EDMONTON, Canada U.S. college champion Avard Moncur of the Bahamas won the battle to succeed Michael Johnson as the world 400 meters champion on Monday.

Moncur, 22, held off German Ingo Schultz in the straight to become the first man apart from Johnson to hold a major 400 title for the past 10 years.

He clocked 44.64 seconds to Schultz's 44.87 with Jamaican Gregory Haughton third in 44.98.

After fellow-American Antonio Pettigrew won the 1991 Tokyo world title, Johnson won four world titles and two Olympic gold medals.

He retired last year although he is making a farewell world tour, running non-championship distances and relays.

Moncur atoned on Monday for his disappointment at last year's Sydney Olympics where he failed to make the final by one-hundredth of a second, Reuters reported.

"I used that for my major motivation coming in to this race," Moncur said. "I had a picture of the finish on my wall and just went out there and practiced hard.

"Coming here made my dream a reality, which was becoming world champion."

Moncur paid tribute to Johnson, who broke the world 200 record at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 400 mark at the 1999 Seville world championships.

"I don't think anyone can do what he has done in the 400 meters, being consistent over the years," Moncur said. "To come halfway to what he has done would be a major accomplishment.

"I'd like to think that I'm on a roll and I'm looking forward to future world championships."

Schultz, who said he had been forced to put aside his former interests of playing the violin and chess to concentrate on running, said his aim had been to qualify for the semifinals.

"I'm still dreaming," he said. "I'm waiting for the wake-up."