World Relays in Gaborone

I hadn't followed last year's World Relays. And, to tell the truth, had I done so I would have been irritated at the timorous, fainthearted and borderline cowardly choice of World Athletics concerning the mixed 4x100 m race. Fortunately, somewhere along the line they saw the light and opted for the proper relay composition, the only one I find acceptable: man-woman-man-woman.

If you have been following my blog you certainly know that I have been proposing the 4x100 mixed relay for close to ten years. In Gaborone we saw the race run properly for the first time in a global setting. And it was absolutely great. As expected, the coaches found a solution to the problem of speed-difference between men and women. If you haven't followed the competition I invite you to watch the highlights at the World Athletics youtube channel. The women start running when the men are more than 10 meters behind them while the men start when the women are practically at their shoulders. And what is interesting is that men passing the baton can slow down (a luxury they do not have in an all-men race) and make the transfer smooth. Just watch the video below, taken during the qualifying heats. 

E. Adjibi is passing the baton to M-E. Leclair. When the later cannot grasp it firmly he takes her arm and practically puts the baton in her hand. 

It is moments like this that make the 4x100  mixed relay a great event. Fortunately it is here to stay. And watching the Jamaican team being head and shoulders above the competition was a real treat.

Don't let yourselves be fooled by the photo-finish

The real difference was considerably greater: Tia Clayton is at least 6 meters ahead of A. Leduc. And speaking of the Clayton twins, who both ran in the mixed relay, I find the choice to write Ti. Clayton on both their bibs laughable. How can you tell who is who? (Tina is on the left and Tia on the right).

The world record was broken twice: first in the heats with 39.99 and then in the final with 39.62. Just to put this in the proper perpective the first time the men's 4x100 m record dipped inder the latter mark was in 1960 when the German team won the olympic title in Rome with 39.5, electronically timed at 39.60 s. (Mind you, the US team who won in the Melbourne, 1956, Olympics, had also run in 39.5 and there is an electronic time for that race at 39.60 s).

The Jamaican women's 4x100 relay had two great champions in their team, S. Jackson and E. Thompson-Herrah. It was a real pleasure to see the latter back after several years plagued by injuries. (And I noticed that Briana Williams made it back to the national team. She's an athlete I follow but I was starting to lose hope).

The women's 4x400 relay was won by the amazing team of Norway. When H. Jeager took the baton less than a meter behind B. Hervás it was clear that she was going to prevail. But the split that I found amazing was that of A. Iuel who ran, a below-50 s giving Norway the lead at the second exchange. I expect Iuel to fetch times under 54 s in her specialty (400 m hurdles) this summer.

The US team, in fact just a B-team, won the 4x400 mixed, the men's 4x100 and obtained the bronze in the mixed 4x100 m. But the event everybody was expecting was the men's 4x400 m relay, where Botswana is the reigning world champion. And they went on to win in front of their crowd. It was not an easy victory. Eppie passed the baton to Tebogo in first place but the latter was overtaken by an astonishing Pillay of South Africa. Ndori managed to bring Botswana back (just barely) to the lead and Kebinatsipi showed his immense talent by biding his time, not allowing the south african and australian runner to box him in, and sprinting to victory on the last stretch, winning in 2:54.47 (third performance of all times behind those of two US teams).

I was talking about the impressive split of L. Pillay, estimated (because splits are at best estimates) at 42.66. It was not the only one. Kebinatsipi was given a 43.09 s split. R. Holder of Australia had a split of 43.12. And speaking of splits there are three women with splits under 49 seconds, H. Jeager, Sh. Mawdsley and P. Sevilla. Although all three are great athletes I have trouble believing those splits (except perhaps for Jeager who has a personal best of 49.49, compared to 50.7 for Mawdsley and Sevilla), the altitude of Gaborone, 1014 m, notwithstanding.

A major disappointment was the performance of Belgium men's team. We have been accustomed to see them among the protagonists of the 4x400 m  but in Gaborone they finished at the last place of the final. Similarly the women's team of the Netherlands could do no better than 5th in the 4x400  final (and the remaining Dutch teams did not fare better). One thing that I have trouble understanding (and this goes back to this year's indoors) is why F. Bol is not part of the national relay. In Gaborone she could have made the difference between an "also ran" and a bronze medal.

All in all, this year’s World Relays were a thrilling and highly competitive event. With mixed relays now firmly established in the programme of all major championships—including this year’s Ultimate Athletics Championship—I am convinced we are in for many more exciting showdowns to come.