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LaShawn Merritt

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(Redirected from Lashawn Merritt) American sprinter (born 1986)
LaShawn Merritt
Merritt at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.
Personal information
Born (1986-06-27) June 27, 1986 (age 38)
Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight185 lb (84 kg)
Sport
SportTrack and field
Event400 metres
College teamEast Carolina Pirates
Coached byDennis Mitchell
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 3 0 1
World Championships 8 3 0
World Indoor Championships 1 0 0
World Junior Championships 3 0 0
Total 15 3 1
Men's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 400 m
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×400 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 400 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2005 Helsinki 4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2007 Osaka 4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2009 Berlin 400 m
Gold medal – first place 2009 Berlin 4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2011 Daegu 4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2013 Moscow 400 m
Gold medal – first place 2013 Moscow 4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2015 Beijing 4×400 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2007 Osaka 400 m
Silver medal – second place 2011 Daegu 400 m
Silver medal – second place 2015 Beijing 400 m
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Moscow 4×400 m relay
World Relay Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Nassau 4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2015 Nassau 4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2017 Nassau 4×400 m relay
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 Grosseto 400 m
Gold medal – first place 2004 Grosseto 4×100 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2004 Grosseto 4×400 m relay
Representing Americas
Continental Cup
Gold medal – first place 2006 Athens 400 m
Gold medal – first place 2006 Athens 4×400 m
Gold medal – first place 2014 Marrakech 400 m
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Marrakech 4×400 m

LaShawn Merritt (born June 27, 1986) is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events, specializing in the 400 metres. He is a former Olympic champion over the distance and his personal best of 43.65 seconds makes him the eleventh fastest of all time.

Merritt was a successful junior athlete and won the 400 m gold at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics, as well as setting two world junior records in the relays. He became part of the American 4×400 meter relay team and helped win the event at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He established himself individually in 2007 by winning a silver medal in the 400 m at the 2007 World Championships.

He came out on top of a rivalry with Jeremy Wariner in 2008 by winning in the 2008 Olympic final in a personal best time, and by a record margin of 0.99 secs. He also broke the Olympic record in the relay with the American team, recording the second fastest time ever. Merritt established himself as the World Champion with a win at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in the 400 m and the 4×400 m relay.

Merritt served a 21 month doping ban between 2009 and 2011 for unintential use of DHEA and pregnenolone.

Biography

Merritt is a native of Portsmouth, Virginia where he graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. He spent one year as a college athlete at East Carolina University, signing an endorsement contract with Nike during his first season of indoor track, making him ineligible to compete in an NCAA event. Merritt then transferred to Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He studied business administration at Norfolk State University also located in Norfolk.

Early career

Merritt came to prominence as a junior athlete at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics. He took the gold medal in the 400 meters race and set two junior world records as part of the American 4×100 and 4×400 meter relay teams. He took part in the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, his first major senior championship, and acted as the relay substitute for the men's 4×400  m. He helped the team win their heat and was substituted for Jeremy Wariner for the final, where the American team won the gold medal.

He broke into the senior ranks in 2006, and was selected for the 4×400  m relay team for the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Along with Tyree Washington, Milton Campbell and Wallace Spearmon, he won the World Indoor title in the event. Outdoors, he improved his best to 44.14  seconds for a bronze medal at the 2006 IAAF World Athletics Final and was selected to represent the United States at the 2006 IAAF World Cup, at which he won the 400  m competition.

Prior to the 400  m final at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Merritt stated his intent to beat all-comers. He achieved his first sub-44  second run, finishing in 43.96, and beat 2000 Olympic champion Angelo Taylor to the line. However, this was not enough to beat the reigning World and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner, who was half a second ahead. Nevertheless, the silver medal was Merritt's first at a global championships over the 400  m. He again formed part of the United States' 4×400 meter relay team and, with fellow individual medallists Wariner and Taylor among the team, the American's eased to victory some three and a half seconds ahead of the Bahamians. With Wariner absent from the field, Merritt won the gold medal at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Final.

