The USA men’s 4x400m relay quartet completed a trio of close relay finals this evening and took the final gold medal of the 6th World Championships in 2:56.47, the best time in the world this year.
The race was a three-way battle from start to finish and less than three tenths of a second separated the medallists at the end. Great Britain took silver in 2:56.65 and Jamaica ran a national record of 2:56.75 in third.
Britain’s Iwan Thomas went off extremely hard from the gun, but Jerome Young of the USA fought back over the second half of the race to give USA a slight advantage at the first exchange. Jamaica were close in third. Britain’s Roger Black attempted to close the gap on Antonio Pettigrew but the American ran the fastest leg of the race, 43.2, and handed over with a five metre advantage.
On the third leg Britain’s Jamie Baulch made up the gap on USA’s Chris Jones by the 200m mark and passed him on the turn only to be hauled back in the straight. Jamaica’s Danny McFarlane was on his shoulder by the exchange. On the final leg, Britain’s Mark Richardson chased USA’s Tyree Washington with Davian Clarke of Jamaica close on his heels. The three came into the home straight almost together but, despite Richardson’s desperate efforts, Washington held on to win by half a metre.
Unofficial splits
USA: Young, 44.6, Pettigrew 43.2, Jones 44.7, Washington 44.0
GBR: Thomas 44.8, Black 44.3, Baulch 44.2, Richardson 43.4
JAM: McDonald 44.5, Haughton 44.4, McFarlane 44.4, Clarke 43.5
