After taking both individual sprint titles the United States women won the 4x100m relay gold medal for the fourth time at a World Championships this evening.
After watching their men’s team fail to make it through to the final, the women played it safe.
Comfortable changes between Angela Daigle, Muna Lee and Me’Lisa Barber brought the baton to the hand of 100m champion Lauryn Williams who powered down the home straight ahead of Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell to win in 41.79 a world leading time for 2005.
It is the first time the USA has won either this or the Olympic Games title since 1997.
Jamaica, the Olympic champions, came second in 41.99 while the Belarus quartet set their second national record in two days to take the bronze from defending champions France in 42.56.
France paid for a poor start from their lead-off runner Patricia Buval. USA and Jamaica both got away well, with Daigle marginally ahead at the first exchange. Olympic 100m champion Yuliya Nesterenko was also going well for Belarus.
Lee ran a blistering back straight for the United States and they began to pull clear. Barber maintained the advantage around the bend and passed the baton to Williams who pumped down the straight for her second gold medal of the championships.
Jamaica were only two metres down at the last change over but even Campbell, the Olympic 200m champion, couldn’t make up the ground.
She held off Belarussia’s Oksala Dragun to take the silver while Christine Arron, this time, could not perform any heroics for France. She was simply left with too much to do and finished fourth, just missing out on a trio of bronze medals.
Campbell won her second medal of the week but after taking two golds and a bronze in Athens last year has to be satisfied with one silver and one bronze here.
