World Athletics Relays

Wordmark of the World Athletics Relays

TheWorld Athletics Relays,known as theIAAF World Relaysuntil 2019, is an international biennialtrack and fieldsporting event held byWorld Athleticswhere teams from around the world compete inrelay races,some of which are not part of the standardOlympic programme.The first three editions were set to take place inNassau,Bahamasat theThomas Robinson Stadiumin 2014, 2015 and 2017. Originally intended as an annual event, it was later decided to happen every odd year,^[1]the same as theWorld Athletics Championshipsfor which it serves as a qualification stage.

The competition format for the first edition included the4 × 100 metres relay,the4 × 200 metres relay,the4 × 400 metres relay,the4 × 800 metres relayand the4 × 1500 metres relay.^[2]The first edition had a $1.4 million prize fund.

From the second edition, the 4 × 1500 metres relay was replaced by thedistance medley relay.^[3]However, this was short-lived and was itself replaced by a mixed-gender 4 × 400 metres relay for the third edition.^[4]In 2019, the2 × 2 × 400 m relayand the shuttle hurdles relay were added to the mixed-gender category.^[5]

The 2021 World Athletics Relays were held inChorzów,Poland at theSilesian Stadium.

Championships[edit]

Edition	Year	City	Country	Date	Venue	No. of Events	No. of Countries	No. of Athletes	Top of the medal table
1	2014	Nassau	Bahamas	24–25 May	Thomas Robinson Stadium	10	41	470	United States
2	2015	Nassau	Bahamas	2–3 May	Thomas Robinson Stadium	10	42	584	United States
3	2017	Nassau	Bahamas	22–23 April	Thomas Robinson Stadium	9	35	419	United States
4	2019	Yokohama	Japan	11–12 May	Yokohama International Stadium	9	43	529	United States
5	2021	Chorzów	Poland	1–2 May	Silesian Stadium	9	37	689	Italy
6	2024	Nassau	Bahamas	4–5 May	Thomas Robinson Stadium	5	52	893	United States
7	2025	Guangzhou	China	10–11 May	Aoti Main Stadium

Events[edit]

Event		Year
Discipline	Gender	2014	2015	2017	2019	2021	2024
4 × 100 metres relay	Men	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
4 × 100 metres relay	Women	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Shuttle hurdles relay	Mixed	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗
4 × 200 metres relay	Men	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
4 × 200 metres relay	Women	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
4 × 400 metres relay	Men	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	Mixed	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓
	Women	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
2 × 2 × 400 metres relay	Mixed	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗
4 × 800 metres relay	Men	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗
4 × 800 metres relay	Women	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗
Distance medley relay	Men	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
Distance medley relay	Women	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
4 × 1500 metres relay	Men	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
4 × 1500 metres relay	Women	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗

Championships records[edit]

Men[edit]

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Meet	Place	Ref
4 × 100 m relay	37.38	Mike Rodgers Justin Gatlin Tyson Gay Ryan Bailey	United States	2 May 2015	2015 IAAF World Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[6]
4 × 200 m relay	1:18.63	Nickel Ashmeade Warren Weir Jermaine Brown Yohan Blake	Jamaica	24 May 2014	2014 IAAF World Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[7]
4 × 400 m relay	2:57.25	David Verburg Tony McQuay Christian Taylor LaShawn Merritt	United States	25 May 2014	2014 IAAF World Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[8]
4 × 800 m relay	7:04.84	Duane Solomon Erik Sowinski Casimir Loxsom Robby Andrews	United States	3 May 2015	2015 IAAF World Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[9]
Distance medley relay	9:15.50	Kyle Merber2:53.56(1200 m) Brycen Spratling45.95(400 m) Brandon Johnson1:44.75(800 m) Ben Blankenship3:51.24(1600 m)	United States	3 May 2015	2015 IAAF World Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[10]
4 × 1500 m relay	14:22.22	Collins Cheboi Silas Kiplagat James Kiplagat Magut Asbel Kiprop	Kenya	25 May 2014	2014 IAAF World Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[11]

Women[edit]