Olympic champion and Wariner duels

Merritt's 2008 season was marked by an intense rivalry with Wariner, who had won the 400  m at every major global championship since 2004. The 2008 IAAF Golden League provided the venue for many of their duels. He scored his first major win over Wariner in a close affair at the Internationales Stadionfest in Berlin. He confirmed his Olympic place a month later by winning at the 2008 United States Olympic Trials, again defeating the reigning Olympic champion Wariner. Later in July at the Golden Gala meeting, Wariner responded by edging a win in the 400  m by just 0.01  seconds. At the Meeting Gaz de France in Paris, the last Golden League competition before the Olympics, Wariner seemed to have the momentum behind him after a win in 43.86  seconds.

Merritt winning 2008 Olympic gold, a second ahead of Jeremy Wariner

Merritt won the 400 m at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. A close race between Merritt and Wariner was expected, though it ultimately ended in a rout. The 0.99-second margin between Merritt's first-place finish and Wariner's second-place finish was the largest in an Olympic 400  m final. His time of 43.75, a new personal best, made him the fifth fastest 400  m runner on the all-time lists, still two places behind Wariner, who is third on the all-time list of fastest runners. He teamed up with Wariner, Angelo Taylor and 400  m bronze medallist David Neville for the men's 4 × 400 m relay. The team defeated the Olympic record mark which had stood since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics by running a time of 2:55.39, the second fastest in the history of the event.

Weeks after the Olympics, he lost to Wariner by a large margin at the Weltklasse Zürich, although Wariner's winning time of 43.82  seconds was still slower than Merritt's Olympic winning run. Merritt secured his fourth win over Wariner that season at the 2008 IAAF World Athletics Final. Although the two had both beaten each other that season, Merritt had won all the most important races, ending the season as the Olympic and American champion over 400  m as well as taking home the World Athletics Final payday. He opted to miss out on the 2009 indoor season to focus on improving his running and technique.

2009 World Champion and doping ban

Merritt en route to becoming 400  m world champion in 2009

With Wariner already qualified for the World Championships as the defending champion, Merritt won the 400  m at the 2009 US Championships somewhat uncontested, equalling his own world leading time of 44.50  seconds. At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, in Berlin, he went on to win the 400  m in a world-leading time of 44.06 seconds, once again beating Wariner.

In October 2010, Merritt was issued with 21 month competition ban backdated to October 2009 after testing postive three times for DHEA and pregnenolone. The American Arbitration Association's ruling accepted Merritt had unintentionally consumed the banned substances contained within a male enhancement product called ExtenZe.

2011: Return to the track

After serving his competition ban, Merritt finished second at the Stockholm meeting of the Diamond League series with a time of 44.74. He received a berth to the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea due to him being the 2009 World Champion for the 400 meters. At the 2011 World Championships, he set a world leading time of 44.35. He eventually won the silver medal behind teenager Kirani James of Grenada, having led most of the race, but went on to run the final leg of the United States' gold medal winning 4 × 400 m relay team having been in third place coming out of the final bend.

2012

Merritt was the number one qualifier at the 2012 Olympic Trials. Two weeks before the track and field events at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Merritt tweaked his hamstring in the Herculis meet in Monaco. As a result of this injury he pulled up in a qualifying heat of the 400m at the London Olympics and did not finish.

2016

Merritt qualified once again onto the US team for the 400 meters at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He ran a very quick time of 43.85 but only managed to win the bronze medal behind defending Olympic champion, Kirani James of Grenada, who won the silver medal with a time of 43.76, and Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa, who won the gold medal with a new world record time of 43.03.

2017

Merritt announced his retirement following the 2017 World Championships in Athletics.

Personal bests

Event Time (sec) Venue Date
100 metres 10.56 Lynchburg, Virginia, United States March 31, 2007
200 metres 19.74 Eugene, Oregon, United States July 8, 2016
300 metres 31.23 Kingston, Jamaica, Jamaica June 11, 2016
400 metres 43.65 Beijing, China August 26, 2015
Indoor events
60 metres 6.68 Lynchburg, Virginia, United States February 18, 2006
200 metres 20.40 Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States February 12, 2005
300 metres 31.94 Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States February 10, 2006
400 metres 44.93 Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States February 11, 2005
500 metres 1:01.39 New York City, New York, United States February 10, 2012
  • All information taken from IAAF profile.

