Name: Lansford Spence

Date of birth: December 15, 1982

Place of birth: Hanover, Jamaica

Event: 400m

Personal best: 44.77

Season best: 45.78

Best Performances: Bronze medallist, 4x400m relay, at the IAAF World Championships, Helsinki 2005. Bronze medal, 4x400m relay at Commonwealth Games 2006, Melbourne, Australia. Gold medal winner at Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Championships, 2005 Nassau, Bahamas.

In 2005, Spence, then a student at Auburn University, Alabama, rose to prominence in Jamaica when he won the national 400m title in 44.77 seconds, a personal best. He then went on to capture the CAC Championships 400m title in the Bahamas, running 45.29 out of lane one. Along with Sanjay Ayre, Brandon Simpson and Davian Clarke, Spence won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland. He also competed in the individual contest, but was knocked out in the semi-finals.

In 2006, the relay team won another bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games.

FLASHback

Usain Bolt reached his first IAAF World Championships 200m final in the 2005 Helsinki meet and finished eighth after suffering a muscle injury 50 metres out. Bolt was up with the field for the first 100m but his long legs could not cope with the difficult lane one. He crossed the finish line in 26.27 seconds as the United States swept the first four places. Justin Gatlin won in 20.04 seconds.