Harry Lee "Butch" Reynolds Jr. is an American former track and field athlete who competed in the 400 meter dash. He held the world record for the event for 11 years 9 days with his personal best time of 43.29 seconds set in 1988. That year, he was the silver medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and a relay gold medalist. Butch Reynolds (United States) set the men's 400 m world record of 43.29 in Zürich, Switzerland on August 17, 1988. It stood 11 years, until Michael Johnson's 43.18 on August 26, 1999. Wiki link