikawa of Japan, who was fifth with 60 meters to go, produced a massive acceleration to cross the line in a new national record of 45.77.
Four national junior records and three personal bests were set in the fastest 400m world junior championships final where six athletes broke the 46 second barrier.
