BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Melaine Walker O.D born 1 January 1983, Kingston is a Jamaican 400 metres hurdler. Walker is the former Olympic 400 m hurdles champion. She holds the Olympic record of 52.64, set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and her time of 52.42 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin is the second fastest time in history.
Biography
Walker is a past student of the St. Jago High School. She won Gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in a new Olympic record time of 52.64 seconds. Walker won the Jamaica national championships in 54.70 seconds, narrowly beating new-comer Kaliese Spencer and qualifying for her first World Championships in Athletics.
On 20 August 2009, she set the second fastest time in history of 52.42 seconds to win the women's 400m hurdles final at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. She leapt on the back of the mascot Berlino the Bear to do a victory lap but Berlino crashed into a cart of hurdles and dropped her.
An injury redirected Melaine Walker’s considerable gifts to the 400 metre hurdles in 2000 and led to the St Jago graduate winning gold in 2008 in Beijing. Previously, Melanie had been a sprinter who hurdled with promising 200 metre results at the World Youth and World Junior Championships.
In Beijing, she was dominant. Her fine run of 52.34 seconds broke the national record set by Deon Hemmings in Atlanta and established a new Olympic record.
As a junior athlete, she had won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships. Before heading for college in the USA at Essex County College and the University of Texas, she had act
ually defeated Hemmings in a 2001 race in Barbados while she was still a schoolgirl.
An injury redirected Melaine Walker’s considerable gifts to the 400 metre hurdles in 2000 and led to the St Jago graduate winning gold in 2008 in Beijing. Previously, Melanie had been a sprinter who hurdled with promising 200 metre results at the World Youth and World Junior Championships.
In Beijing, she was dominant. Her fine run of 52.34 seconds broke the national record set by Deon Hemmings in Atlanta and established a new Olympic record.
As a junior athlete, she had won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships. Before heading for college in the USA at Essex County College and the University of Texas, she had act
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