Jacory Patterson, armed with a blistering 43.85 PB and a string of high-profile wins that have left rivals watching in his wake, will compete against eight of the strongest sprinters in the event. He crossed the finish line in 44.19 seconds in the semi-final and confirmed his spot in the finale. But now that the lane draw for the last run is out, things are starting to get a little tense for Patterson and his fellow finalists.
“More important than you would imagine.” Noah Lyles has been pretty vocal regarding the importance of lane draws in track events. Even Patterson has a pretty strong opinion regarding the lanes. Following the Grand Slam Track meet in Miami 2025, Patterson credited his run in the eighth lane for his gold medal. He said, “I feel like that helped me a lot, because I didn’t feel anything. I was just able to run my own race.” But where does he stand now?
Jacory Patterson will take up the third lane. It’s neither too tight nor too wide, and hence, is a pretty decent lane for pacing. Jareem Richards will run in the second lane, which is usually a disadvantage. Lee Bhekempilo Eppie will take the fourth lane, and Rusheed McDonald will be on the sixth one. Both of these lanes are considered two of the best lanes to run the 400m race. Meanwhile, Bayopo Ndori will run in the eighth lane, and the home favorite Yuki Joseph Nakajima will take the outermost lane number nine. And the Botswanan sprinter, Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, will run in the arguably best possible lane, i.e., lane five.
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In 400m races, lane choice can subtly shape performance. Inner lanes have tighter curves, demanding greater lean and energy to counter centripetal force, often making them less desirable. Outer lanes ease this burden with gentler curves but can leave runners feeling isolated or struggling to pace off rivals. Middle lanes (3–6) strike a balance, typically assigned to fastest qualifiers, offering optimal visibility, rhythm, and confidence without extreme curve penalties.
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If we take a look at the past, the middle lanes have often helped the athletes win the races. Steven Gardiner won the 2019 Doha World Championships while running in the middle lane. Kirani James secured the 20121 Olympic gold while running in lane five. However, there are some exceptions. Wayde van Niekerk won the 2016 Olympic Games by running in the outermost lane. Reflecting on this, a sports medicine specialist, Dr. Daniel Vigil, claimed, “He ran that entire race without ever seeing his competitor… He basically ran in a bubble.” Nevertheless, this time, the fans seem to have their picks ready.
Right after Track & Field Gazette shared the lane assignments for the men’s 400m final, the fans took over the comments section and revealed their thoughts. Let’s see what they had to say.
Fans rally behind Jacory Patterson and others over 2025 WC lane draw
Judging from the recent past, one of the fans weighed in on the possible outcome of the 400m final. The comment read, “Anyone of Patterson, Ndori or Nene could still take this. It’s not a done deal that Kebinatshipi wins. A big semifinal performance always worries me, and quite often those athletes can’t replicate it in the final.” Take, for example, the case of Andre De Grasse- 2016 Rio Olympics- ran 9.92 fastest time in SF and levelled with Bolt. But he couldn’t replicate the same form and settled for bronze in the final, finishing behind Bolt and Justin Gatlin.
Meanwhile, another fan decided to challenge the lane draw. According to him, Jacory Patterson should have received a worse lane than Richards. The fan wrote, “Why Jereem get a worst lane than Jacory and he beat Jacory in the semis?” The rationale behind this comment is that lanes should be assigned based on performance and the prowess of each athlete in the semis.
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Nevertheless, the call for the three athletes from Botswana kept ringing loud in the comments. One fan wrote, “Batswana are blazing hot 🔥🔥🔥.” Another fan’s wishful thinking captured hearts, “Imagining Botswana pulling off 1-2-3.” Needless to say, that would be an epic outcome for Botswana. But one simply cannot underestimate someone like Patterson.