The men's

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...

at the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15 to 23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenbu ...

was held at the

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on 18, 19 and 21 August. The winning margin was 0.54 seconds. The

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had a strong tradition in the event, with an American topping the Olympic 400 m podium every time since the 1988 Olympics. Similar to the 2007 World Championships, Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt were the clear favourites. However, on this occasion, recent form favoured the Olympic champion Merritt instead of the reigning world champion Wariner. Both Americans were undefeated that season but Merritt held the world-leading time of 44.50 seconds. A gold or silver medallist outside of these two competitors seemed unlikely; Bahamian

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, Irishman David Gillick, Frenchman Leslie Djhone and the other two runners from the United States ( Gil Roberts and Lionel Larry) were seen to be capable of a bronze at best. On the first day, Ramon Miller surprised as the fastest qualifier in the heats, scoring a new personal best of 45 seconds. Tabarie Henry, Djhone and

Renny Quow Renny Quow (born 25 August 1987) is a Trinidadian male track and field sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres and has made it to both the Olympic and World Finals in the event, a rare feat for athletes from the Caribbean in the 400m. He compe ...

were the next fastest, and African record holder Gary Kikaya was most high-profile casualty of the first round, having been disqualified for a lane infraction.Ramsak, Bob (2009-08-09)
Event Report - Men's 400m - Heats
.

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. Retrieved on 2009-08-18.

Medalists

Records

Prior to the competition, the established records were as follows.

Qualification standards

Schedule

Results

Heats

Qualification: First 3 in each heat(Q) and the next 3 fastest(q) advance to the semifinals. Key: NR = National record, PB = Personal best, Q = qualification by place in heat, q = qualification by overall place, SB = Seasonal best

Semifinals

First 2 in each semifinal(Q) and the next 2 fastest(q) advance to the final.

Final

References

;General
400 metres results

. Retrieved on 2009-08-18. ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:2009 World Championships In Athletics - Men's 400 Metres

400 metres at the World Athletics Championships