4 × 400 metres relay at the World Athletics Championships explained
| Event: | 4 × 400 metres relay |
| Gender: | Men, Women and Mixed |
| Firstyearmen: | 1983 |
| Lastyearmen: | 2023 |
| Firstyearwomen: | 1983 |
| Lastyearwomen: | 2023 |
| Firstyearmixed: | 2019 |
| Lastyearmixed: | 2023 |
| Crmen: | 2:54.29 United States (1993) |
| Crwomen: | 3:16.71 United States (1993) |
| Crmixed: | 3:08.90 United States (2019) |
The 4 × 400 metres relay at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by both men and women since the inaugural edition in 1983. The competition features three formats in relation to gender: men, women, and mixed. The 2019 edition added in the mixed competition. The format utilizes one set of heats qualifying the top 8 into a final.
The United States holds all the championship records in this event. For both the men and women, the record has been held since 1993 with a time of 2:54.29 for the men and 3:16.71 for the women. In the mixed competition, a time of 3:09.34 was set in 2019. For the men and the mixed records, they are also both world records.
Age records
| Distinction | Male | Female |
|---|
| Athlete | Age | Date | Athlete | Age | Date |
|---|
| Youngest champion | | 19 years, 37 days | 1 Sep 1991 | | 18 years, 186 days | 31 Aug 2003 |
|---|
| Youngest medalist | | 18 years, 5 days | 13 Aug 1995 | | 18 years, 186 days | 31 Aug 2003 |
|---|
| Youngest finalist | | 17 years, 354 days | 14 Aug 2005 | | 15 years, 237 days | 10 Aug 1997 |
|---|
| Youngest participant | | 16 years, 354 days | 31 Aug 1991 | | 15 years, 236 days | 9 Aug 1997 |
|---|
| Oldest champion | | 35 years, 51 days | 12 Aug 2001 | | 36 years, 361 days | 31 Aug 2003 |
|---|
| Oldest medalist | | 35 years, 51 days | 12 Aug 2001 | | 36 years, 361 days | 31 Aug 2003 |
|---|
| Oldest finalist | | 35 years, 298 days | 24 Jul 2022 | | 36 years, 361 days | 31 Aug 2003 |
|---|
| Oldest participant | | 35 years, 298 days | 24 Jul 2022 | | 37 years, 359 days | 12 Aug 2017 | |
|---|
Mixed 4 x 400 relay
| Distinction | Male | Female |
|---|
| Athlete | Age | Date | Athlete | Age | Date |
|---|
| Youngest champion | | 22 years, 43 days | 29 Sep 2019 | | 21 years, 261 days | 15 Jul 2022 |
|---|
| Youngest medalist | | 19 years, 34 days | 29 Sep 2019 | | 21 years, 129 days | 29 Sep 2019 |
|---|
| Youngest finalist | | 19 years, 34 days | 29 Sep 2019 | | 18 years, 145 days | 15 Jul 2022 |
|---|
| Youngest participant | | 19 years, 33 days | 28 Sep 2019 | | 17 years, 222 days | 28 Sep 2019 |
|---|
| Oldest champion | | 24 years, 190 days | 29 Sep 2019 | | 33 years, 239 days | 29 Sep 2019 |
|---|
| Oldest medalist | | 24 years, 289 days | 29 Sep 2019 | | 36 years, 315 days | 15 Jul 2022 |
|---|
| Oldest finalist | | 32 years, 292 days | 29 Sep 2019 | | 39 years, 120 days | 29 Sep 2019 |
|---|
| Oldest participant | | 32 years, 292 days | 29 Sep 2019 | | 39 years, 120 days | 29 Sep 2019 | |
|---|
Medalists
Men
Medalists by country
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|
