The Greatest Men’s 400 Hurdle Race Ever
Continuing last month’s tradition of looking back at some of the most thrilling hurdle races run in history, this month we’re going to look back to the 1987 World Championships in Rome, where the 400 meter hurdle final was one for the ages. The principal characters included Edwin Moses in lane three, who had recently had a winning streak snapped that had spanned a full ten years. Despite having lost a race earlier that year, and despite the fact that he was getting up in years, he was still the unequivocal favorite, the unequivocal best ever in the event, a true living legend. Beside him in lane four was the German Harald Schmid, the last hurdler to defeat Moses ten years earlier, long before the legend had begun. Schmid had come close on many occasions over the past ten years, and was still one of the best hurdlers in the world. Beside him, in lane five, was the young Danny Harris, who had broken Moses’ unbeaten streak earlier that summer.
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With these three guys lined beside each other, it was sure to be an electrifying final, and it certainly was.
Moses got out the fastest and took an early lead, although Harris was touching down only a split second after him over the early hurdles. By the middle of the second curve, it became evident that Moses had a clear lead, with Harris close enough to challenge, but Schmid seemed to be fading.
On the final straight, Moses continued with his fluid yet mechanically precise execution while Harris and Schmid chased in hot pursuit. Schmid fought back valiantly and got himself back into the race. Coming off hurdle ten, Moses maintained a clear but slight edge while Schmid and Harris charged furiously. Both of them made up some ground on Moses on the way to the finish line, but not quite enough to catch him. Moses earned the victory in 47.46, while both Harris and Schmid were clocked in 47.48, with Harris being given the nod for silver based on the photo finish.
Although the time was not the fastest Moses had ever run, it could be argued that it was the greatest race he had ever run from a purely competitive standpoint. Schmid and Harris brought the heat, and Moses withstood it. This race clearly stands out as the greatest men’s 400 hurdle race ever run, with the top three finishers all under 47.50. Amazing.
From a strategic standpoint, this race was also quite interesting to analyze. Moses, of course, carried his 13 strides between the hurdles throughout the entire race. Schmid switched down to 14 over the last four hurdles. Harris switched down to 14 over hurdles 7-9, then 15-stepped the last hurdle.
When I first watched the race back in the day, I found myself wondering if Moses would have served himself better had he switched to fourteen strides over hurdles 9 and 10. Hurdle 10, in particular, seemed to be a bit of a reach, and he didn’t seem to have good momentum coming off the hurdle. But in looking at it again and again on YouTube, it seems evident that the 13-step over all the hurdles was the key element to him being able to hold on to victory. He would’ve had to chop his stride to fit in an extra step, which would’ve slowed him down enough to cost him the race.
As for Schmid, he did everything right. He was pretty much an ambidextrous hurdler, in the sense that there was no noticeable drop-off in speed and momentum when he led with his weaker leg.
As for Harris, I think the 15-step over hurdle ten cost him a potential victory. It kept him on his weaker lead leg – his right leg. All of the hurdles that he cleared with his right leg were followed by a slight stumble step coming off each hurdle. If he could’ve 14-stepped the last hurdle and stayed on his stronger left lead leg, I think he could’ve pulled off the upset.
Regardless, it was an amazing race, and we can only hope to see another one in which that many competitors run so well at the same time.
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