Relive Kahmari Montgomery Set The All-Time 400m Record

In 2014, Kahmari Montgomery (Sr., Plainfield Central) took the track and field world by surprise when he blazed 46.82- good for US #12 at the time. More importantly, his feat established a standard in which long sprinters can achieve some more than thought before.

It was in 2015 that his goals would be monumental. The standard of 46.51 set by Harold Leonard (Harvey Thornton) stood since 1985 and Montgomery believed that he could go under 46-seconds. Keep in mind that he would be also going for a triple crown (100, 200, 400) with qualifying rounds added in.

Fighting off fatigue and possibly nerves would be of little concern when the main goal is the scoreboard clock and the competition. It would take some company to help push him along the way. Several sub-48.00 performers were added to the mix such as Roosevelt Davis (E. St. Louis Sr.), Corey Hertz (Lake Villa Lakes), and Zac Espinosa (Naperville Neuqua Valley). Octavian Wells (Fox Lake Grant) even broke through in the prelims with a personal best 47.73. But it was Montgomery's 47.17 that set things up. We could see the all-time state meet record go down. The ingredients are there to make it happen: speed, experience, poise, and competition to pose a semi-threat.

In the final, it was a crisp but controlled start for Montgomery out of lane 5 who appeared to be holding back and monitoring Hertz's blistering start. Or could it be that he was saving something for the 200m later on in a sped-up meet due to weather?

Montgomery continued to trail Hertz through 200 and later 250. But coming off of the final curve, Montgomery pushed a turbo button and distanced himself away from Hertz and the field to win in an all-time, all-conditions 46.24. It took a moment for the crowd to realize that a 30-year old feat had been taken down. It was one great moment that stood tall among a great overall state championship.