Kevin
Young setting the men's 400m hurdles world record in winning
the gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games was honored by USA
Track & Field as the
22nd greatest moment in U.S
track and field in the last 25 years.
In an
electrifying performance that would have won the flat 400m
title as recently as the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne,
Young became the first man in history to shatter the
47-second barrier by winning the 1992 Olympic men's 400m
hurdles gold medal in the astounding world record time of
46.78 seconds. In using his unusual technique of switching
between 12 and 13-stride intervals between hurdles, Young
bettered the world record of 47.02 set by Edwin Moses in
1983 despite slamming the final hurdle and raising his arms
in triumph prior to reaching the finish. His record still
stands.
As a
collegian Young was nicknamed "Spiderman" by his teammates
at UCLA, where he won the 1987 and 1988 NCAA 400m hurdles
crowns. After winning the 400m hurdles at the 1993 USA
Outdoor Championships, later that summer Young won the gold
medal at the World Outdoor Championships in Stuttgart,
Germany.
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