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ATHLETICS : Merritt ends Wariner’s reign in 400m

The US’ LaShawn Merritt crosses the finish line to win the gold in the men’s 400m final during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium in Beijing yesterday. PHOTO: AP

LaShawn Merritt ran the race of his life when it mattered most to defeat defending Olympic and two-time world champion Jeremy Wariner in a 400m final showdown yesterday that ended with a US sweep.

Merritt, last year’s world runner-up to Wariner, won in 43.75 seconds, a lifetime best that only four runners in history have ever bettered. Wariner was a stunned second in 44.74 with David Neville completing the US haul in 44.80.

The best prior time for Merritt was 43.96 from his loss to Wariner in last year’s worlds.

Merritt was third coming off the turn behind Neville in the outside lane and Wariner, who moved into the lead as he reached the straightaway for home.

But Merritt then surged past Wariner into the lead and stretched the gap with every stride.

Six strides from the line, Merritt glanced to his right and saw nothing but air in Wariner’s lane.

He powered to the line and Wariner could only hang his head in frustration after he finished as a man he dominated in the past year had taken his measure.

Merritt beat Wariner in June at Berlin to snap his rival’s nine-race win streak and again at the US trials. Wariner answered in Europe, running a pre-Beijing world best of 43.86 at Paris to win a month ago.

Wariner, 24, split with long-time coach Clyde Hart early this year over financial terms and Merritt, 22, is Hart’s new pupil.

US men have dominated the Olympic 400, now winning a seventh gold medal in the event and 12 of the past 14.

Wariner could not equal his career best of 43.45 from last year’s world final, which makes him the third-best all-time performer.

Christopher Brown of Bahamas, the third-fastest man this year, was fourth in 44.84 with France’s Leslie Djhone, seventh at the 2004 Olympics, next in 45.11 followed by Britain’s Martyn Rooney in 45.12, Trinidad and Tobago’s Renny Quow in 45.22 and world indoor runner-up Johan Wissman of Sweden last in 45.39.

Cuba’s Dayron Robles won the gold medal in the men’s 110m hurdles yesterday.

David Payne of the US won the silver and David Oliver of the US the bronze.

Meanwhile, the US’ miserable Olympic track and field campaign continued when their women’s 4x100m relay team went out in the first round.

The Americans blundered in the final exchange when the baton was dropped as it moved from Torri Edwards to Lauryn Williams on the final leg.

Williams in desperation ran back to pick up the baton, but it was an impossible task as she came in last.

For Williams it was a terrible case of deja vu, as in the 2004 final she had gone beyond the safety zone on the final exchange when third leg runner Marion Jones was trying to hand on the baton.

“If people want to issue the blame to me that’s okay,” said 24-year-old Williams, world individual champion over 100m in 2005.

“I mean I can take whatever it is that people are going to dish out. We had the chemistry, the hand was back there, she [Edwards] was there. I don’t know what happened,” she said.

The Americans had won this title nine times — most recently in 1996.

Yesterday’s horror show came just minutes after the US men’s team had also dropped the baton on their final exchange.
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