Background

No matter what the level of competition, Bershawn Jackson has always found himself on top. As a high school senior at Miami Central in Florida, Bershawn won the 200m at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships. That spring, Bershawn claimed victories at the Golden West Invitational and at the USATF Junior Championships in the 400m Hurdles, the latter of which qualified Bershawn for the IAAF World Junior Championships in Kingston. At the World Juniors, Bershawn won the bronze medal in the 400m Hurdles and claimed a gold medal as part of the American 4x400m Relay Team.

Bershawn spent the 2003 season competing unattached, and though he won the US national 400m Hurdles title, he failed to advance beyond his opening round at the IAAF World Championships. The following year, Bershawn enrolled at St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, North Carolina. At St. Augustine's, Bershawn remained undefeated in his specialty during the collegiate season, winning the 400m Hurdles at the NCAA Division II Championships. Shortly after his victory at the NCAA Championships, Bershawn finished an agonizing fourth place at the US Olympic Trials in Sacramento. Following his Olympic Trials disappointment, Bershawn finished his season with a victory at the IAAF World Athletic Final in Monaco, breaking the 48-second barrier for the first time in his career.

Bershawn was almost unbeatable in 2005. He won every 400m Hurdles race he entered except one. He broke the 48-second barrier an astonishing seven times, including a 47.30 personal best set in winning IAAF World Championships in the cool and rainy conditions in Helsinki. With his nearly perfect season and dominating win at the World Championships, it was no surprise that Bershawn was ranked number one in the world for 400m Hurdles by Track & Field News, a feat he repeated in 2006.

As the defending World Champion, Bershawn was afforded an automatic entry into the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Osaka, and as such only contested the flat 400m at the US Championships, where Bershawn set a personal best of 45.06. At the World Championships, Bershawn had looked certain to medal, but a stutter in the semi-finals prevented him from qualifying for the final of the 400m Hurdles. Though he was frustrated by not being able to defend his world title, Bershawn did earn a gold medal in Osaka, as a member of the USA's 4x400m Relay Team.

In 2008, Bershawn took wins in Carson, Berlin and Oslo before winning the US Olympic Trials in Eugene. It was Bershawn's second national title at 400m Hurdles, and his first in five years. At the Beijing Olympic, Bershawn took bronze and was part of the US sweep in the Men's 400m Hurdles. Since winning his first Olympic medal, Bershawn has again shown top form, winning all his domestic races in 2009, including his third US national title in the 400m Hurdles, qualifying him for the IAAF World Championships in Berlin.