Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay

Men's 4 × 400 metres relay
at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad
Verburg (USA) leading from Francis (JAM) during the heats of the men's 4 × 400 metres relay
VenueEstádio Olímpico João Havelange
Date19–20 August 2016
Teams16
Winning time2:58.16
Medalists
   United States
   Jamaica
   Bahamas
Athletics at the
2016 Summer Olympics
List of athletes
Qualification
Track events
100 m   men   women
200 m men women
400 m men women
800 m men women
1500 m men women
5000 m men women
10,000 m men women
100 m hurdles women
110 m hurdles men
400 m hurdles men women
3000 m
steeplechase
men women
4 × 100 m relay men women
4 × 400 m relay men women
Road events
Marathon men women
20 km walk men women
50 km walk men
Field events
Long jump men women
Triple jump men women
High jump men women
Pole vault men women
Shot put men women
Discus throw men women
Javelin throw men women
Hammer throw men women
Combined events
Heptathlon women
Decathlon men

The men's 4 × 400 metres relay competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was held at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange on 19–20 August.[1]

Summary

The Bahamas entered as the defending Olympic champions while United States had won both the 2013 and 2015 World Championships since then. Louisiana State University held the world leading time of 3:00.38 minutes prior to the event. The American college team was anchored by Fitzroy Dunkley who ran for Jamaica here. Trinidad and Tobago, medallists at the both last Olympics and World Championships, were the next strongest team. Other teams entering with fast quartets were Jamaica, Great Britain and 2016 European champions Belgium.[2]

As in 2012, the heats produced some drama. During the first handoff, in lanes, Trinidad and Tobago leadoff leg, Jarrin Solomon stepped inside of the lane line. He had already let go of the baton to Lalonde Gordon but the team was disqualified.[3] In the second semi-final both Great Britain and India were disqualified for starting their leg with a foot outside of the passing zone.[4]

The final began with Botswana's Isaac Makwala, the seventh fastest man in history and Jamaica's Peter Matthews taking it out hard. Matthews had passed Belgium's Julien Watrin at the head of the stretch, but Watrin pulled it back as Matthews slowed. Botswana made the handoff first. USA's Arman Hall also pulled back some ground from Matthews as USA exchanged even with Jamaica. Tony McQuay ran the turn hard to get the jump on Botswana's fifth place open sprinter, 18 year old Karabo Sibanda at the break. Michael Mathieu also put Bahamas ahead of Jamaica's Nathon Allen who was in a battle with Jonathan Borlée, the first of three successive Borlée brothers for Belgium.

Coming off the turn, Sibanda put the move on McQuay, putting Botswana into the lead, 5 metres back, Allen put the same move on Mathieu to put Jamaica into third. Because USA had the lead at the half way mark of the lap, Sibanda had to move back out to lane 2 to find his teammate Onkabetse Nkobolo. McQuay used the opening to move back even with Sibanda. After receiving the handoff Nkobolo ran into the back of American Gil Roberts who was still in the process of receiving the baton, Nkobolo lost all forward momentum and Roberts gained the edge coming out of the handoff. A meter down, Nkobolo stuck behind Roberts as if there was a rope between them. Behind them, Jamaica's Fitzroy Dunkley was closing the gap. Coming off the turn, unimpeded, Roberts stumbled and lost his balance, throwing his baton hand high in the air to right himself and avert a disaster by stepping inside of the curb. Dunkley slowed down the stretch, Steven Gardiner pulling Bahamas back even.

The final handoff, Roberts to bronze medalist LaShawn Merritt, Botswana to Leaname Maotoanong was clean. Bahamas' "Fireman" Chris Brown gained the edge over Jamaica's Javon Francis on their handoff three metres up on the Borlée brothers. Down the backstretch and into the final turn, Maotoanong stayed consistently about 2 metres behind Merritt as Brown, Francis and Kevin Borlée crept closer. Francis went for the pass during the turn but Brown held him off to the straightaway. Merritt began to pull away from Maotoanong. Running in lane 2, Francis got past Brown then squeezed him out of running space as he passed Maotoanong. Brown had to move into lane 2. Getting passed, Maotoanong began to struggle, flailing his arms but running backward. Brown went by on the outside, Borlée went by on the inside. Merritt crossed the finish line seven metres up on Francis to give America gold over Jamaica's silver. Three more metres back, Borlée was making a mighty rush at Brown, dipping and diving too late to get the bronze as Bahamas held on while Borlée crashed to the track.

Belgium and Botswana both set national records in the final. Botswana had also set their national record in the heats. McQuay's leg was timed as 43.2, tied for the fourth fastest relay splits in history.[5]

Records

Prior to the competition, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.

