The 400m hurdles has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women.
History
The first awards in a 400 m hurdles race were given in 1860 when a race was held in Oxford, England, over a course of 440 yards (402.336 m). While running the course, participants had to clear twelve wooden hurdles, over 100 centimetres tall, that had been spaced in even intervals.
To reduce the risk of injury, lightweight constructions were introduced in 1895 that runners could push over. However, until 1935 runners were disqualified if they pushed over more than three hurdles in a race and records were only officially accepted if the runner in question had cleared all hurdles clean and left them all standing.
Olympic
The 400 m hurdles became an Olympic event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Ten hurdles of 91.4cm (3 ft) height were placed on the course with a run-up to the first hurdle of 45 metres, distance between the hurdles of 35 metres each, and home stretch from the last hurdle to finish line of 40 metres.
Source | World Athletics
Some 84 years later, women contested the event at the Games for the first time in 1984 summer games.
400m hurdles for women
The first documented 400 m hurdles race for women took place in 1971. In 1974, the International Amateur Athletics Federation introduced the event officially as a discipline, with hurdles at the lower height of 76.20 cm (2 ft, 6 inches). The women’s race was not run at the Olympics until the 1984 Summer Games.
Men clear hurdles that are 36in (91.4cm) high, while women negotiate 30in (76.2cm) barriers. The hurdles are knocked down easily if touched, which allows the athlete to continue even if he or she collides with them.
The US has been the pre-eminent nation in men’s Olympic 400m hurdles history. Glenn Davis, Edwin Moses and Angelo Taylor have all taken the title twice from the US.
Compared to the 400 metres run, the hurdles race takes the men about three seconds longer and the women four seconds longer.
The 400 m hurdles was held for both sexes at the inaugural IAAF World Championships in Athletics. The first championship for women came at the 1980 World Championships in Athletics – being held as a one-off due to the lack of a race at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
The record holders
World record
Men
Karsten Warholm, Norway 45.94 (2021)
Women
Sydney McLaughlin, USA 51.46 (2021)
Source | SprtBible
Olympic records
Men
Karsten Warholm, Norway 45.94 (2021)
Women
Sydney McLaughlin, USA 51.46 (2021)
World Championship records
Men
Kevin Young, USA 47.18 (1993)
Women
Dalilah Muhammad, USA 52.16 (2019)
Ayyasamy Dharun holds the national record with a timing of 48.80 set at the 2019 Federation Cup in Patiala.
Legendary PT Usha still holds the record in women’s category with a timing of 55.42, achieved at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics
