Melaine Walker

{{Infobox sportsperson

| honorific-suffix = OD

| image = Melaine Walker Berlin 2009 cropped.jpg

| image_size = 200px

| caption = Walker at the 2009 World Championships

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1983|3|1}}

| birth_place =

| height = 1.63 m

| weight = 53 kg

| country = {{JAM}}

| sport = Athletics

| event = 400 m Hurdles

| medaltemplates =

}}

Melaine Walker (born 1 March 1983) is a Jamaican 400 metres hurdler. She was born in Kingston. Walker is the former Olympic 400 m hurdles champion.Lewis, Richard (2009-08-20) "[http://berlin.iaaf.org/news/kind=114/newsid=53721.html For Walker, World record assault next item on the agenda?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821165259/http://berlin.iaaf.org/news/kind%3D114/newsid%3D53721.html |date=21 August 2009 }}". IAAF. Retrieved 2009-08-21. She held 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 was the second fastest time in history at the time.

Biography

Walker is a past student of the St. Jago High School. Competing for the Texas Longhorns women's track and field team, Walker won the 2005 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 4 × 400 m relay.{{Cite web |title=Melaine Walker (2013) - Hall of Honor |url=https://texassports.com/honors/hall-of-honor/melaine-walker/80 |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=University of Texas Athletics |language=en}}

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 newcomer Kaliese Spencer and qualifying for her first World Championships in Athletics.Foster, Anthony (2009-06-28). [http://www.iaaf.org/WCH09/news/kind=100/newsid=51359.html Bolt 9.86 and Fraser 10.88; Walker and Phillips excel over hurdles – JAM Champs , Day 2] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629125401/http://www.iaaf.org/WCH09/news/kind%3D100/newsid%3D51359.html |date=29 June 2009 }}. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-06-28.

On 20 August 2009, she set the second fastest time in history of 52.42 seconds to win the women's 400 m hurdles final at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/8213194.stm|title=Walker storms to 400m hurdle gold |date=2009-08-20|work=BBC Sport|access-date=2009-08-20}} 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.Emily Benammar, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/athletics/6065699/World-Athletics-Berlino-the-Bear-drops-Olympic-champion-Melanie-Walker.html "World Athletics: Berlino the Bear drops Olympic champion Melanie Walker"], The Daily Telegraph, 21 Aug 2009

Achievements

{{AchievementTable\|Event=yes\|class=wikitable style="text-align:center; font-size: 90%;}}
colspan="6"\|Representing {{JAM}}
rowspan=2\|1998 \|rowspan=2\|World Junior Championships \|rowspan=2\|Annecy, France \|align="center" \| 5th \|200 m \|23.72 (wind: -1.1 m/s)
bgcolor="cc9966" align="center" \| 3rd \|4 × 100 m relay \|44.61
rowspan=2\|1999 \|rowspan=2\|World Youth Championships \|rowspan=2\|Bydgoszcz, Poland \|bgcolor="silver" align="center" \| 2nd \|200 m \|23.72 (wind: -0.1 m/s)
align="center" \| 6th \|100 m hurdles (76.2 cm) \|13.80 (wind: -0.4 m/s)
rowspan=2\|2000 \|rowspan=2\|World Junior Championships \|rowspan=2\|Santiago, Chile \|bgcolor="CC9966" align="center" \| 3rd \|400 m hurdles \|56.96
bgcolor="silver" align="center" \| 2nd \|4 × 400 m relay \|3:33.99
rowspan=2\|2002 \|rowspan=2\|World Junior Championships \|rowspan=2\|Kingston, Jamaica \|5th \|100 m hurdles \|13.66 w (wind: +3.4 m/s)
bgcolor=silver\|2nd \|400 m hurdles \|56.03
2004 \|NACAC U-23 Championships \|Sherbrooke, Canada \|5th \|100 m hurdles \|13.86 (wind: +0.0 m/s)
rowspan=2\|2006 \|rowspan=2\|Central American and Caribbean Games \|rowspan=2\|Cartagena, Colombia \|bgcolor="CC9966" align="center" \| 3rd \|400 m hurdles \|55.97
bgcolor="silver" align="center" \| 2nd \|4 × 400 m relay	3:32.86
2007 \|World Athletics Final \|Stuttgart, Germany \|bgcolor="CC9966" align="center" \| 3rd \|400 m hurdles \|54.31
rowspan=2\|2008 \|Olympic Games \|Beijing, China \|bgcolor="gold" align="center" \|1st \|400 m hurdles \|52.64
World Athletics Final \|Stuttgart, Germany \|bgcolor="gold" align="center" \| 1st \|400 m hurdles \|54.06
rowspan=2\|2009 \|World Championships \|Berlin, Germany \|bgcolor="gold" align="center" \| 1st \|400 m hurdles \|52.42
IAAF World Athletics Final \|Thessaloniki, Greece \|bgcolor="gold" align="center" \| 1st \|400 m hurdles \|53.36

{{AchievementTable|Event=yes|class=wikitable style="text-align:center; font-size: 90%;}}

colspan="6"|Representing {{JAM}}

rowspan=2|1998

|rowspan=2|World Junior Championships

|rowspan=2|Annecy, France

|align="center" | 5th

|200 m

|23.72 (wind: -1.1 m/s)

bgcolor="cc9966" align="center" | 3rd

|4 × 100 m relay

|44.61

rowspan=2|1999