by Larry Eder
In a dramatic end to the first night of the IAAF World Relay, the women’s 4×100 meter lived up to its hype.
The US team of Tianna Bartoletto, handing off to Alexandria Anderson with a very nice hand-off. It was on their first hand off that Nigeria knocked themselves out of the medal contention.
Alexandria Anderson, who was running against Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart (who received the hand off from Carrie Russell). Anderson versus Stewart was pretty even. Then, Stewart handed off to Schillonie Calvert for Jamaica. Alexandra Anderson of the US handed off to Jessica Tarmoh.
Again, the race between Jamaica and US was pretty even. This was going to be a showdown.
It came down to pressure on the last leg. Jessica Tarmoh ran her third leg like the pro she is; clean, close to the lane, but not on it. Tarmoh handed off to LaKeisha Larson, and it was clean, efficient and well, beautiful.
Schillonie Calvert ran her leg to close to the inside of the lane, giving Samantha Henry-Robinson nowhere to go. Henry-Robinson, who should have been even with Larson, barely held onto the baton, it was a sight, save my race kind of thing. ” Very Un-Jamaican, our keen observer, Ato Boldon noted.”
LaKeisha Larson took the stick home and as all coaches know, she who gets the baton around the track in the zones, the fastest, actually wins.
Superb running by Trinidad & Tobago, whose women have never been on a medal stand before, per IAAF announcer, Ato Boldon.
Congrats to the US women’s 4 x 100 meter relay team who show, once again, that US women’s depth in the sprints continues to grow!
It is also comforting to see a team remember the word, TEAM. Why is it that women, many times, get that more than the men? Not sure. But, I have digressed.
Women’s 4 x 100 meter relays, 1. USA, 41.88, CR, 2. Jamaica, 42.29, SB, 3. Trinidad & Tobago, 42.66, 4. Nigeria, 42.67, SB, 5. GBR, 42.75, 6. Germany, 43.38, 7. Brazil, 43.67, 8. France, 43.76, #worldrelays
