400 metres, Men

The United States had dominated the men’s 400 metres at the Olympics, winning every gold medal since 1956, except for the boycott year of 1980, and Alberto Juantorena’s victory in 1976. But this was not a given in 2012. The best American one-lap runners over the last decade had been LaShawn Merritt, the defending gold medalist, and Jeremy Wariner, the 2004 gold medalist. But Wariner failed to make the Olympic team, and Merritt pulled up in the first round in London, the victim of a bad hamstring.

This left the event wide open, but the favorite, despite Merritt and Wariner’s status, had been the Grenadan 2011 World Champion, Kirani James. Many eyes were also looking to see how well the South African Oscar Pistorius would do. Nicknamed “The Blade Runner”, the bilateral amputee ran on artificial limbs, and had won numerous titles at the Paralympics. Pistorius had made the Olympic qualifying time, although there was some controversy about his running, as some experts felt his blades gave him extra propulsion and could give him an advantage. If so, they were not enough, as he was last in semi-final two, won by James. The other semis were won by Trindadian Lalonde Gordon and Luguelín Santos of the Dominican Republic, the 2012 World Junior Champion.

The final was also notable for the presence of Belgian twins Kevin Borlée, the 2010 European Champion, and Jonathan Borlée, who had just missed a European record when he won his heat in 44.43, and the absence of the American runners. No American qualified for the final for the first time at the Olympics save for the boycott year of 1980. The early leader in the final was Bahamian Demetrius Pinder but he was caught by James before the halfway mark. James led at 200 in 21.3 followed by Santos in 21.4, and James would only increase his lead to the tape, winning gold in 43.94, with a 5-metre lead on Santos, Gordon coming for the bronze medal. The Borlées placed 5-6, with Kevin leading his brother, and Pinder faded to seventh.

This was the first ever Olympic gold medal in any sport by a Grenadian athlete. The podium was also unusual in that the three athletes all represented three different Caribbean nations, the first time this had ever happened at the Olympics. James’ time also made him the first non-American to run under 44 seconds, and at only 19 years, 11 months, he was the second youngest ever under that barrier, behind only 1988 Olympic champion Steve Lewis.