LaShawn Merritt beats Jeremy Wariner over 400m in Berlin (© Getty Images)
The Rome Kinder + Sport Golden Gala, the Italian leg of the ÅF Golden League 2008 which takes place on 11 July in the Olympic stadium could well echo with memories of the dramatic men’s 400m final which took place at the 1960 Games.
48 years ago in Rome an epic one lap duel took place between USA’s Otis Davis and Germany’s Carl Kaufmann. On 6 September 1960, they both clinched the World record for 400m in the Olympic final in a hand timed 44.9, but despite a dive at the tape by Kaufmann gold went to Davis, as examination of the photofinish showed 45.07 for Davis, and 45.08 for Kaufmann, who incidentally was New York born German.
Of course there is no global title at stake on 11 July this year but we are promised another close 400m battle as World and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner takes on his American compatriot LaShawn Merrit, who took a surprising win over him in Berlin, Germany on 1 June, at the opening leg fixture of the ÅF Golden League 2008. Their tussle could not have been much tighter - 44.03 to 44.07.
Merritt’s victory over Wariner was only his second of their 13 race career history together, the only other defeat being in Shanghai in 2006 when the Olympic champion did not even finish the race after his hamstring tightened up.
Berlin was a costly defeat as Wariner was thrown immediately out of contention for the $1Million ÅF Golden League Jackpot, but it reenergized the 24-year-old, the third fastest man in history (43.45 Osaka 2007), who bounced straight back with a world season leading 43.98 victory in Oslo (6 June).
Wariner’s Berlin conqueror was not racing in Oslo, and while both men first have to negotiate Olympic qualification at the USA Trials in Eugene before they touch down again in Europe, we are assured that whatever has gone on stateside these two men will be eager to assert their international authority in Rome.
“I won this one but the big show is in a couple of months,” confirmed Merritt in Berlin, referring to the Olympic Games in Beijing, and their clash in Rome will be an important staging post on the road to China.
Nobody is seriously predicting a World record come 11 July, but as Wariner and Merritt duel down the home straight echoes of that Olympic drama of 48 years ago might well reverberate again.
Golden Gala press office and Chris Turner for the IAAF