{"id":1040009068,"date":"2025-12-08T15:08:49","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T15:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/?p=1040009068"},"modified":"2025-12-08T15:08:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T15:08:49","slug":"two-races-one-final-the-future-of-indoor-400m-racing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/news\/opinion\/two-races-one-final-the-future-of-indoor-400m-racing-1040009068\/","title":{"rendered":"Two races, one final \u2013 the future of indoor 400m racing"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Athletics' decision to turn the world indoor 400m final into two separate heats has caused debate with Femke Bol among those raising eyebrows at the decision.<\/p>\n

Does World Athletics\u2019 decision to split the 400m final at the World Indoor Championships into two races signal the beginning of the end for the event? Or is it a smart ploy to save the event from extinction?<\/p>\n

Previously a final would have six athletes battling for medals but the new rules, which are set to kick in at the 2026 World Indoor Champs in Toru\u0144, will see two races consisting of four athletes in each with the gold medal going to the athlete who runs the fastest time.<\/p>\n

Just over 20 years ago the 200m was scrapped from the World Indoor Championships because athletes drawn in the inside lanes barely had a chance due to the tight bends and centrifugal force.<\/p>

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Increasingly athletes drawn in those lanes simply chose not to compete. So are we now seeing a similar situation in the 400m, where being drawn on an inside lane carries similar disadvantages?<\/p>\n

I always feel it\u2019s a shame the 200m was scrapped from major indoor championships. In the world of British sprinting, Linford Christie\u2019s first major international title came at the European Indoor Champs over 200m in Madrid in 1985. Later, one of the highlights at the 2003 World Indoor Champs in Birmingham was Marlon Devonish\u2019s 200m victory. The event is still held at the national championships, too, where there is often drama as sprinters sling-shot out of the final bend and give it their all down the short home straight.<\/p>\n

Part of the skill of doing well in a championship 200m was making sure you ran well enough in the rounds to get a good lane in the final. Surely the same is true for the 400m too.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by AW (@athletics.weekly)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n