4 × 200 metres relay
The 4 × 200 metres relay is an athletics track event in which teams comprise four runners who each complete 200 metres or half a lap on a standard 400 metre track. The event is a world record eligible event, but is not a standard event at most professional or collegiate track meets, mainly being found at the high school level, though certain leagues regularly conduct this event as part of their program.
Description
There are multiple formats under which the race can be conducted.
- If the track is marked for a four-turn stagger format, the runners can stay in their lanes throughout the race. In this case the outer lanes could appear to start 2/3 of the way through the first turn. The markings for such a special zone should be colored red, though many tracks deviate from the standard marking colors.
- On a conventionally marked track, the race can be run starting at the normal 400 metre (and 4 × 100m relay) start line. As a two-turn stagger, the first exchange would take place in the standard second passing zone of the 4 × 100m relay, the second pass taking place in the normal (lane one, extended) 4 × 400m relay zone. After that exchange, the runner would break into lane one and make a third exchange in lane one of the second standard 4 × 100m relay zone.
- Indoors, the event is popular because each leg is one lap of a standard 200m indoor track.
World record
The men's world record was set in 2014 at the inaugural IAAF World Relay Championships in Nassau, Bahamas. The record was set by a Jamaican team consisting of Nickel Ashmeade, Warren Weir, Jermaine Brown and Yohan Blake in a time of 1:18.63.[1] The women's world record is 1:27.46, set by a squad called Team USA "Blue" LaTasha Jenkins, LaTasha Colander-Richardson, Nanceen Perry, and Marion Jones on April 29, 2000, at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2]
European record
- Men Italy: 1:21.10 (Stefano Tilli, Carlo Simionato, Giovanni Bongiorni, Pietro Mennea), Cagliari 29 September 1983[3]
- Women East Germany: 1:28.15 (Marlies Göhr, Romy Schneider-Müller, Bärbel Eckert-Wöckel, Marita Koch, Jena 9 August 1980
All-time top 25
Men
- Updated March 2020.[4]
A USA team of Shawn Crawford, Ramon Clay, Darvis Patton and Justin Gatlin ran 1:19.16 at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia on 26 April 2003 but the performance was annulled due to the use of performance enhancing drugs by Ramon Clay
Women
- Updated April 2023.[29]
Notes
- World Athletics report this as 1:29.24, however, contemporary newspapers and www.pennrelaysonline.com show 1:29.64
- Duncan transferred from USA to NGR in 2014
- Ekpone transferred from USA to NGR in 2015
References
- "New relay world record for Jamaica". BBC Sport.
- "Relay Team Comes Together In Record Time". Washington Post. 30 April 2000. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "Area Outdoor Records - Men - EUROPE". iaaf.org. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- "All-time men's best 4 × 200m Relay". IAAF. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- Simon Hart (25 May 2014). "Jamaica men break 4x200 metre relay record at IAAF World Relays in Nassau - and without Usain Bolt". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- "World Record Relay: Santa Monica 1:18.68". Track and Field News. June 1994. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "World Record Relay: Santa Monica 1:18.68". Track and Field News. June 1994. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Carl & Co. are like a Broken Record". Sports Illustrated. 4 May 1992. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "De Grasse goes sub-10 in Florida". IAAF. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Lewis Leads 800 Relay Team to World Record". Los Angeles Times. 24 August 1989. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "With lead on anchor leg, Farmer pulls hamstring". Baltimore Sun. 29 April 2001. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Men's 4x200m final". IAAF. 23 April 2017. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Men's 4x200m final". UPI. 27 April 1991. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "IAAF World Outdoor Lists 1999". IAAF. 28 August 2009. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "112,701 three-day record spectator attendance at Penn Relays". IAAF. 25 April 2004. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "U.S. men also strong at Penn Relays". ESPN. 29 April 2000. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Horned Frogs Off To Fast Start At Penn Relays". TCU. 27 April 2001. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "4×200m Relay Round 1 Heats Results". IAAF. 12 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "Nike team sets relay record". Tampa Bay Times. 26 April 1998. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Texas Relays - Longhorns Dominate". New York Times. 4 April 1999. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Men's 4x200m final". IAAF. 23 April 2017. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Texas Relays - Longhorns Dominate". New York Times. 4 April 1999. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "2017 Pepsi Florida Relays". Delta Timing. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "U.S. Teams Look Sharp at Penn Relays". Los Angeles Times. 30 April 2000. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Johnson says farewell in style at Penn Relays". IAAF. 28 April 2001. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "2014 College Men's 4x200 Championship of America". Penn Relays. 26 April 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "4×200m Relay Results". IAAF. 12 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- "4×200m Metres Relay Result". IAAF. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "All-time women's best 4 × 200m Relay". IAAF. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- "Relay Team Comes Together In Record Time". Washington Post. 30 April 2000. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- Rick Cantu; Danny Davis (1 April 2023). "Texas Relays notebook: Longhorns set meet record in 400-meter relay". statesman.com. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
- "2017 Pepsi Florida Relays". Delta Timing. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "2018 Pepsi Florida Relays". Delta Timing. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "2017 Pepsi Florida Relays". Delta Timing. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "2022 Texas Relays Results" (PDF). texassports.com. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- "4×200m Relay Results" (PDF). IAAF. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- "Florida Relays — Comebacking De Grasse Powers Canada". deltatiming.com. 30 March 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- "Women's 4 x 200 Relay Championship". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). 24 April 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "4x200 Metres Relay Result". worldathletics. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "4x200 Metres Relay Result". worldathletics. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "Nike team sets relay record". Tampa Bay Times. 26 April 1998. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "2017 Pepsi Florida Relays". Delta Timing. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "montgomery-off-to-quick-start-at-penn-relays". IAAF. 27 April 2003. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "2017 Pepsi Florida Relays". Delta Timing. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "90th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). 1 April 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "A&M wins women's 4x2". Texas A&M. 30 April 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "Aggies dominate final day of Penn Relay Carnival". Texas A&M. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Penn Relays Summaries". New York Times. 25 April 2004. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "2012 Texas Relays". Flotrack. 31 March 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Women's 4×200m Relay Results". IAAF. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- "Early season sprinting highlights Texas Relays". IAAF. 6 April 2003. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Penn Relay Results". Courier-Post from Camden, NJ. 27 April 1997. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "2014 College Women's 4x200 Championship of America". Penn Relays. 26 April 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2020.