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UF’s Kerron Clement Wins Gold In 400m Hurdles
Posted On Aug 19 2016
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Barr, looking to win Ireland’s first track and field medal since 2000, finished strongly, only to be edged out by Copello by just 0.05secs.
The result was that Clement, who had burst onto the scene as the US champion at age 20 and at the 2008 Beijing Games won the silver medal, this time was easily able to grab the gold.
The Olympic and world champion had a 115-point lead over world championship silver medalist Damian Warner after seven events in the decathlon.
United States runner Kerron Clement ended his wait for Olympic glory in the 400m hurdles by winning the gold medal at the Rio Games on Thursday.
It did not come easy for Clement.
Turkey’s Yasmani Copello won the bronze and told reporters: “I think my mother is crying”.
“I only blundered on the hurdle at the 200m mark, otherwise I would have won gold”, he said. He finished third in the final event, the 1,500 meters, to win gold from France’s Kevin Mayer on 8,834 points.
When he returns home to Gainesville, Florida, he won’t have to worry about finding a spot for Olympic gold medal No. 2 – he made the room for it in January.
Add Helen Maroulis to the list of history-makers at the Rio Olympics. Clement was struggling with his passion for the hurdles after the 2013 world championships. Eaton made it back-to-back Olympic and world titles in the decathlon, an event the 28-year-old American has ruled since he rebounded from silver at the worlds in 2011 to claim the next four major gold medals available. He appeared in the music video “Run the World (Girls)” alongside Beyoncé. At London 2012 he came eighth after battling back from injury. Kerron Clement also won his first individual Olympic gold in the 400-meter hurdles.
Javier Culson of Puerto Rico was disqualified for a false start and sat sobbing by the side of the track before trudging away.
“Technically, it was a ideal race, ” said Clement, who wears a “Test me, I’m clean” bracelet to demonstrate his disdain for doping.
“Coming out here in 2016 is a redemption year for me”. Full details for Thursday’s track and field action are below. “I tried not to let it affect me and just focused on the 10 hurdles in my lane again”.