World record  United States
(Andrew Valmon, Quincy Watts, Butch Reynolds, Michael Johnson)
2:54.29 Stuttgart, Germany 22 August 1993
Olympic record  United States
(LaShawn Merritt, Angelo Taylor, David Neville, Jeremy Wariner)
2:55.39 Beijing, China 23 August 2008
2016 World leading Louisiana State University
(LaMar Bruton, Michael Cherry, Cyril Grayson, Fitzroy Dunkley)
3:00.38 Baton Rouge, United States 23 April 2016

The following records were established during the competition:

Date Event Competitors Nation Time Record
19 August Heats Rusheen McDonald, Peter Matthews, Nathon Allen, Javon Francis Jamaica 2:58.29 2016 World Leading
20 August Final Arman Hall, Tony McQuay, Gil Roberts, LaShawn Merritt United States 2:57.30

The following national records were established during the competition:

Country Athletes Round Time Notes
Botswana  Isaac Makwala, Karabo Sibanda, Onkabetse Nkobolo, Leaname Maotoanong (BOT) Heats 2:59.35
Belgium  Julien Watrin, Jonathan Borlée, Dylan Borlée, Kevin Borlée (BEL) Heats 2:59.25
Belgium  Julien Watrin, Jonathan Borlée, Dylan Borlée, Kevin Borlée (BEL) Final 2:58.52
Botswana  Isaac Makwala, Karabo Sibanda, Onkabetse Nkobolo, Leaname Maotoanong (BOT) Final 2:59.06

Schedule

All times are Brazil time (UTC−3)[6]

Date Time Round
Friday, 19 August 2016 21:10Heats
Saturday, 20 August 2016 22:35Finals

Results

Heats

Qualification rule: first 3 of each heat (Q) plus the 2 fastest times (q) qualified.

Heat 1

Rank Nation Competitors Time Notes
1 Jamaica Rusheen McDonald, Peter Matthews, Nathon Allen, Javon Francis 2:58.29 Q, WL
2 United States Arman Hall, Tony McQuay, Kyle Clemons, David Verburg 2:58.38 Q, SB
3 Botswana Isaac Makwala, Karabo Sibanda, Onkabetse Nkobolo, Leaname Maotoanong 2:59.35 Q, NR
4 Poland Łukasz Krawczuk, Michał Pietrzak, Jakub Krzewina, Rafał Omelko 2:59.58 q, SB
5 France Mame-Ibra Anne, Teddy Atine-Venel, Mamadou Kassé Hann, Thomas Jordier 3:00.82 SB
6 Colombia Anthony Zambrano, Diego Palomeque, Carlos Lemos, Jhon Perlaza 3:01.84
7 Japan Julian Walsh, Tomoya Tamura, Takamasa Kitagawa, Nobuya Kato 3:02.95
Trinidad and Tobago Jarrin Solomon, Lalonde Gordon, Deon Lendore, Machel Cedenio DQ R 163.3a

Heat 2

Rank Nation Competitors Time Notes
1 Belgium Julien Watrin, Jonathan Borlée, Dylan Borlée, Kevin Borlée 2:59.25 Q, NR
2 Bahamas Alonzo Russell, Chris Brown, Steven Gardiner, Stephen Newbold 2:59.64 Q, SB
3 Cuba William Collazo, Adrian Chacón, Osmaidel Pellicier, Yoandys Lescay 3:00.16 Q, SB
4 Brazil Pedro Luiz de Oliveira, Alexander Russo, Peterson dos Santos, Hugo de Sousa 3:00.43 q, SB
5 Dominican Republic Yon Soriano, Luguelín Santos, Luis Charles, Gustavo Cuesta 3:01.76 SB
6 Venezuela Arturo Ramírez, Omar Longart, Alberth Bravo, Freddy Mezones 3:02.69
Great Britain Nigel Levine, Delano Williams, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Martyn Rooney DQ R 170.19
India Kunhu Muhammed, Muhammad Anas, Ayyasamy Dharun, Arokia Rajiv DQ R 170.19

Final

Rank Lane Nation Competitors Time Notes
1st, gold medalist(s) 5 United States Arman Hall, Tony McQuay, Gil Roberts, LaShawn Merritt 2:57.30 WL
2nd, silver medalist(s) 3 Jamaica Peter Matthews, Nathon Allen, Fitzroy Dunkley, Javon Francis 2:58.16 SB
3rd, bronze medalist(s) 6 Bahamas Alonzo Russell, Michael Mathieu, Steven Gardiner, Chris Brown 2:58.49 SB
4 4 Belgium Julien Watrin, Jonathan Borlée, Dylan Borlée, Kevin Borlée 2:58.52 NR
5 7 Botswana Isaac Makwala, Karabo Sibanda, Onkabetse Nkobolo, Leaname Maotoanong 2:59.06 NR
6 8 Cuba William Collazo, Adrian Chacón, Osmaidel Pellicier, Yoandys Lescay 2:59.53 SB
7 2 Poland Łukasz Krawczuk, Michał Pietrzak, Jakub Krzewina, Rafał Omelko 3:00.50
8 1 Brazil Pedro Luiz de Oliveira, Alexander Russo, Peterson dos Santos, Hugo de Sousa 3:03.28

References

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