From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 meters each. The start is as for the 400 m. A baton must be passed within a 20 m changeover box marked by (usually yellow) lines 10 m before and after the start of each subsequent leg. The outgoing runner must not start behind an acceleration marker line 10 m further back.

A successful baton change requires the outgoing runner to be at full speed and arms length ahead of the incoming runner so there is little room for error. Outgoing runners normally mark the track with chalk or tape 6 to 8 m behind the acceleration line and set off flat out when the incoming runner reaches this mark. When inside the changeover box they will hold their hand back, and it is the incoming runner's responsibility to pass the baton. Runners on legs 1 and 3 run on the inside of the lane with the baton in their right hand, runners on legs 2 and 4 take the baton in their left hand. Polished handovers can compensate for a lack of basic speed to some extent, and disqualification is common even at the highest level.

In the men's event, the United States, Canada and Britain have dominated this event. The men's world record stands at 37.40 seconds, set by the United States twice (see below). The fastest anchor leg is 8.94 seconds by Carl Lewis in 1992 (Bob Hayes was clocked at 8.5 seconds in 1964).

In the women's event, the US are currently the strongest team after years of East German domination. The women's world record stands at 41.37 seconds, set by East Germany in 1985.

• 2004 :  United Kingdom (Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish, Mark Lewis-Francis) 38.07
• 2000 :  United States (Jon Drummond, Bernard Williams, Brian Lewis, Maurice Greene) 37.61
• 1996 :  Canada (Robert Esmie, Glenroy Gilbert, Bruny Surin, Donovan Bailey) 37.69
• 1992 :  United States (Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell, Dennis Mitchell, Carl Lewis) 37.40 WR
• 1988 :  Soviet Union (Viktor Bryzgin, Vladimir Krylov, Vladimir Muravyov, Vitaly Savin) 38.19
• 1984 :  United States (Sam Graddy, Ron Brown, Calvin Smith, Carl Lewis) 37.83 WR
• 1980 :  Soviet Union (Vladimir Muravyov, Nikolay Sidorov, Andrey Prokofyev, Aleksandr Aksinin) 38.26
• 1976 :  United States (Harvey Glance, John Wesley Jones, Millard Hampton, Steven Riddick) 38.33
• 1972 :  United States (Larry Black, Robert Taylor, Gerald Tinker, Eddie Hart) 38.19 WR
• 1968 :  United States (Charles Greene, Melvin Pender, Ronnie Ray Smith, Jim Hines) 38.24 WR
• 1964 :  United States (O. Paul Drayton, Gerald Ashworth, Richard Stebbins, Robert Hayes) 39.0 WR
• 1960 :  Germany (Bernd Cullmann, Armin Hary, Walter Mahlendorf, Martin Lauer) 39.5 EWR
• 1956 :  United States (Ira Murchison, Leamon King, W. Thane Baker, Bobby Joe Morrow) 39.5 WR
• 1952 :  United States (F. Dean Smith, W. Harrison Dillard, Lindy Remigino, Andrew Stanfield) 40.1
• 1948 :  United States (Barney Ewell, Lorenzo Wright, W. Harrison Dillard, Melvin Patton) 40.6
• 1936 :  United States (Jesse Owens, Ralph Metcalfe, Foy Draper, Frank Wykoff) 39.8 WR
• 1932 :  United States (Robert Kiesel, Emmett Toppino, Hector Dyer, Frank Wykoff) 40.0 WR
• 1928 :  United States (Frank Wykoff, James Quinn, Charles Borah, Henry Russell) 41.0 EWR
• 1924 :  United States (Francis Hussey, Louis Clarke, Loren Murchison, Alfred Leconey) 41.0 EWR (SF 41.0 WR)
• 1920 :  United States (Charles Paddock, Jackson Scholz, Loren Murchison, Morris Kirksey) 42.2 WR
• 1912 :  United Kingdom (David Jacobs, Henry Macintosh, Victor D'Arcy, William Applegarth) 42.4 (QR  Germany 42.3 WR)

