Britain's David Greene celebrates after winning gold in the 400m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships on Thursday. [Photo/Agencies]

Greene takes 400 hurdles with worst winning time in event history

DAEGU, South Korea - David Greene of Britain took the gold medal in the men's 400m hurdles in 48.26 seconds on Thursday night at the World Athletics Championships.

Javier Culson of Puerto Rico took the silver with a time of 48.44 seconds. L.J. van Zyl of South Africa collected the bronze in 48.80.

There was a false start in the final, but it ended up with no hurdler disqualified.

Angelo Taylor of the United States got a warning.

Greene's mark is the slowest winning time ever for this event in the history of 13 IAAF World Championships since 1983.

Greene, whose personal best this year is 48.20, proved last year he could beat the very best by claiming victory at the IAAF Continental Cup in Split in 47.88. This season he has been no less impressive with Diamond League wins in Lausanne and Birmingham.

Culson, at 27, also took the silver medal of the men's 400m hurdles at the Berlin World Championships in 2009.

Van Zyl, fifth at the 2008 Olympics, had been in quite good shape before June this year. In February, the 26-year-old achieved his personal best of 47.66.

The mark was the fastest time among the eight hurdlers in the final, and one of the four fastest times in the world this year.

Van Zyl had claimed victories on both the Rome and Doha legs of the Diamond League. In Rome, he clocked his third sub-48 time of the season.

Nonetheless, he has not dipped below 48 seconds after May and his form has waned in the past couple of months.

On the women's side, American Lashinda Demus ran the third-fastest women's 400 meters hurdles of all time to win gold in 52.47 seconds.

Xinhua - Reuters