4 x 100 metres relay

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  (Redirected from 4 x 100 m relay)
Jump to: navigation, search
The finish at the Osaka 2007 world championship

The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 meters each. The first runners begin in the same stagger as for the individual 400 m race. A relay baton is carried by each runner and must be passed within a 20 m changeover box (usually marked by yellow lines) which extends 10 m on either side of each 100 m mark of the race. Another line is marked 10 m further back, which the outgoing runner must begin in front of to begin accelerating.

Baton transfers in this race are typically blind. The outgoing runner reaches a straight arm backwards when they enter the changeover box, or when the incoming runner makes a verbal signal. The outgoing runner does not look backwards, and it is the responsibility of the incoming runner to thrust the baton into the outstretched hand, and not let go until the outgoing runner takes hold of it. Runners on the first and third legs typically run on the inside of the lane with the baton in their right hand, while runners on the second and fourth legs take the baton in their left. Polished handovers can compensate for a lack of basic speed to some extent, and disqualification for dropping the baton or failing to transfer it within the box are common, even at the highest level.

The United States has traditionally dominated this event in the men's, being the first to run it below 38 seconds. The current World Record stands at 37.10 seconds as set by the Jamaican team at the 2008 Beijing Games. The fastest electronically timed anchor leg run is 8.70 seconds by Asafa Powell in the same race, though Bob Hayes was hand timed as running 8.5 seconds at the 1964 Tokyo Games. Carl Lewis ran the anchor leg on five U.S relay teams that broke the World Record from 1983-92.

In the women's event, the United States were considered by many to be the strongest team after years of East German domination, but failed to make it to the finals in the 2008 Olympic Summer Games when, during the semifinals, they dropped the baton during the transfer from Torri Edwards to Lauryn Williams. Evelyn Ashford ran on three consecutive Olympic gold medal winning teams 1984-92, and in 1984 final ran an anchor leg of 9.77 seconds the fastest ever.[1] The women's world record stands at 41.37 seconds, set by East Germany in 1985.

Contents

[edit] Major Championship Winners

[edit] Olympic Games

[edit] Men

[edit] Women

[edit] World Championships in Athletics

[edit] Men

The  United States team of Mickey Grimes, Bernard Williams, Dennis Mitchell and Tim Montgomery originally won the 2001 championship in a time of 37.96, but were disqualified as a result of Tim Montgomery admitting to drug use in 2005.

[edit] Women

The  United States team of Kelli White, Chryste Gaines, Inger Miller, and Marion Jones originally won the 2001 championship in a time of 41.71, but were disqualified as a result of Kelli White admitting to drug use in 2004.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Athletics at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games: Women's 4x100 metres Relay Olympics at SportsReference.com, accessed 21 Aug 2008
v • d • e
Athletics events
Sprints
50 m · 55 m · 60 m · 100 m · 150 m · 200 m · 300 m · 400 m · 500 m
Hurdles
Middle distance
Long distance
Relays
4 × 100 m · 4 × 400 m · 4 × 800 m
Throws
Jumps
Combination
Uncommon field events
Road running  · Cross country running · Racewalking · Multiday race · Ultramarathon · Wheelchair racing
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4_x_100_metres_relay"