Melaine Walker O.D (born 1 March 1983) is a Jamaican 400 metres hurdler. She was born in Kingston. Walker is the former Olympic 400 m hurdles champion.[1] She held 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 was the second fastest time in history at the time.[1]
Biography
editWalker is a past student of the St. Jago High School. Competing for the Texas Longhorns women's track and field team, Walker won the 2005 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 4 × 400 m relay.[2]
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 newcomer Kaliese Spencer and qualifying for her first World Championships in Athletics.[3]
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.[4] 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.[5]
Achievements
edit| 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 | Thessaloniki, Greece | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 53.36 | |
Personal bests
edit- 60 metres hurdles – 8.05 s (2006, indoor)
- 100 metres hurdles – 12.75 s (2006)
- 400 metres hurdles – 52.42 s (2009)
- 60 metres – 7.40 s (2005, indoor)
- 200 metres – 23.67 s (1998)
- 400 metres – 51.61 s (2008)
References
edit- ^ a b Lewis, Richard (2009-08-20) "For Walker, World record assault next item on the agenda? Archived 21 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine". IAAF. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
- ^ "Melaine Walker (2013) - Hall of Honor". University of Texas Athletics. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
- ^ Foster, Anthony (2009-06-28). Bolt 9.86 and Fraser 10.88; Walker and Phillips excel over hurdles – JAM Champs , Day 2 Archived 29 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-06-28.
- ^ "Walker storms to 400m hurdle gold". BBC Sport. 20 August 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
- ^ Emily Benammar, "World Athletics: Berlino the Bear drops Olympic champion Melanie Walker", The Daily Telegraph, 21 Aug 2009