Melaine Walker

Melaine Walker

Personal information
Born (1983-01-01) 1 January 1983
Height 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight 53 kg (117 lb)
Sport
Country  Jamaica
Sport Athletics
Event(s) 400m Hurdles

Melaine Walker O.D (born 1 January 1983, Kingston) is a Jamaican 400 metres hurdler. Walker is the former Olympic 400 m hurdles champion.[1] She holds the Olympic record of 52.64, set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and her time of 52.42 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin is the second fastest time in history.[1]

Biography

Walker is a past student of the St. Jago High School. She won Gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in a new Olympic record time of 52.64 seconds. Walker won the Jamaica national championships in 54.70 seconds, narrowly beating new-comer Kaliese Spencer and qualifying for her first World Championships in Athletics.[2]

On 20 August 2009, she set the second fastest time in history of 52.42 seconds to win the women's 400m hurdles final at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.[3] She leapt on the back of the mascot Berlino the Bear to do a victory lap but Berlino crashed into a cart of hurdles and dropped her.[4]

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Jamaica
1998 World Junior Championships Annecy, France 5th 200 m 23.72 (wind: -1.1 m/s)
3rd 4 × 100 m relay 44.61
1999 World Youth Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 2nd 200 m 23.72 (wind: -0.1 m/s)
6th 100 m hurdles (76.2 cm) 13.80 (wind: -0.4 m/s)
2000 World Junior Championships Santiago, Chile 3rd 400 m hurdles 56.96
2nd 4 × 400 m relay 3:33.99
2002 World Junior Championships Kingston, Jamaica 5th 100m hurdles 13.66 w (wind: +3.4 m/s)
2nd 400m hurdles 56.03
2004 NACAC U-23 Championships Sherbrooke, Canada 5th 100m hurdles 13.86 (wind: +0.0 m/s)
2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Cartagena, Colombia 3rd 400 m hurdles 55.97
2nd 4 × 400 m relay 3:32.86
2007 World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 3rd 400 m hurdles 54.31
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 1st 400 m hurdles 52.64
World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 1st 400 m hurdles 54.06
2009 World Championships Berlin, Germany 1st 400 m hurdles 52.42
IAAF World Athletics Final Thesaloniki, Greece 1st 400 m hurdles 53.36

Personal bests

References

  1. 1 2 Lewis, Richard (2009-08-20) "For Walker, World record assault next item on the agenda?". IAAF. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  2. Foster, Anthony (2009-06-28). Bolt 9.86 and Fraser 10.88; Walker and Phillips excel over hurdles – JAM Champs , Day 2. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-06-28.
  3. "Walker storms to 400m hurdle gold". BBC Sport. 2009-08-20. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  4. Emily Benammar, "World Athletics: Berlino the Bear drops Olympic champion Melanie Walker", The Daily Telegraph, 21 Aug 2009

External links

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