LaShawn Merritt ended the 400 metres dominance of Jeremy Wariner on Thursday when he claimed Olympic gold at the Beijing Games in a United States medal sweep.

Merritt beat Wariner for the third time this season when it really mattered, running away on the home straight for victory in 43.75 seconds which makes him the fifth-fastest man in race history.

Wariner, the 2004 Olympic and 2005 and 2007 world champion, had to settle for silver in 44.74 seconds. A spectacular dive from David Neville across the finish line secured the US sweep, as in 2004, in 44.80 seconds.