Records

Kevin had placed fourth at the 1988 Olympics and 1991 World Championships, but after a series of impressive early-season wins in 1992, he started as favourite at the Barcelona Olympics.

The race was tight until he came off the final curve and opened up a huge lead. He clipped the last hurdle and slowed down as he punched the air crossing the line but still he lopped nearly a quarter-second off Edwin Moses’ record, which had stood since 1983.

Young had been preparing to break the record all season, reportedly placing pieces of paper with the time ‘46.89’ written on them inside each running spike. He’d underestimated himself. His new world record was 46.78.

The long-legged Yuliya Pechonkina lowered the eight-year-old world record by 0.27 with a stunning performance at the Russian Championships.