THE FOURSOME FROM THE United States ran history’s fastest time in the heats; where they needed it was the final. In that all-important medal round a Femke Bol-powered team from the Netherlands snatched the gold medal in a stirring homestretch run.
The U.S. performance in Friday’s first round was nothing short of shocking. Vernon Norwood led off in 44.47, handing off to Shamier Little with a growing margin. Little, the fastest 400 hurdler not in that event here, blistered a 49.32 and delivered a 10-meter lead. Bryce Deadmon took the stick next, confidently spinning around the track in 44.17. Then Kaylyn Brown, the Arkansas frosh, took the stick for another lap in just 49.45.
Their result, 3:07.41, sliced 1.39 off the World Record of 3:08.80 set by the United States last year in Budapest. It also trounced the Olympic Record of 3:09.87 that Poland had set in Tokyo. France (3:10.60) and Belgium (3:10.74) both finished more than 30m back despite running national records. In the next heat, Britain won with a 3:10.61 national record, ahead of a Dutch 3:10.80.
Said Little, “I always knew we were going to run fast, and we talked about how it was going to take a record to win a medal. It took a record to win our prelim.”
U.S. coaches made no substitutions for the next day’s final, though the Dutch brought in Bol to anchor, the Belgians added World Indoor 400 champ Alexander Doom, and the British called up Arkansas star Amber Anning. If the Americans had expected a psychological advantage from having set the WR a day earlier, they saw from the start that their competitors were only going to come after them all the harder.
Again, Norwood led off, but this time he just couldn’t get away. His 44.46 put him behind the 44.22 from Belgium’s Doom. Britain ran 3rd; Netherlands was in 6th after Eugene Omalla’s 45.26.
On the second leg, it was Little who put the U.S. in the lead on the backstretch with her 49.39. Belgium held onto 2nd, fending off a spirited charge from Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands (49.26).
On leg 3, Deadmon hit a 44.66 but the Belgians pulled even at the final exchange, thanks to a 44.01 from Jonathan Sacoor. Britain moved ahead of Netherlands’ Isaya Klein Ikkink (44.91) to be 3rd at the exchange.
Kaylyn Brown shot out fast on the anchor, working hard to build a margin that the Americans hoped would be Bol-proof. The feared anchor in orange made no sudden moves; with 200 to go she was still in 4th. Then she started moving, passing Belgium on the turn. With stunning ease she caught Britain’s Anning and just before the line, she passed Brown to earn the gold. Bol split 48.00 to Brown’s 49.23.
The winners’ time of 3:07.43 missed the fresh WR by just 0.02. The United States finished in 3:07.74. Anning ran a 48.86 anchor to give Britain bronze in 3:08.01. To deafening cheers from the stands, the Netherlands squad celebrated, with the Americans first to offer congratulations.
Omalla, who led off the Netherlands, said, “Femke Bol is a once-in-a-lifetime talent, someone so special. She has it not just in her legs and arms but in her heart and head.”
MIXED 4 x 400 RESULTS
FINAL (August 03)
(temperature 70F/21C; humidity 76%)
1. Netherlands 3:07.43 NR (2, 2 W; #2 nation)
(Eugene Omalla 45.26, Lieke Klaver 49.26, Isaya Klein Ikkink 44.91, Femke Bol 48.00);
2. United States 3:07.74 (x, 3 W; x, 2 A)
(Vernon Norwood 44.46, Shamier Little 49.39, Bryce Deadmon 44.66, Kaylyn Brown 49.23);
3. Great Britain 3:08.01 NR (3, 4 W; #3 nation)
(Samuel Reardon 44.98, Laviai Nielsen 49.81, Alex Haydock-Wilson 44.36, Amber Anning 48.86);
4. Belgium 3:09.36 NR (4, 7 W; #4 nation)
(Alexander Doom 44.22, Helena Ponette 50.28, Jonathan Sacoor 44.01, Naomi Van Den Broeck 50.85);
5. Jamaica 3:11.67
(Reheem Hayles 45.47, Junelle Bromfield 50.95, Zandrion Barnes 45.11, Stephenie Ann McPherson 50.14);
6. Italy 3:11.84
(Luca Sito 45.10, Giancarla Dimich Trevisan 50.57, Edoardo Scotti 45.25, Alice Mangione 50.92);
7. Poland 3:12.39
(Maks Szwed 45.47, Justyna Święty-Ersetic 50.34, Karol Zalewski 45.40, Alicja Wrona-Kutrzepa 51.18);
… dq[obstruction]—France [3:10.84] (Muhammad Abdalla Kounta 45.11, Louise Maraval 50.71, Fabrisio Saidy 44.74, Amandine Brossier 50.28).
(lanes: 2. Jamaica; 3. Poland; 4. Belgium; 5. United States; 6. France; 7. Netherlands; 8. Great Britain; 9. Italy)
(reaction times: 0.152 Belgium, 0.154 France, 0.166 Jamaica, 0.175 Poland, 0.177 United States & Italy, 0.206 Netherlands, 0.239 Great Britain)
Times & Places At Handoffs
Leg 1: 1. Belgium 44.22; 2. USA 44.46; 3. Great Britain 44.98; 4. Italy 45.10; 5. France 45.11; 6. Netherlands 45.26; 7. Jamaica & Poland 45.47
Leg 2: 1. USA 1:33.85; 2. Belgium 1:34.50; 3. Netherlands 1:34.52; 4. Great Britain 1:34.79; 5. Italy 1:35.67; 6. Poland 1:35.81; 7. France 1:35.82; 8. Jamaica 1:36.42
Leg 3: 1. Belgium 2:18.51; 2. USA 2:18.51; 3. Great Britain 2:19.15; 4. Netherlands 2:19.43; 5. France 2:20.56; 6. Italy 2:20.92; 7. Poland 2:21.21; 8. Jamaica 2:21.53
HEATS (August 02)
I–1. United States 3:07.41 WR, AR (old records 3:08.80 United States ’23) (Vernon Norwood 44.47, Shamier Little 49.32, Bryce Deadmon 44.17, Kaylyn Brown 49.45);
2. France 3:10.60 NR (#5 nation); 3. Belgium 3:10.74 NR (#9 nation); 4. Jamaica 3:11.06 NR (#10 nation);
5. Poland 3:11.43; 6. Switzerland 3:12.77 NR; 7. Kenya 3:13.13; 8. Bahamas 3:14.58.
II–1. Great Britain 3:10.61 NR (#7 nation);
2. Netherlands 3:10.81; 3. Italy 3:11.59; 4. Nigeria 3:11.99 NR; 5. Ireland 3:12.67; 6. Ukraine 3:15.51; 7. Germany 3:15.63; 8. Dominican Republic 3:18.39.
