2016 Olympic Games

LaShawn Merritt Leads Americans to 400m Semifinal

LaShawn Merritt Leads Americans to 400m Semifinal

Despite being assigned lane eight, world leader and 2008 Olympic Champion LaShawn Merritt showed his dominance over the field Friday in Rio de Janeiro. &amp

Aug 13, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
LaShawn Merritt Leads Americans to 400m Semifinal
Despite being assigned lane eight, world leader and 2008 Olympic Champion LaShawn Merritt showed his dominance over the field Friday in Rio de Janeiro.



Merritt blasted a 45.28 to win section five of the 400m in the first round of the Olympic Games. The Team USA veteran established the lead from the gun and maintained through the line, beating the rest of the field by 0.48 seconds.



Merritt set the world lead at the Olympic Trials with a winning time of 43.97. He also qualified to represent the United States in the 200m after finishing second to Justin Gatlin in Eugene. 

4x400m world indoor champion Gil Roberts also safely made it through to the semifinal after finishing second in his heat to Trinidad & Tobago's Machel Cedenio who closed in 44.98. Roberts followed in 45.27 to automatically advance. 

Last year, Roberts didn't even make it past the first round of the USATF Outdoor Championships after finishing fourth in his heat. 2016 has been a different story, however, as he finished second in the 400m final at the Olympic Trials to qualify for his first Olympic Games.

2015 World Champion Wayde Van Niekerk easily advanced out of heat three with a winning time of 45.26. The South African sprint prodigy is returning from a year where he unleashed a shocking performance in the Beijing 400m final. Van Niekerk ran a blazing fast 43.48, the fourth-fastest mark in history, to win his first championship against Merritt and defending Olympic Champion Kirani James. He ran so fast and exhausted himself to such an extent that he had to be taken to the hospital quickly afterwards. 

London Champion James also took care of business by jogging to victory in his section. The Grenadian sprinter won in 44.93.

Team USA's David Verburg advanced on time to secure his place in the 400m semifinal with a fourth-place finish in heat six in 45.48.