Angelo Taylor Gold, USA Sweeps Olympic 400m Hurdles Video

Angelo Taylor won the Gold in 47.25, repeating his feat from the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Kerron Clement finished 2nd in 47.98 and Bershawn Jackson 3rd in 48.06

Shades of Edwin Moses?
1976 – Gold
1980 – Did Not Compete (Olympic Boycott)
1984 – Gold
1988 – Bronze

Angelo Taylor
2000 – Gold
2004 – 4th in semifinal.
2008 – Gold
2012 – ?

It was the first sweep in the 400 meter hurdles since the United States did it in 1960. (POP QUIZ: name the 3 medal winners)

The video of his 47.25 Gold medal performance will appear shortly on YouTube below.

UPDATE: YouTube and NBC Olympics are cracking down on illegal copies of this broadcast. Therefore, check back on this site in a few hours for the latest video of the USA Sweep with Angelo Taylor leading the way.

For historic purposes, here is his 2000 Sydney Olympics performance on YouTube:




From NBCOlympics.com:

Taylor leads U.S. sweep in 400m hurdles

BEIJING – Angelo Taylor broke hard and fast.

Down the backstretch, out ahead of the others, he told himself, relax.

Coming around the turn, he thought, bring it.

He brought it, all right, first across the line in the 400m hurdles Monday night at the Bird’s Nest in 47.25 seconds — leading a 1-2-3 American sweep of the event that renewed prospects for the U.S. track and field team at the 2008 Games.

Kerron Clement took silver, Bershawn Jackson bronze.

All three had, after qualifying for the U.S. team at the Trials in July in Eugene, Ore., predicted a U.S. sweep here in Beijing. This was either prescient or the height of foolishness; four years ago, in Athens, the U.S.won no medals in the 400m hurdles.

In backing up their talk, all three American hurdlers paid tribute Monday to the last U.S. team that went 1-2-3 in the 400m hurdles — in Rome, at the 1960 Olympics. They even knew the names: Glenn Davis, Clifton Cushman, Dick Howard.

Forty-eight years later, Americans had done it again.

“I’m just real happy to be part of that,” Clement said, speaking softly.

“We have proven,” he added, “that we are the best in the world,” and this was not smack or dare or arrogance talking. Just quiet fact.

Coming into Monday, the entire U.S. track and field delegation had won but four medals over the first three days at the track meet.

The Americans won five Monday night — the sweep in the hurdles plus Jenn Stuczynski’s silver medal in the women’s pole vault and Stephanie Brown Trafton’s wholly unexpected gold in the women’s discus.

That effort Monday night, and in particular the hurdles sweep, gave new reason for optimism.

“Leading up to the 400 hurdles, America really needed us,” Jackson said. “We’d had a lot of downfalls over the last couple days. We said before the race we’re going to step up for America and come home with three medals. And we did.”

Taylor won the 400m hurdles in Sydney in 2000, then failed to qualify for the finals in Athens in 2004.

He qualified third – the last spot – in Eugene for the 2008 team.

He was thus not much in the spotlight coming here.

But the few who had bothered to pay attention would have seen the sort of progression a champion shows at a multi-round event such as an Olympics.

In the first round on Saturday, Taylor ran a 48.67.

In the semifinals Sunday, he lowered that to 47.94 – the first time he had run under 48 in seven years.

He settled into the blocks late Monday night with, he said, “a ton of confidence.”

Taylor got a great start – second-best in the field, behind only Jackson – and roared out ahead, around the corner and into the backstretch well ahead of the other seven.

“I wanted to go out and go out hard. That’s part of my race plan,” he said. “Take those three hurdles, then just settle in and relax. Work on staying in my drive going over the hurdles – over four, five, six, then relax. I knew coming up to eight, I knew I had to kick in.

“… I just brought it all the way home.”

Only after it was over did his mother, Sabrina Glenn-Everett, here in the stands, look up to see if her son had won. “I was so nervous I was on the ground praying,” she said.

Taylor’s 47.25 was the 11 th best time in history.

“The guy ran 47.2,” Jackson observed. “It’s one of the fastest times in history. When a guy runs that fast, there’s nothing you can do.”

Clement, the 2007 world champion, crossed in 47.98.

“I can’t complain,” he said.

Jackson, the 2005 world champion, was timed in 48.06.

“There’s only one gold medal, one silver medal, one bronze medal in the world,” he said. “I’ve got bronze and I’m happy to be in that spot.”

Taylor was beyond happy. As well he should have been. One Olympic gold in Sydney when he was a young 21-year-old, a bust in Athens, redemption in Beijing.

“To come here and win after eight years is great,” he said. “I feel like I’m on top of the world right now.”