Kevin Young (hurdler)

Kevin C. Young is a former American athlete who redefined the 400-meter hurdles. This specific track event requires athletes to sprint while jumping over ten barriers. Young is most famous for his incredible speed and his unique way of moving. He became the first person to break the 47-second barrier in this event. His achievements earned him a place in the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2006. He also became the first person to win an ESPY award for track.

Young used a highly unusual hurdling technique to maintain his momentum. Most elite hurdlers, like Edwin Moses, popularized a consistent 13-stride pattern between barriers. Young departed from this by switching between 12 and 13 strides. This required him to change his lead leg. For example, during his 1992 Olympic run, he used a left leg lead. He then switched to a right leg lead over the fourth hurdle. This variation allowed him to manage his rhythm and speed effectively.

His journey toward greatness began at Jordan High School. There, he first found success as a 110-meter hurdler. When he arrived at UCLA, he was a "walk-on" athlete. This means he joined the team without a scholarship. In 1985, he placed fifth in the Pac-10 championships with a time of 51.09 seconds. During his sophomore year, he decided to focus more on the 400-meter hurdles. He also focused on the 4 × 400-meter relay. On the advice of Andre Phillips, he learned to run the distance in windy conditions.

Young achieved many significant records during his collegiate years at UCLA. In 1986, he set a Pac-10 record of 49.02 seconds. He also helped his 4 × 400-meter relay team become the first collegiate group to run under 3 minutes. That team recorded a time of 2:59.91. This specific relay record stood for 17 years. By his senior year, Young was the most valuable male collegiate athlete in the United States. He received the Jumbo Elliott Award for his excellence. He graduated with junior and senior class records in the 400-meter hurdles.

The pinnacle of his career occurred at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Young ran in lane 4 and had a slow reaction to the starting gun. However, he used his 12 and 13-stride technique to catch the field. He passed Winthrop Graham, who had started faster. By the ninth hurdle, Young had a two-stride lead. Even though he caught his lead leg heel on the final hurdle, he finished with power. He won the gold medal with a world record time of 46.78 seconds. This record was so dominant that it lasted for nearly 29 years. It was finally broken by Karsten Warholm on July 1, 2021.

Young continued his success into the next year at the 1993 World Championships. He won the gold medal with a time of 47.18 seconds. Before this, he had a streak of 25 consecutive wins. After 1993, his racing performances began to decline. He faced several challenges, including a meniscus tear on his lead leg. This injury required surgery in 1995. Despite these setbacks, he continued to race in Europe and Israel. In 1998, he won a 400-meter hurdles event in Greece, setting a club record for the Panhellinos Gymnastics Club.

Beyond the track, Young has lived a multifaceted life. He has worked within the Atlanta community at Boys and Girls Clubs. He also became an artist, and his work is displayed through Art of the Olympians. In 2019, while studying at Swansea University, he was involved in a serious bus accident. He suffered a head injury and two broken ribs during the collision. Despite the physical challenges of his later years, his impact on athletics remains. He showed that mental preparation, like placing 46.89 notes in his spikes, could lead to historic breakthroughs.