Men's 400m Semi-Final Recaps - Wariner and Merritt Look Great, Merritt Runs World Leader 44.37

By LetsRun.com
August 19, 2009

3 heats, top-2 and next-2 fastest times qualify

Semifinal #1
Jeremy Wariner (USA, Baylor, 2-time defending World champ) and Michael Bingham (Great Britain, Wake Forest, NCAA Champ) ran very promising races in the 400m semifinal to grab the automatic final qualifiers. Wariner won in 44.69, shutting it down the last 60m after opening up a significant gap. His seasonal best is only 44.66 so coach Clyde Hart has him ready this year. Bingham ran a big personal best of 44.80, his first time under 45.03.

1	4	1242	Jeremy Wariner	USA	44.69 Q		0.189
2	8	490	Michael Bingham	GBR	44.74 Q	(PB)	0.173
3	3	448	Leslie Djhone	FRA	44.80 q	(SB)	0.165
4	6	619	David Gillick	IRL	44.88 q		0.147
5	5	161	Ramon Miller	BAH	44.99	(PB)	0.157
6	7	130	Joel Milburn	AUS	46.06		0.207
7	2	787	Mohamed Ashour Khouaja	LBA	46.43		0.258
	1	1085	Johan Wissman	SWE	DNS		0.000

Semifinal #2 World Leader for Merritt

LaShawn Merritt got out very hard, making up the two-turn stagger on Trinidad and Tobago's Renny Quow in about 50m. While Quow looked out of the race after 150m (we were upset because we picked him to get bronze), Merritt powered the entire race for a world leader 44.37. Quow proved that going out relaxed can pay off as he charged home hard for a personal best 44.53. Quow looks like a major contender for the bronze, or perhaps silver, medal. Failing to advance from the second semifinal are Martyn Rooney and Columbia University alum Erison Hurtault competing for his parents' birth-country Dominica. According to Wikipedia, the incredibly tiny Dominica has a population of about 70,000 people and was passed back and forth between empires between the 15th and 20th centuries.

In the interview to the right Merritt says he wanted to send a message in the semi, but that he also wanted to do what it took to win his heat. He said that the potential to run faster this year has been there but the adrenaline has been missing until Worlds. In the final he said he does not have a time in mind, only running whatever it takes to win.

1	3	1206	LaShawn Merritt	USA	44.37 Q	(WL)	0.163
2	4	1113	Renny Quow	TRI	44.53 Q	(PB)	0.248
3	5	295	William Collazo	CUB	44.93	(PB)	0.147
4	6	128	Sean Wroe	AUS	45.32		0.160
5	2	321	Erison Hurtault	DMA	45.59		0.151
6	7	1055	Rabah Yousif	SUD	45.63		0.175
7	8	505	Martyn Rooney	GBR	45.98		0.185
8	1	460	Teddy Venel	FRA	46.30		0.168

Semifinal #3

Bahamian Chris Brown, always 4th in major championships, won the heat in 44.95. He didn't look good enough to win a medal as Merritt, Wariner and Quow looked better in the earlier heats. Tabari Henry got the other auto spot for the US Virgin Islands.

The next fastest to advance to the final both came from the first semi - Leslie Djhone (FRA) and David Gillick (IRL).

Belgium's Kevin Borlee of Florida State (he ran 44.88 last year in Bejing and is the brother of 2009 NCAA champ Jonathan and sister Olivia who made the 200m quarterfinals) went out as well but he ran a season's best 45.28. In the interview on the right he says his brother did not run here because of a stress reaction. He also talks about how he ran better in 2008 because he just ran. This year they tried to perfect everything and it did not work out as well but  he was pleasd to run a season's best.

The internet broadcasters gave us some good perspective about Merritt and Wariner's performances back in 2007.
Merritt: 44.31 (semi-final in Osaka), 44.37 this year.
Wariner: 44.34 (semi-final in Osaka), 44.69 this year. In Osaka, Wariner won the final in 43.35.

1	3	160	Chris Brown	BAH	44.95 Q		0.129
2	4	629	Tabarie Henry	ISV	44.97 Q		0.146
3	7	658	Ricardo Chambers	JAM	45.13	(SB)	0.167
4	8	176	Kévin Borlée	BEL	45.28	(SB)	0.143
5	5	127	John Steffensen	AUS	45.50		0.153
6	1	1197	Lionel Larry	USA	45.85		0.265
7	6	504	Robert Tobin	GBR	45.90		0.176
8	2	638	Matteo Galvan	ITA	46.87		0.155