07 May, 2024

One year after the breakthrough he is chasing the European record

Photo: Bildbyrån

Super talent Håvard Bentdal Ingvaldsen (21) became one of the 2023 season's big profiles in Norwegian athletics. The breakthrough came during the Oslo Bislett Games, was followed up throughout the season and rounded off with a sixth place in the WCh. He improved the Norwegian record to 44.39 and is number six in Europe of all time.

Now one of the best and smoothest 400 fields we have had awaits at Bislett, with numbers two, three, four and five in the world ranking - including the British Matthew Hudson Smith, who during the semi-finals of the World Cup set a European record with 44.26.

Preliminary men's 400 meter starting field:

Quincy Hall from the USA.
Number two in the world ranking.
Personal best: 44.37.
Bronze in 400 meters in the WCh 2023.

Vernon Norwood from the USA.
Number three in the world ranking.
Personal best: 44.26.
Number four in the 400 meters in the WCh 2023. Six global championships in the 4x400 meter relay

Matthew Hudson Smith from Great Britain.
Number four in the world ranking.
Personal best 44.26.
Silver in 400 meters in the WCh 2023. Bronze in 2022. European champion 2018 and 2022. Number two 2014.

Kirani James from Grenada.
Number five in the world ranking.
Personal best 43.74.
Gold, silver and bronze in 400 meters from the Olympics in 2012, 2016 and 2021 respectively. Ditto from the WCh in 2011, 2022 and 2015 respectively.
Winner of Diamond League 2011, 2022 and 2023.

Rusheen McDonald from Jamaica.
Number eight in the world ranking.
Personal best: 43.93.
Number three in the 400 meters in the indoor WCh 2024.

Håvard Bentdal Ingvaldsen from Norway.
Number eleven in the world ranking.
Norwegian record holder with 44.39.
Number six in the 400 meters in the WCh 2023. ECh gold U23 2023.