Report08 Jul 2011


Boys’ 400m Final - World Youth lead gives gold to Hall

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Arman Hall takes the first-ever Boys' World Youth 400m title for the USA (© Getty Images)

Lille, FranceIt took 17-year-old Arman Hall a new personal best and World Youth leading time 46.01 to secure the World Youth 400m title here in Lille; Hall’s performance is in fact the second fastest ever recorded in the history of the competition behind the two-year old 45.24 championships record set by Grenada’s Kirani James.


Running from lane 4, Hall rocketed out of the blocks and closed the stagger with Japan’s Takuya Fukunaka on his outside as early as 100 metres into the race; the Japanese would eventually finish fifth in a new PB 47.16. On the outside lane 7, Andre Wells attempted to make an impression holding on to Hall’s tempo up until he reached the final bend before he dramatically faded into sixth.


Meanwhile halfway through the back straight, Sadam Suliman Koumi who was aiming at becoming the third Sudanese in the history of these championships to win the Boys’ 400m gold, pulled up injured and would have to be stretched out of the track.


Hall entered the final straight with only Kenya’s Alphas Leken Kishoyian, who had made a serious impression in yesterday’s semis, on his heels but the American had saved enough to finish strongly and close in 46.01, an improvement of 11 hundredths of his personal best.


Kishoyian closed in 46.58 just enough to secure his country’s second sprint World Youth medal as fast finishing Patryk Dobek of Poland, who had decided to run a more conservative race in the opening stages, set a new personal best 46.67 for bronze.


Trinidad and Tobago’s Machel Cedenio also ran to a new lifetime best 46.89 in fourth.


Laura Arcoleo for the IAAF


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