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Meet	Place	Ref
4 × 100 m relay	41.88	Tianna Bartoletta Alexandria Anderson Jeneba Tarmoh LaKeisha Lawson	United States	24 May 2014	2014 IAAF World Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[12]
4 × 200 m relay	1:29.04	Jura Levy Shericka Jackson Sashalee Forbes Elaine Thompson	Jamaica	22 April 2017	2017 IAAF World Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[13]
4 × 400 m relay	3:19.39	Phyllis Francis Natasha Hastings Sanya Richards-Ross Francena McCorory	United States	3 May 2015	2015 IAAF World Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[14]
4 × 800 m relay	8:00.62	Chanelle Price Maggie Vessey Molly Beckwith-Ludlow Alysia Johnson Montaño	United States	3 May 2015	2015 IAAF World Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[15]
Distance medley relay	10:36.50	Treniere Moser3:18.38(1200 m) Sanya Richards-Ross50.12(400 m) Ajee' Wilson2:00.08(800 m) Shannon Rowbury4:27.92(1600 m)	United States	2 May 2015	2015 IAAF World Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[16]
4 × 1500 m relay	16:33.58	Mercy Cherono Faith Kipyegon Irene Jelagat Hellen Onsando Obiri	Kenya	24 May 2014	2014 IAAF World Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[17]

Mixed[edit]

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Meet	Place	Ref
4 × 400 m relay	3:10.73	Matthew Boling Lynna Irby-Jackson Willington Wright Kendall Ellis	United States	5 May 2024	2024 Relays	Nassau,Bahamas	^[18]
2 × 2 × 400 m relay	3:36.92	Ce'Aira Brown Donavan Brazier	United States	11 May 2019	2019 Relays	Yokohama,Japan	^[19]
Shuttle hurdle relay	54.96	Christina Clemons Freddie Crittenden Sharika Nelvis Devon Allen	United States	11 May 2019	2019 Relays	Yokohama,Japan	^[20]

Medal table[edit]

Updated: May 2024^[21]


Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	26	7	2	35
2	Jamaica	5	8	6	19
3	Poland	3	8	1	12
4	Kenya	3	6	2	11
5	Germany	3	1	4	8
6	Italy	3	0	1	4
7	France	1	2	2	5
8	Canada	1	2	1	4
9	Bahamas	1	2	0	3
10	Trinidad and Tobago	1	1	2	4
11	Botswana	1	1	1	3
11	Netherlands	1	1	1	3
13	Brazil	1	1	0	2
14	Nigeria	1	0	1	2
15	Cuba	1	0	0	1
16	Japan	0	3	2	5
17	South Africa	0	2	0	2
18	Australia	0	1	6	7
18	Great Britain	0	1	6	7
20	China	0	1	2	3
21	Ireland	0	1	1	2
22	Barbados	0	1	0	1
	Belarus	0	1	0	1
	Saint Kitts and Nevis	0	1	0	1
25	Belgium	0	0	3	3
26	Denmark	0	0	1	1
	Dominican Republic	0	0	1	1
	Ecuador	0	0	1	1
	Ethiopia	0	0	1	1
	Portugal	0	0	1	1
	Russia	0	0	1	1
	Slovenia	0	0	1	1
Totals (32 entries)		52	52	51	155

Multiple wins[edit]

Multiple wins athletes are.^[22]

Three wins

Athlete	Country	Events
Nickel Ashmeade	Jamaica	Men’s 4x100m 2014, 4x200m 2014/2015
Tony McQuay	United States	Men’s 4x400m 2014/2015/2017
LaShawn Merritt	United States	Men’s 4x400m 2014/2015/2017
David Verburg	United States	Men’s 4x400m 2014/2015/2017
Natasha Hastings	United States	Women’s 4x400m 2014/2015/2017
Chanelle Price	United States	Women’s 4x800m 2014/2015/2017
Sanya Richards-Ross	United States	Women’s 4x400m 2014/2015, Distance Medley Relay 2015

Two wins

Athlete	Country	Events
Yohan Blake	Jamaica	Men’s 4x100m 2014, 4x200m 2014
Justin Gatlin	United States	Men’s 4x100m 2015/2017
Casimir Loxsom	United States	Men’s 4x800m 2015/2017
Erik Sowinski	United States	Men’s 4x800m 2015/2017
Warren Weir	Jamaica	Men’s 4x200m 2014/2015
Phyllis Francis	United States	Women’s 4x400m 2015/2017
Ajeé Wilson	United States	Women’s 4x800m 2014, Distance Medley Relay 2015

References[edit]

