ONLY ONCE BEFORE has an Olympic men’s 4×4 been as close as this down-to-the wire battle that saw the United States top a determined Botswana in one of the fastest — and certainly the deepest — 4x4s in history.
Yet ironically, the United States almost didn’t even get into the final. The lineup for the heats the day before included high school junior Quincy Wilson on leadoff. Almost immediately, the race became frightening for U.S. fans because it was apparent that Wilson was not in the same form as when he ran his 44.20 in Gainesville 3 weeks earlier. He struggled to a 47.27 and handed off in 7th to veteran Vernon Norwood. Meanwhile Botswana had a solid lead thanks to the 44.33 leadoff from 200 champ Letsile Tebogo.
Norwood hammered out a 43.54 leg that brought the team to 6th. Then Bryce Deadmon contributed a 44.20, passing two more teams. Anchor Christopher Bailey had to gut out a 44.14 to pass Japan and get the 3rd-place qualifier in 2:59.15. Botswana (2:57.76, the fastest non-final ever) and Great Britain (2:58.88) led, and the time qualifying spots went to Japan (2:59.48 NR) and Zambia (3:00.08).
In the second heat, France ran 2:59.53 to top Belgium (2:59.84) and Italy (3:00.26).
For the final, U.S. coaches shifted the order and replaced Wilson, bringing in 400H winner Rai Benjamin to anchor — as he had in Tokyo and at the Worlds in Budapest last year. Reportedly 400 winner Quincy Hall had hurt his hamstring. Fellow 400 finalist Michael Norman had a bad pelvis. Botswana brought in no substitutes but moved Tebogo to anchor. Great Britain substituted two runners.
That it would be an exceptional race seemed apparent from the start. Bailey ran a strong 44.45 opener for the United States but he handed off behind Botswana’s Bayapo Ndori (44.30) and only inches ahead of Britain and Belgium. Then Norwood worked the backstretch hard, rounding the second turn in 3rd before charging in for a 43.26. At the handoff, Britain had the lead, thanks to silver medalist Matthew Hudson-Smith and his 43.09. Botswana stayed close, with Collen Kebinatshipi hitting 43.39.
Deadmon took the U.S. immediately to the front after the hand-off and built a small margin with his 43.54, though Botswana’s Antony Pesela stayed on his heels with a 43.80. Britain dropped back.
As Benjamin set off with a margin of a couple strides, Tebogo began his chase. Over the last lap the two Olympic champions flew, Tebogo drawing steadily closer. Coming off the final turn, he went wide and readied to pass. But Benjamin had paced his effort beautifully and started to draw away ever so slightly.
The outcome remained in doubt until the final steps, with Benjamin bringing the U.S. to the line in an Olympic Record 2:54.43, just 0.14 away from the WR. He split 43.18. Tebogo brought Botswana silver in 2:54.53, the No. 3 time ever. He split 43.04, the No. 2 carry ever.
Great Britain’s Charlie Dobson closed well with a 43.33 to nail down bronze in a national record 2:55.83, the No. 8 performance ever.
National records followed for Belgium (2:57.75), South Africa (2:58.12) and Japan (2:58.93). Best-ever-marks-for-place were set for 2-3-4-5-6. No deeper race had ever been run, with 7 teams under 3:00, matching the record from Tokyo.
Said Benjamin of his final-lap strategy, “When Bryce got the stick and brought it around, I saw Letsile on the anchor leg and I was like, ‘Dang, this one’s gonna be tough.’ I had to be smart. I couldn’t get out too hot and I couldn’t get out too slow, because the kid just ran 19.4 and you don’t play around with people like that. So I knew I had to draw him out a little bit through 200m and just let him sit on me a little bit. I knew it was gonna be a fight coming home, so it was probably my most calculated anchor leg that I’ve ever run.”
Tebogo, whose anchor leg of 43.04 is the second-fastest in history, noted, “We wanted that gold medal… We managed to close the gap on the backstraight. On the homestraight when I thought I had that one more kick, I just tried to hold. But I’m happy with what we did.”
