Wake Forest Athletics
Bingham Finishes Seventh In 400m At World Championships
8/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
Aug. 21, 2009
BERLIN, Germany - Michael Bingham finished seventh in the finals of the men's 400-meter dash on Friday at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin.
The former NCAA Champion received a tough draw and was forced to run the finals in lane eight. He also ran in lane eight for the semifinals on Wednesday when he ran a personal-best 44.74 and finished second in his heat but Friday was a different story.
Facing the best field he has ever raced against, Bingham got off to a good start but being in the outside lane took its toll as the runners came off the final turn. The American favorites LaShawn Merritt and Jeremy Wariner bolted ahead of the pack with 100-meters to go. Merritt was able to hold off his countryman down the stretch, winning the race in a time of 44.06, which was the fastest 400-meter time this year.
Bingham finished with a time of 45.56 to take seventh in the eight-competitor field. This was just Bingham's third professional race as he won the 400-meter dash in his first professional competition, the Avian London Gran Prix, last month.
Bingham will now join his Great Britain teammates on Saturday in the semi-finals of the 4x400-meter relay. The finals are scheduled for the last event of the World Championships on Sunday evening.
The 2009 Wake Forest graduate won the indoor 400-meter title this past winter and finished second at the NCAA Outdoor Meet.
Fans can watch the World Track & Field Championships live on NBC's Universal Web Site or live and tape delayed on the Versus TV network.
Players Mentioned