Merritt is one of only six men in history to have broken 20 seconds for the 200 metres and 44 seconds for the 400 metres, the other men being Michael Johnson, Isaac Makwala, Wayde Van Niekerk, Michael Norman, and Fred Kerley.

His personal best of 43.65 seconds for the 400 metres, set in Beijing on 26 August 2015, was the fastest non-winning time in history until the 2024 Olympic final where Matthew Hudson-Smith lowered this record to 43.44 seconds.

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Result
2004 World Junior Championships Grosseto, Italy 1st 400 m 45.25
1st 4 × 100 m relay 38.66 WJR
1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:01.09 WJR
2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:00.48 (heats)
2006 World Indoor Championships Moscow, Russia 1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:03.24
World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 3rd 400 m 44.14
World Cup Athens, Greece 1st 400 m 44.54
1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:00.11
2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan 2nd 400 m 43.96 PB
1st 4 × 400 m relay 2:55.56
World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 1st 400 m 44.58
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 1st 400 m 43.75 PB
1st 4 × 400 m relay 2:55.39
2009 World Championships Berlin, Germany 1st 400 m 44.06
1st 4 × 400 m relay 2:57.86
World Athletics Final Thessaloniki, Greece 1st 400 m 44.93
2011 World Championships Daegu, South Korea 2nd 400 m 44.63
1st 4 × 400 m relay 2:59.31
2012 Olympic Games London, United Kingdom — 400 m DNF
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia 1st 400 m 43.74 PB
TRACK RECORD
1st 4 × 400 m relay 2:58.71
2014 IAAF World Relays Nassau, Bahamas 1st 4 × 400 m relay 2:57.25
2015 IAAF World Relays Nassau, Bahamas 1st 4 × 400 m relay 2:58.43
World Championships Beijing, China 2nd 400 m 43.65 PB
1st 4 × 400 m relay 2:57.82
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 3rd 400 m 43.85
1st 4 × 400 m relay 2:57.30
2017 IAAF World Relays Nassau, Bahamas 1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:02.13
World Championships London, United Kingdom 20th (sf) 400 m 45.52


Track records

As of September 2024, Merritt holds the following track records for 200 metres and 400 metres.



200 metres

Location Time Windspeed
m/s 		Date
Greensboro, North Carolina 19.80 + 3.2 19/04/2008
Nassau 19.78 + 0.9 16/04/2016



400 metres

Location Time Date
Daegu 44.35 28/08/2011
Edmonton 44.30 06/07/2014
Moscow 43.74 13/08/2013
New York City 44.19 14/06/2014
Ostrava 44.16 17/06/2014
Ponce, Puerto Rico 44.14 17/05/2014
Raleigh, North Carolina 44.72 28/03/2008