• 2004 :  Jamaica (Aleen Bailey, Veronica Campbell, Tayna Lawrence, Sherone Simpson) 41.73
• 2000 :  Bahamas (Sevathenda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Pauline Davis-Thompson, Debbie Ferguson) 41.95
• 1996 :  United States (Chyrste Gaines, Gail Devers, Inger Miller, Gwen Torrence) 41.95
• 1992 :  United States (Evelyn Ashford, Esther Jones, Carlette Guidry, Gwen Torrence) 42.11
• 1988 :  United States (Alice Brown, Sheila Echols, Evelyn Ashford, Florence Griffith-Joyner) 41.98
• 1984 :  United States (Alice Brown, Jeanette Bolden, Chandra Cheeseborough, Evelyn Ashford) 41.65
• 1980 :  East Germany (Romy Muller, Bärbel Wöckel, Ingrid Auerswald, Mariles Gohr) 41.60 WR
• 1976 :  East Germany (Mariles Oelsner, Renate Stecher, Carla Bodendorf, Bärbel Wöckel) 42.55 OR
• 1972 :  Germany (Christiane Krause, Ingrid Mickler, Annegret Richter, Heidemarie Rosendahl) 42.81 WR
• 1968 :  United States (Barbara Ferrell, Margaret Bailes, Mildrette Netter, Wyomia Tyus) 42.88 WR
• 1964 :  Poland (Teresa Cielpa, Irena Kirszenstein, Halina Góreka, Ewa Klobukowska) 43.6 WR
• 1960 :  United States (Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams, Barbara Jones, Wilma Rudolph) 44.5 (SF 44.4 WR)
• 1956 :  Australia (Shirley Strickland de la Hunty, Norma Croker, Fleur Melleor, Elizabeth Cuthbert) 44.5 WR
• 1952 :  United States (Mae Faggs, Barbara Jones, Janet Moureau, Catherine Hardy) 45.9 WR
• 1948 :  Netherlands (Xenia Stad-de Jong, Jeanette Witzers-Timmer, Gerda van der Kade-Koudijs, Fanny Blankers-Koen) 47.5
• 1936 :  United States (Harriet Bland, Annette Rogers, Elizabeth Robinson, Helen Stephens) 46.9 (R1  Germany 46.5 WR)
• 1932 :  United States (Mary Carew, Evelyn Furtsch, Annette Rogers, Wilhemina Von Bremen) 46.9 WR
• 1928 :  Canada (Fanny Rosenfeld, Ethel Smith, Florence Jane Bell, Myrtle Cook) 48.4 WR

• 2007:  United States (Darvis Patton, Wallace Spearmon, Tyson Gay, LeRoy Dixon) 37.78
• 2005:  France (Ladji Doucouré, Ronald Pognon, Eddy De Lépine, Lueyi Dovy) 38.08
• 2003:  United States (John Capel, Bernard Williams, Darvis Patton, Joshua J. Johnson) 38.06
• 2001:  South Africa (Morne Nagel, Corne Du Plessis, Lee-Roy Newton, Matthew Quinn) 38.47
• 1999:  United States (Jon Drummond, Tim Montgomery, Brian Lewis, Maurice Greene) 37.59
• 1997:  Canada (Robert Esmie, Glenroy Gilbert, Bruny Surin, Donovan Bailey) 37.86
• 1995:  Canada (Robert Esmie, Glenroy Gilbert, Bruny Surin, Donovan Bailey) 38.31
• 1993:  United States (Jon Drummond, Andre Cason, Dennis Mitchell, Leroy Burrell) 37.48 (SF 37.40 EWR)
• 1991:  United States (Andre Cason, Leroy Burrell, Dennis Mitchell, Carl Lewis) 37.50 WR
• 1987:  United States (Lee McRae, Lee McNeill, Harvey Glance, Carl Lewis) 37.90
• 1983:  United States (Emmit King, Willie Gault, Calvin Smith, Carl Lewis) 37.86 WR

The  United States team of Mickey Grimes, Bernard Williams, Dennis Mitchell and Tim Montgomery originally won the 2001 championship in a time of 37.96, but were disqualified as a result of Tim Montgomery admitting to drug use in 2005.

• 2007:  United States (Lauryn Williams, Allyson Felix, Mikele Barber, Torri Edwards) 41.98
• 2005:  United States (Angela Daigle, Muna Lee, Me'Lisa Barber, Lauryn Williams) 41.78
• 2003:  France (Patricia Girard-Léno, Muriel Hurtis, Sylviane Felix, Christine Arron) 41.78
• 2001:  Germany (Melanie Paschke, Gaby Rockmeier, Birgit Rockmeier, Marion Wagner) 42.32
• 1999:  Bahamas (Sevatheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Pauline Davis-Thompson, Debbie Ferguson) 41.92
• 1997:  United States (Chryste Gaines, Marion Jones, Inger Miller, Gail Devers) 41.47 CR
• 1995:  United States (Celena Mondie-Milner, Carlette Guidry-White, Chryste Gaines, Gwen Torrence) 42.12
• 1993:  Russia (Olga Bogoslovskaya, Galina Maltchouguina, Natalya Voronova, Irina Privalova) 41.49 CR
• 1991:  Jamaica (Dahlia Duhaney, Juliet Cuthbert, Beverly McDonald, Merlene Ottey) 41.94
• 1987:  United States (Alice Brown, Diane Williams, Florence Griffith-Joyner, Pam Marshall) 41.58 CR
• 1983:  East Germany (Silke Gladisch-Möller, Marita Koch, Ingrid Auerswald-Lange, Marlies Göhr) 41.76

The  United States team of Kelli White, Chryste Gaines, Inger Miller, and Marion Jones originally won the 2001 championship in a time of 41.71, but were disqualified as a result of Kelli White admitting to drug use in 2004.