Reuters Internet Delivery System RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb 11 - American LaShawn Merritt became the second fastest indoor 400 metres runner of all time while Kenyan Bernard Lagat ran the third quickest mile in history at the Fayetteville Invitational meeting in Arkansas on Friday.
World junior champion Merritt, 18, stunned the crowd by clocking a time of 44.93 seconds. Only Michael Johnson has run faster, setting the world record of 44.63 in 1995 and running 44.66 the following year. Merritt finished more than 7/10ths of a second ahead of compatriot Bershawn Jackson. Olympic silver medallist Lagat, aiming for a world record, clocked three minutes 49.89 seconds, behind only Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj's 1997 world indoor mile record of 3:48.45 and former world record holder Eamonn Coghlan of Ireland (3:49.78). Merritt, a first-year student at East Carolina University, was timed at a blazing 21.04 seconds for the first 200 metres. His previous best effort in the event was 45.25, set outdoors. He ran 45.94 indoors earlier this year. Meet results: http://www.flashresults.com/2005_Meets/indoor/Tyson/
