WCH Tokyo 25 facts and figures: men's 400m

Last three sets of World Athletics Championships medallists

2023: 1 Antonio Watson (JAM) – 44.22, 2 Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR) – 44.31, 3 Quincy Hall (USA) – 44.37
2022: 1 Michael Norman (USA) – 44.29, 2 Kirani James (GRN) – 44.48, 3 Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR) – 44.66
2019: 1 Steven Gardiner (BAH) – 43.48, 2 Anthony Zambrano (COL) – 44.15, 3 Fred Kerley (USA) – 44.17

Last two sets of Olympic medallists

2024: 1 Quincy Hall (USA) – 43.40, 2 Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR) – 43.44, 3 Muzala Samukonga (ZAM) – 43.74
2020: 1 Steven Gardiner (BAH) – 43.85, 2 Anthony Zambrano (COL) – 44.08, 3 Kirani James (GRN) – 44.19

Fastest winning times in World Athletics Championships history

Michael Johnson (USA) – 43.18 (1999)
Michael Johnson (USA) – 43.39 (1995)
Jeremy Wariner (USA) – 43.45 (2007)

Slowest winning time in World Athletics Championships history

Bert Cameron (JAM) – 45.05 (1983)

Best marks on Japanese soil

43.45 1 Jeremy Wariner (USA) - Osaka (World Championships) 31.08.2007
43.85 1 Steven Gardiner (BAH) - Tokyo (Olympics) 05.08.2021
43.88 1SF Kirani James (GRN) - Tokyo (Olympics) 02.08.2021

Best marks on Asian soil

43.45 1 Jeremy Wariner (USA) - Osaka (World Championships) 31.08.2007
43.48 1 Wayde Van Niekerk (RSA) - Beijing (World Championships) 26.08.2015
43.48 1 Steven Gardiner (BAH) - Doha (World Championships) 04.10.2019

Biggest winning margins

1.11s – 1999: Michael Johnson (USA) – 43.18, Sanderlei Parrela (BRA) – 44.29
0.83s – 1995: Michael Johnson (USA) – 43.39, Butch Reynolds (USA) – 44.22
0.67s – 2019: Steven Gardiner (BAH) – 43.48, Anthony Zambrano (COL) – 44.15

​​Smallest winning margins

0.02s – 2003: Tyree Washington (USA) – 44.77, Marc Raquil (FRA) – 44.79
0.03s – 2011: Kirani James (GRN) – 44.60, LaShawn Merritt (USA) – 44.63
0.05s – 1991: Antonio Pettigrew (USA) – 44.57, Roger Black (GBR) – 44.62

Multiple winners

1993/95/97/99 - Michael Johnson (USA)
2005/07 - Jeremy Wariner (USA)
2009/13 - LaShawn Merritt (USA)
2015/17 - Wayde Van Niekerk (RSA)

Best mark by round

Heat - 43.93 Rusheen McDonald (JAM), 2015 / 43.93 Youssef Ahmed Masrahi (KSA), 2015
Quarterfinal - 44.63 Butch Reynolds (USA), 1995
Semifinal - 43.89 Steven Gardiner (BAH), 2017
Final - 43.18 Michael Johnson (USA), 1999

Winners by country

11 - United States
2 - South Africa
2 - Bahamas
2 - Jamaica
1 - German Democratic Republic
1 - Grenada

Five historic facts

• The United States have won 11 of the 19 world 400m finals, including in 1991 and 2007 in Tokyo and Osaka respectively, but only once since 2013
• Michael Johnson’s (USA) 43.18 from 1999 in Seville remains the championship record and is the only world record to be set in the men’s 400m at the World Championships
• Nine of the 19 world 400m finals have been won with sub-44 second winning times
• There have been 16 sub-44 second clockings in World Championships history. Michael Johnson achieved the first sub-44 clocking with 43.65 for gold in Stuttgart in 1993
• -Antonio Watson (JAM) became just the second Jamaican winner of this title in Budapest 2023 after inaugural winner Bert Cameron in Helsinki 1983

​​Potential storylines

• Can the United States win their 12th gold medal event in 20 editions?
• No athlete who made the men's 400m final in Budapest qualified for the men's 400m final in 2025. None of the Olympic 400m medallists are in the final either
• Can Botswana win just their second gold medal in any event in World Championships history? Amantle Montsho won the women's 400m in 2011
• Collen Kebinatshipi (BOT) ran the fastest ever semifinal time of 43.61, the sixth fastest time recorded in World Championships history
• Can Zakithi Nene (RSA) follow in the footsteps of 2015 and 2017 champion Wayde Van Niekerk by winning gold?
• 40 of the 49 athletes on the final entries have broken the 45 second-barrier in 2025