^IAAF World Relays bidding information
^"Bahamas to host inaugural IAAF World Relay Championships".Caribbean 360.Archived fromthe originalon 29 March 2014.Retrieved18 August2012.
^"World Relays 2015 website".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-02-08.
^Competitions Update.IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-08-21.
^Hardik Vyas (11 January 2019)."Athletics: Mixed shuttle hurdles added to World Relays program".Reuters.Retrieved4 May2019.
^"Men's 4×100m Final Results"(PDF).IAAF. 2 May 2015.Retrieved4 May2015.
^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.Retrieved25 May2014.
^"Men's 4x400m Relay Results".IAAF.25 May 2014.Retrieved25 May2014.
^"Men's 4×800m Final Results"(PDF).IAAF. 2 May 2015.Retrieved4 May2015.
^"Men's Distance Medley Relay Final Results"(PDF).IAAF. 3 May 2015.Retrieved4 May2015.
^"Men's 4×1500m Relay Results".IAAF.25 May 2014.Retrieved26 May2014.
^"Women's 4x100m Relay Results".IAAF.24 May 2014.Retrieved25 May2014.
^"4×200m Relay Results"(PDF).IAAF. 22 April 2017.Retrieved23 April2017.
^"Women's 4×400m Relay Final B Results"(PDF).IAAF. 3 May 2015.Retrieved6 May2015.
^"Women's 4×800m Relay Results"(PDF).IAAF. 3 May 2015.Retrieved6 May2015.
^"Women's Distance Medley Relay Final Results"(PDF).IAAF. 2 May 2015.Retrieved4 May2015.
^"Men's 4x800m Relay Results".IAAF.24 May 2014.Retrieved25 May2014.
^"Mixed 4×400m Relay Final Results"(PDF).World Athletics.5 May 2024.Retrieved6 May2024.
^"2×2×400m Relay Result".IAAF. 11 May 2019.Retrieved10 August2019.
^"Shuttle Hurdles Relay Result".IAAF. 11 May 2019.Retrieved10 August2019.
^Christopher Kelsall (9 March 2022)."South Africa to lose relay World's gold due to doping ban to Thando Dlodlo".athleticsillustrated.com.Retrieved23 March2022.
^"Yokohama 2019 Facts & Figures".worldathletics.org.Retrieved28 April2021.

External links[edit]

World Athletics Relayson worldathletics.org
Yokohama 2019 Official Website

[1] IAAF World Relays bidding information

[2] "Bahamas to host inaugural IAAF World Relay Championships".Caribbean 360.Archived fromthe originalon 29 March 2014.Retrieved18 August2012.

[3] "World Relays 2015 website".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-02-08.

[4] Competitions Update.IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-08-21.

[5] Hardik Vyas (11 January 2019)."Athletics: Mixed shuttle hurdles added to World Relays program".Reuters.Retrieved4 May2019.

[6] "Men's 4×100m Final Results"(PDF).IAAF. 2 May 2015.Retrieved4 May2015.

[7] 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.Retrieved25 May2014.

[8] "Men's 4x400m Relay Results".IAAF.25 May 2014.Retrieved25 May2014.

[9] "Men's 4×800m Final Results"(PDF).IAAF. 2 May 2015.Retrieved4 May2015.

[10] "Men's Distance Medley Relay Final Results"(PDF).IAAF. 3 May 2015.Retrieved4 May2015.

[11] "Men's 4×1500m Relay Results".IAAF.25 May 2014.Retrieved26 May2014.

[12] "Women's 4x100m Relay Results".IAAF.24 May 2014.Retrieved25 May2014.

[13] "4×200m Relay Results"(PDF).IAAF. 22 April 2017.Retrieved23 April2017.

[14] "Women's 4×400m Relay Final B Results"(PDF).IAAF. 3 May 2015.Retrieved6 May2015.

[15] "Women's 4×800m Relay Results"(PDF).IAAF. 3 May 2015.Retrieved6 May2015.

[16] "Women's Distance Medley Relay Final Results"(PDF).IAAF. 2 May 2015.Retrieved4 May2015.

[17] "Men's 4x800m Relay Results".IAAF.24 May 2014.Retrieved25 May2014.

[18] "Mixed 4×400m Relay Final Results"(PDF).World Athletics.5 May 2024.Retrieved6 May2024.

[19] "2×2×400m Relay Result".IAAF. 11 May 2019.Retrieved10 August2019.

[20] "Shuttle Hurdles Relay Result".IAAF. 11 May 2019.Retrieved10 August2019.

[21] Christopher Kelsall (9 March 2022)."South Africa to lose relay World's gold due to doping ban to Thando Dlodlo".athleticsillustrated.com.Retrieved23 March2022.

[STATISTICS-22] "Yokohama 2019 Facts & Figures".worldathletics.org.Retrieved28 April2021.

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