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As the 1992 Olympic 400m hurdles champion, Sally Gunnell became the
logical favourite to win the gold medal in this event at the following
year's World Championships in Stuttgart. As was the case in the
previous year's Olympic Games, her main opposition was expected to come
from Sandra Farmer-Patrick (USA), but unlike the previous year, when
Farmer-Patrick had been the dominant force in the early part of the
season, it was Gunnell who set the early pace in 1993. Sally won all
six races she contested prior to Stuttgart, with a fastest time of
53.52sec, and three other times faster than Farmer-Patrick's fastest
time of 53.96sec. More significantly, in the only time the two met
prior to the World Championships, at Lausanne on 7 July, Gunnell
completely trounced her rival, winning in 53.86sec, compared with the
American's second-place time of 54.52sec.
However, just as Gunnell had
come good after a relatively mediocre season at the previous year's
Olympics, so Farmer-Patrick did in Stuttgart, winning the third of the
three semi-finals in 53.88sec, marginally faster than the 53.95sec that
Gunnell recorded when she won the first semi-final. In the final (see photo above)
on 19 August, Farmer-Patrick assumed the lead shortly after the start,
which she held to just before they entered the straight, where she
surrendered it to Gunnell. However, Farmer-Patrick fought back and
regained the lead, and was still 0.08sec in front as they cleared the
last hurdle. Gunnell drove for the line in the remaining 40 metres,
just nipping the American at the line, as both women shattered the world
record of 52.94sec, with Gunnell's 52.74sec time becoming the new entry
in the record books.
Gunnell added a bronze medal to her gold when she
ran the anchor leg on the third-placed Great Britain team in the 4 x
400m relay. (Ron Casey)
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