| 1 | | 12 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| 2 | | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| 3 | | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | | 0 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| 9 | | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 12 | | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Women
Medalists by country
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|
| 1 | | 8 | 5 | 1 | 14 |
| 2 | | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 3 | | 2 | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | | 0 | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| 9 | | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Mixed
Championship record progression
Men
Men's 4 × 400 metres relay World Championships record progression[2] | Time | Nation | Location | Round | Date | Athletes |
|---|
| 3.06.62 | | Helsinki | Heat 1 | Aug 13, 1983 | -align=left | Alonzo Babers, Willie Smith, Andre Phillips, Michael Franks |
| 3.02.13 | | Helsinki | Semifinals | Aug 13, 1983 | -align=left | Alonzo Babers, Sunder Nix, Willie Smith, Edwin Moses |
| 3.00.79 | | Helsinki | Final | Aug 14, 1983 | -align=left | Sergey Lovachov, Aleksandr Troshchilo, Nikolay Chernetskiy, Viktor Markin |
| 2.59.06 | | Rome | Heat 2 | Sep 05, 1987 | -align=left | Danny Everett, Michael Franks, Raymond Pierre, Antonio McKay |
| 2.57.29 | | Rome | Final | Sep 06, 1987 | -align=left | Danny Everett, Roddie Haley, Antonio McKay, Butch Reynolds |
| 2.54.29 | | Stuttgart | Final | Aug 22, 1993 | -align=left | Andrew Valmon, Quincy Watts, Butch Reynolds, Michael Johnson | |
Women
Women's 4 × 400 metres relay World Championships record progression| Time | Nation | Location | Round | Date | Athletes |
|---|
| 3.26.82 | | Helsinki | Heats | Aug 13, 1983 | -align=left | Roberta Belle, Easter Gabriel, Rosalyn Bryant, Denean Howard |
| 3:19.73 | | Helsinki | Finwal | Aug 14, 1983 | -align=left | Kerstin Walther, Sabine Busch, Marita Koch, Dagmar Rübsam |
| 3:18.63 | | Rome | Final | Sep 6, 1987 | -align=left | Dagmar Neubauer, Kirsten Emmelmann, Petra Muller, Sabine Busch |
| 3:18.43 | | Tokyo | Final | Sep 1, 1991 | -align=left | Tatyana Ledovskaya, Lyudmila Dzhigalova, Olga Nazarova, Olha Bryzhina |
| 3:16.71 | | Stuttgart | Final | Aug 22, 1993 | -align=left | Gwen Torrence, Maicel Malone, Natasha Kaiser-Brown, Jearl Miles | |
Mixed
Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay World Championships record progression| Time | Nation | Location | Round | Date | Athletes |
|---|
| 3:12.42 | | Doha | Heats | 28 Sep, 2019 | -align=left | Tyrell Richard, Jessica Beard, Jasmine Blocker, Obi Igbokwe |
| 3:09.34 | | Doha | Final | 29 Sep, 2019 | -align=left | Wilbert London, Allyson Felix, Courtney Okolo, Michael Cherry |
| 3:08.80 | | Budapest | Final | Aug 19, 2023 | -align=left | Justin Robinson, Rosey Effiong, Matthew Boling, Alexis Holmes | |
Finishing times
Top ten fastest World Championship times
Fastest men's times at the World Championships[3] | Rank | Time (sec) | Nation | Athletes | Games | Round | Date |
|---|
| 1 | 2:54.29 | | | | Final | 22 August |
| 2 | 2:55.56 | | | | Final | 2 September |
| 3 | 2:56.17 | | | | Final | 24 July |
| 4 | 2:56.65 | | | | Final | 10 August |
