400m Hurdles

The 400 meter hurdles race is one of the three premier hurdle races, and is playable by both men and women. It employs the use of intermediate hurdles (36 inches for men, and 30 inches for women). In this event, runners remain in their own respective lanes, with the ten hurdles (spaced 35 meters apart, with the first and last hurdle being positioned 40 meters away from the starting and finish line respectively) The hurdles are positioned accordingly and evenly, to ensure that runners run the same distances regardless of which lane they are in. The hurdles are also positioned in such a way that they will fall if the runner touches them, so as to prevent injuries.

The first officially hosted 400 hurdle race was held during the 1860s, in Oxforn, England, where the 12 (it was 12 hurdles before the standardized 10) hurdles used were huge, heavy and high, and the distance was 440 yards, or roughly 402 meters. The massive hurdles caused a lot of injuries among competitors, and after some time, around 1895, more durable lightweight models replaced them. They were T-hurdles that can be pushed by the racer. However, the rules back then stipulate that 3 fallen hurdles will cause disqualification, and that records were only official if all hurdles remain standing. These rules carried on until 1935 .

It was during the 1990's, in France, where the 400m hurdles event debuted in the Summer Olympics. During that time, the race also became a standard, so other competitions and titles followed similar rules and dynamics. The standardization often leads to other official races practically rendered identical, hence enabling records to be compared against each other. This standardization led to the distance being fixed at 400 meters, with 10 hurdles scatted evenly across the track, and with different hurdle heights for men and women. Incidentally, the first documented 400 m hurdle race for the women's world championship took place during 1971. Moreover in 1974, the IAAF (International Association of Athletic Federations) proclaimed the 400 meter hurdle race a track and field discipline. However, it was not run in the world championships until 1983.

The record holder for this race is Kevin Young of the US, who finished the race in 46.78 seconds, during the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The record holder for women is Yuliya Pechonkina from Russia, who finished the race in 52.34 seconds.