LaShawn Merritt

LaShawn Merritt is an American retired sprinter born on June 27, 1986, in Portsmouth, Virginia. Standing 188 cm and weighing 84 kg, he specialized in the 400 metres and achieved a personal best of 43.65 seconds, making him the eleventh fastest performer of all time in the event.

Merritt won Olympic gold in the 400 metres at the 2008 Beijing Games, defeating rival Jeremy Wariner by a record margin of 0.99 seconds. He also helped the American relay team break the Olympic record, recording the second fastest 4x400 metres ever. He became World Champion by winning both the 400m and 4x400m at the 2009 World Championships.

His career began with success at the 2004 World Junior Championships, where he won 400m gold and set two world junior relay records. Merritt went on to win gold at the 2006 World Indoor Championships in the relay and silver at the 2007 World Championships. His combination of Olympic and World Championship titles established him as one of the greatest quarter-milers in history.