MEN’S 4 x 400 RESULTS
FINAL (August 10)
(temperature 82F/28C; humidity 41%)
1. United States 2:54.43 (WL, AL) (2 W, A) (OR)
(Chris Bailey 44.45, Vernon Norwood 43.26, Bryce Deadmon 43.54, Rai Benjamin 43.18);
2. Botswana 2:54.53 NR (3 W; #2 nation)
(Bayapo Ndori 44.30, Collen Kebinatshipi 43.39, Antony Pesela 43.80, Letsile Tebogo 43.04);
3. Great Britain 2:55.83 NR (8 W; #3 nation)
(Alex Haydock-Wilson 44.51, Matthew Hudson-Smith 43.09, Lewis Davey 44.90, Charlie Dobson 43.33);
4. Belgium 2:57.75 NR (#7 nation)
(Jonathan Sacoor 44.60, Dylan Borlée 43.99, Kevin Borlée 44.41, Florent Mabille 44.75);
5. South Africa 2:58.12 NR (#10 nation)
(Gardeo Isaacs 45.67, Zakithi Nene 43.81, Lythe Pillay 43.97, Matt Nortje 44.67);
6. Japan 2:58.33 NR
(Yuki Joseph Nakajima 45.36, Kaito Kawabata 44.50, Fuga Sato 44.44, Kentaro Sato 44.03);
7. Italy 2:59.72
(Luca Sito 44.95, Vladimir Aceti 44.57, Edoardo Scotti 44.37, Alessandro Sibilio 45.83);
8. Zambia 3:02.76
(Patrick Nyambe 45.60, Kennedy Luchembe 45.05, David Mulenga 45.72, Muzala Samukonga 46.39);
9. France 3:07.30
(Muhammad Abdalla Kounta 44.74, Gilles Biron 44.90, Teo Andant 44.13, Fabrisio Saidy 53.53).
(best-ever mark-for-place: 2–6)
(lanes: 1. South Africa; 2. Japan; 3. Zambia; 4. USA; 5. Belgium; 6. Botswana; 7. Great Britain; 8. France; 9. Italy)
(reaction times: 0.144 USA, 0.150 Great Britain, 0.152 Belgium & Italy, 0.156 South Africa & France, 0.159 Botswana, 0.186 Zambia, 0.204 Japan)
Times & Places At Handoffs
Leg 1: 1. Botswana 44.30; 2. USA 44.45; 3. Great Britain 44.51; 4. Belgium 44.60; 5. France 44.74; 6. Italy 44.95; 7. Japan 45.36; 8. Zambia 45.60; 9. South Africa 45.67
Leg 2: 1. Great Britain 1:27.60; 2. Botswana 1:27.69; 3. USA 1:27.71; 4. Belgium 1:28.59; 5. South Africa 1:29.48; 6. Italy 1:29.52; 7. France 1:29.74; 8. Japan 1:29.86; 9. Zambia 1:30.65
Leg 3: 1. USA 2:11.25; 2. Botswana 2:11.49; 3. Great Britain 2:12.50; 4. Belgium 2:13.00; 5. South Africa 2:13.45; 6. France 2:13.77; 7. Italy 2:13.89; 8. Japan 2:14.30; 9. Zambia 2:16.37
HEATS (August 09)
I–1. Botswana 2:57.76 (WL) (fastest non-final ever) (Tebogo 44.33, Kebinatshipi 44.37, Pesela 44.63, Ndori 44.43);
2. Great Britain 2:58.88 (Hudson-Smith 43.87 [2], Dobson 44.31); 3. United States 2:59.15 (Quincy Wilson 47.27, Norwood 43.54, Deadmon 44.20, Bailey 44.14); 4. Japan 2:59.48 NR; 5. Zambia 3:00.08 (Samukonga 43.19); 6. Germany 3:00.29; 7. Poland 3:01.21; 8. Trinidad 3:06.73.
II–1. France 2:59.53; 2. Belgium 2:59.84; 3. Italy 3:00.26; 4. India 3:00.58; 5. Brazil 3:00.95; 6. Spain 3:01.60; 7. South Africa 3:03.19;… dq—Nigeria [2:59.81]. (South Africa advanced on appeal)