| 5 | 2:56.69 | | Fred Kerley, Michael Cherry, Wilbert London, Rai Benjamin | | Final | 6 October |
| 6 | 2:56.75 | | Michael McDonald, Gregory Haughton, Danny McFarlane, Davian Clarke | | Final | 14 August |
| 7 | 2:56.91 | | Andrew Rock, Derrick Brew, Darold Williamson, Jeremy Wariner | | Final | 5 October |
| 8 | 2:57.29 | | | | Final | 6 September |
| 9 | 2:57.31 | | Quincy Hall, Vernon Norwood, Justin Robinson, Rai Benjamin | | Final | 27 August |
| 10 | 2:57.32 | | Marlon Ramsey, Derek Mills, Harry Reynolds, Michael Johnson | | Final | 13 August | |
Fastest women's times at the World Championships[4] | Rank | Time (sec) | Nation | Athletes | Games | Round | Date |
|---|
| 1 | 3:16.71 | | | | Final | 22 August |
| 2 | 3:17.79 | | Talitha Diggs, Abby Steiner, Britton Wilson, Sydney McLaughlin | | Final | 24 July |
| 3 | 3:17.83 | | Debbie Dunn, Allyson Felix, Lashinda Demus, Sanya Richards | | Final | 23 August |
| 4 | 3:18.09 | | | | Final | 3 September |
| 5 | 3:18.38 | | Yelena Ruzina, Tatyana Alekseyeva, Margarita Ponomaryova, Irina Privalova | | Final | 22 August |
| 6 | 3:18.43 | | Tatyana Ledovskaya, Lyudmila Dzhigalova, Olga Nazarova, Olga Bryzgina | | Final | 1 September |
| 7 | 3:18.55 | | Dee Dee Trotter, Allyson Felix, Mary Wineberg, Sanya Richards | | Final | 2 September |
| 8 | 3:18.63 | | Dagmar Neubauer, Kirsten Emmelmann, Petra Schersing, Sabine Busch | | Final | 6 September |
| 9 | 3:18.71 | | Rosemarie Whyte, Davita Prendergast, Novlene Williams-Mills, Shericka Williams | | Final | 3 September |
| 10 | 3:18.92 | | Phyllis Francis, Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad, Wadeline Jonathas | | Final | 6 October |
|
Fastest mixed times at the World Championships[5] | Rank | Time (sec) | Nation | Athletes | Games | Round | Date |
|---|
| 1 | 3:08.80 | | Justin Robinson, Rosey Effiong, Matthew Boling, Alexis Holmes | 2023 | Final | 19 August |
| 2 | 3:09.34 | | Wilbert London, Allyson Felix, Courtney Okolo, Michael Cherry | 2019 | Final | 29 September |
| 3 | 3:09.82 | | Lidio Andrés Feliz, Marileidy Paulino, Alexander Ogando, Fiordaliza Cofil | 2022 | Final | 15 July |
| 4 | 3:09.90 | | Liemarvin Bonevacia, Lieke Klaver, Tony van Diepen, Femke Bol | 2022 | Final | 15 July |
| 5 | 3:10.16 | | Elija Godwin, Allyson Felix, Vernon Norwood, Kennedy Simon | 2022 | Final | 15 July |
| 6 | 3:10.41 | | Ryan Willie, Rosey Effiong, Justin Robinson, Alexis Holmes | 2023 | Heats | 19 August |
| 7 | 3:11.06 | | Lewis Davey, Laviai Nielsen, Rio Mitcham, Yemi Mary John | 2023 | Final | 19 August |
| 8 | 3:11.19 | | Joseph Brier, Laviai Nielsen, Rio Mitcham, Yemi Mary John | 2023 | Heats | 19 August |
| 9 | 3:11.75 | | Elija Godwin, Kennedy Simon, Vernon Norwood, Wadeline Jonathas | 2022 | Heats | 15 July |
| 10 | 3:11.78 | | Nathon Allen, Roneisha McGregor, Tiffany James, Javon Francis | 2019 | Final | 29 September | |
External links
Notes and References
- World Athletics Championships - Budapest 23 Statistical Booklet . . 42-45.
- Web site: Men, 4 × 400 m Relay – World Championships Records Progression . trackfield.brinkster.net.
- Web site: Men's 4 × 400 m.
- Web site: Women's 4 × 400 m.
- Web site: Mixed 4 × 400 m.
