News21 Aug 2008


Men's Decathlon - 400m

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Bryan Clay leads the decathlon at the end of day one (© Getty Images)

Bryan Clay in a clear lead after day oneDecathlon after 5 events

Bryan Clay (USA), led the Olympic Decathlon competition after the first event and is still in the lead following the five events of day one. The American has however lost a lot of potential points in the last two events. His 400m was not smooth and 0.51s slower than the 48.41s clocking in his personal best series this season. Clay ran 48.92 and now has 4521 points after day one and should have a shot at Roman Sebrle’s (CZE) Olympic record 8893 on day two.

The Czech himself had a bit brighter end to day one, but has to do better in the first event of day two, the 110m Hurdles. Most top athletes will run very close or under 14 seconds and Sebrle, who seems to have lost a lot of his speed, has to run much better than 15.15 which he has in his season’s best series. He is going for a score around 8300 at the moment and a good improvement in the hurdles might just bring him back to reaching distance for the medals.

Andrei Krauchanka (BLR) had another great event in the 400m, clocking a season’s best 47.30, just below his 2007 PB 47.17. The Belarussian is now 20 points ahead of his SB series 8585 and has scored 4433 for the second place overall at this stage. Trey Hardee (USA) also ran well finishing his day with 47.75 season’s best and is third with 4428.

Oleksiy Kasyanov (UKR) is fifth with 4408 following a 47.70 result in the 400m. Cuban Leonel Suárez bounced back well after a disappointing High Jump setting his fourth personal best of the day in the 400m with first career sub-48 second clocking 47.91. The 20-year-old Cuban is sixth with 4297 after the first day and will be fighting for the silver and bronze medals with Krauchanka and Hardee during the second day.

Aleksandr Pogorelov (RUS) is 7th with 4283 and Michael Schrader (GER) 8th with 4279 and these two will probably be very close to these placings after the completion of decathlon too. Liberian Jangy Addy is in 9th place with 4229 and on his way to a 8000 score and very close to the African record (8023p).

Mirko Jalava for the IAAF

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