The World Athletics Relays, known as the IAAF World Relays until 2019, is an international biennial track and field sporting event held by World Athletics where teams from around the world compete in relay races, some of which are not part of the standard Olympic programme. The first three editions were set to take place in Nassau, Bahamas at the Thomas Robinson Stadium in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Originally intended as an annual event, it was later decided to happen every odd year,[1] the same as the World Athletics Championships for which it serves as a qualification stage.
.svg)
The competition format for the first edition included the 4 × 100 metres relay, the 4 × 200 metres relay, the 4 × 400 metres relay, the 4 × 800 metres relay and the 4 × 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 the distance 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, the 2 × 2 × 400 m relay and the shuttle hurdles relay were added to the mixed-gender category.[5]
The 2021 World Athletics Relays were held in Chorzów, Poland at the Silesian 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 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Women | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Shuttle hurdles relay | Mixed | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| 4 × 200 metres relay | Men | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Women | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | |
| 4 × 400 metres relay | Men | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mixed | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Women | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| 2 × 2 × 400 metres relay | Mixed | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| 4 × 800 metres relay | Men | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Women | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | |
| Distance medley relay | Men | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Women | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | |
| 4 × 1500 metres relay | Men | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| 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 Merber 2:53.56 (1200 m) Brycen Spratling 45.95 (400 m) Brandon Johnson 1:44.75 (800 m) Ben Blankenship 3:51.24 (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
editMixed
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
editUpdated: 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 |
 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 |
 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
editMultiple 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 from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ "World Relays 2015 website". Archived from the original on 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. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Men's 4×100m Final Results" (PDF). IAAF. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
- ^ 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. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ "Men's 4x400m Relay Results". IAAF. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ "Men's 4×800m Final Results" (PDF). IAAF. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
- ^ "Men's Distance Medley Relay Final Results" (PDF). IAAF. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
- ^ "Men's 4×1500m Relay Results". IAAF. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ "Women's 4x100m Relay Results". IAAF. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ "4×200m Relay Results" (PDF). IAAF. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ "Women's 4×400m Relay Final B Results" (PDF). IAAF. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ "Women's 4×800m Relay Results" (PDF). IAAF. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ "Women's Distance Medley Relay Final Results" (PDF). IAAF. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
- ^ "Men's 4x800m Relay Results". IAAF. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ "Mixed 4×400m Relay Final Results" (PDF). World Athletics. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "2×2×400m Relay Result". IAAF. 11 May 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ "Shuttle Hurdles Relay Result". IAAF. 11 May 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ Christopher Kelsall (9 March 2022). "South Africa to lose relay World's gold due to doping ban to Thando Dlodlo". athleticsillustrated.com. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ "Yokohama 2019 Facts & Figures". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
External links
edit- World Athletics Relays on worldathletics.org
- Yokohama 2019 Official Website at the Wayback Machine (archived 2019-09-05)