400m at 2022 World Athletics Championships: final, schedule, times, favourites, records
The South African may be the favorite to win gold, but he’s going to have to run the race of his life if he hopes to do so in Oregon.
With both the men’s and women’s 400m finals taking place on Friday, we’re set for a lot of action. Here’s everything you need to know before the race gets off and running.
Wayde van Niekerk is still favorite in the men’s 400m
South African Wayde van Niekerk comes into the 400m final of the World Athletics Championships in Oregon as the clear favorite. The world record holder finished second in the semis after strong challenges from both Champion Allison of the U.S.A and Barbadian Jonathan Jones in the semi-finals, but none the less here he is. Expect van Niekerk to go for it in this one, as he attempts to recapture the form that saw him win gold at Beijing 2015 and London 2017.
Though he’s struggled with injury this year, his world record time of 43.03 set six years ago in the Olympic final at Rio 2016 is still very much a marker and more over one he believes he can beat. It’s precisely that mentality that has seen him become one of the most popular athletes in the sport. If nothing else, you rest assured that his failure to make the finals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will serve as extra motivation as he pushes to get back to winning ways. As for his challengers, keep an eye on Grenada’s 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James who came through his semifinal confidently. Then there’s also hometown hero Michael Norman who will be looking to go one better after his impressive winning time of 44.30 in his semi.
Who’s in the men’s 400m final?
If you want to know what the final field looks like, then don’t worry we’ve got you covered. Before we get into it let’s be clear about one thing: It’s stacked! The South African will have his hands full as he attempts to hold off challenges from Barbados’ rising star Jonathan Jones. There’s also the above mentioned Kirani James of Grenada who’s no slow poke and last, but most definitely not least is the American, Champion Allison. With that said, here’s the starting list for the men’s 400m final:
| LANE | BIB | COUNTRY | NAME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2041 | Jamaica | Christopher Taylor |
| 2 | 1566 | Barbados | Jonathan Jones |
| 3 | 1945 | Grenada | Kirani James |
| 4 | 2410 | United States | Michael Norman |
| 5 | 1874 | Great Britain | Matthew Hudson-Smith |
| 6 | 2351 | United States | Champion Allison |
| 7 | 2268 | South Africa | Wayde van Niekerk |
| 8 | 1595 | Botswana | Bayapo Ndori |
How to watch the men’s 400m final?
Set for Friday, July 22nd, the men’s 400m final has a starting time of 7:35 p.m. local time (Oregon). If you’d like to watch on TV then you can find it on NBC - the exclusive rights holders - USA Network and CNBC. If you’d prefer to stream, you can find the race on Peacock and the NBC Sports website. If you’re watching in Canada then be sure to check out CBC, but if you’re across the pond in the UK then be sure to go with BBC Sport.