The 4×100 meters, or the sprint relays, is one of the most exciting events of any championships. It is about combining speed with getting the baton around the track. ” You have to keep the baton off the ground, ” noted 2000 Olympic 100m gold medalist Maurice Greene to @runblogrun before the event.
The expected battle was to be between Jamaica and US. @runblogrun noted that GBR and Japan could be spoilers, but never did we realize just how good both teams were going to run on Saturday evening.
Mitchell, Bolt, Coleman, 4x100m final legs, photo by PhotoRun.net
The GBR teams, USA team and Jamaica team were very close until the last exchange. After the last exchange, GBR and USA were battling with Usain Bolt trying to catch up, as Usain suffered a hamstring cramp, and Jamaica’s relay dreams crashed. But GBR’s was just beginning as GBR pushed ahead of the USA relay team, and to the delight of the 65,000 fans, GBR took gold in the men’s 4×100 meter relays, the first time in a global competition since 2004!
A fun presser, and note some of the praise heaped on Jamaica, GBR and Usain Bolt by Justin Gatlin. Some fine observations by the GBR team. I have to say, liked all the relay athletes, and this is a must see video presser. Thanks to The Shoe Addicts to managing all of these for RunBlogRun.