References

  1. Nick Zaccardi (May 7, 2020). "Where did LaShawn Merritt go?". NBC Sports.
  2. LaShawn Merritt. USATF. Retrieved on 2010-06-27.
  3. "Portsmouth native LaShawn Merritt to compete in track and field for U.S." 31 July 2016.
  4. Grosseto – Three World Junior records set in the space of 90 minutes. IAAF (2004-07-18). Retrieved on 2009-06-02.
  5. html#detM_4X4_hash_h 4x400 Metres Relay – M Heats. IAAF (2005-08-13). Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  6. org/news/kind=4/newsid=41236.html#event+report+mens+400m+final Event report: Men’s 400m Final. IAAF (2007-08-31). Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  7. org/news/kind=4/newsid=41474.html#event+report+mens+4x400m+relay+final Event report: men's 4x400m Relay Final. IAAF (2007-09-02). Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  8. ^ Wenig, Jörg (2008-09-13). Merritt vs. Wariner 2008 – final score: Merritt 4, Wariner 3. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  9. Turner, Chris (2008-06-01). Wariner and Jepkosgei’s Jackpot hopes foiled; Upsets all the way in Berlin – ÅF Golden League. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  10. Dunaway, James (2008-07-04). Merritt upsets Wariner, Richards cruises as action resumes in Eugene – US Olympic Trials, day 5. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  11. Ramsak, Bob (2008-07-12). By mere inches, Wariner takes round three – ÅF Golden League. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  12. Ramsak, Bob (2008-07-18). Wariner: ‘I wanted to come out here and make a statement today’ – ÅF Golden League, Paris. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  13. Forde, Pat (2008-08-08). "Hold on to your medals ... The Dash is checking in from Beijing". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  14. Hersh, Philip (2008-08-21). "In the men's 400 meters, LaShawn Merritt's a fast learner". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  15. 400 Metres All Time. IAAF (2009-10-13). Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  16. Ramsak, Bob (2008-08-23). Men's 4x400m Relay – FINAL. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  17. Turner, Chris (2008-08-29). Jelimo hones in on historic mark; Bolt electrifies in Zürich – ÅF Golden League. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  18. "400 Metres – M Final". August 21, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-08-24.
  19. Grohmann, Karolos (2009-08-21). "Merritt crushes Wariner again for 400m title". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
  20. "400m star LaShawn Merritt fails drug test". BBC Sport. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  21. "Gold-medalist LaShawn Merritt banned". ESPN. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  22. "LaShawn Merritt banned for 21 months for failing three drug tests". The Guardian. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  23. Gray, Melissa; Allen Greene, Richard (27 July 2012). "Top court throws out Olympics doping ban". CNN. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  24. LaShawn Merritt 44.64 Men's 400m | Zurich Diamond League Archived 2016-09-18 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2016-09-10.
  25. "LaShawn Merritt pulls up in 400m at Herculis after hamstring twinge". ESPN.com. July 20, 2012.
  26. "Hamstring injury ends American LaShawn Merritt's bid to defend Olympic title in men's 400 meters". Yahoo! Sports. August 4, 2012.

External links

Awards
Preceded byJason Richardson USA Track & Field Youth Athlete of the Year
2004 		Succeeded byEbony Collins
Olympic champions in men's 400 metres
Olympic champions in men's 4 × 400 metres relay
Medley
4 × 400 m
World champions in men's 400 metres
World champions in men's 4 × 400 metres relay
World Indoor Champions in men's 4 × 400 metres relay
IAAF World / Continental Cup champions in men's 400 metres
IAAF World / Continental Cup champions in men's 4 × 400 metres relay
World U20 Champions in men's 400 metres
World U20 Champions in men's 4 × 400 metres relay
US National Championship winners in men's 400-meter dash
1876-1979
Amateur Athletic Union
1980-1992
The Athletics Congress
1992 onwards
USA Track & Field
Notes
  • Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships
  • OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, and since 1992, championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
  • 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Diamond League champions in men's 400 metres
2008 USA Olympic track and field team
Qualification
Men's track
and road athletes
Men's
field athletes
Women's track
and road athletes
Women's
field athletes
Coaches
2012 USA Olympic track and field team
Qualification2012 United States Olympic trials (track and field)
Men's track
and road athletes
Men's
field athletes
Women's track
and road athletes
Women's
field athletes
Coaches
2016 USA Olympic track and field team
Qualification2016 United States Olympic trials (track and field)
Men's track
and road athletes
Men's field athletes
Women's track
and road athletes
Women's field athletes
Coaches
  • Bonnie Edmondson (women's assistant coach)
  • Troy Engle (men's assistant coach)
  • Curtis Frye (men's assistant coach)
  • Robyne Johnson (women's assistant coach)
  • Vin Lananna (men's head coach)
  • Rose Monday (women's assistant coach)
  • Connie Price-Smith (women's head coach)
  • Cliff Rovelto (men's assistant coach)
  • Mario Sategna (men's assistant coach)
  • LaTanya Sheffield (women's assistant coach)
World Best Year Performance in Men's 400 m
ESPN RISE 2000s All-Decade High School Track & Field Team
Individuals
Relays
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