Athletics may be a solitary, individual sport, but put a baton in the hand of any self-respecting sprinter, and the esprit de corps is quickly discovered, the see-sawing fortunes of longer relays often a thrilling conclusion to a championships.
The IAAF World Youth Championships are no exception, and with their unique use of the 100, 200, 300, 400 medley format, the teenagers rise to the occasion. Certainly, Canada's quartet of Teneshia Peart, Carline Muir, Genevieve Thibault and Jenna Martin rose to the occasion, winning their heat in 2:09.24 after the disqualification of Nigeria. Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica also qualified behind Canada.
A botched second changeover for Australia wrecked their prospects of going through, and a dropped baton by Colombia ended their hopes in the second heat, which was easily won by the United States in 2min 06.54sec ahead of Russia (2:13.07).
