The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, the first leg and the first bend of the second leg are run in lanes. Start lines are thus staggered over a greater distance than in an individual 400 metres race; the runners then typically move to the inside of the track. The slightly longer 4 × 440 yards relay was a formerly run British and American event, until

metrication Metrication or metrification is the act or process of converting to the metric system of measurement. All over the world, countries have transitioned from local and traditional units of measurement to the metric system. This process began in F ...

was completed in the 1970s.

Relay race A relay race is a racing competition where members of a team take turns completing parts of Race track, racecourse or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games. Relay races are common in runni ...

runners typically carry a relay baton which they must transfer between teammates. Runners have a 20 m box (usually marked with blue lines) in which to transfer the baton. The first transfer is made within the staggered lane lines; for the second and third transfers, runners typically line up across the track despite the fact that runners are usually running in line on the inside of the track. This prevents confusion and collisions during transfer. Unlike the 4 × 100 m relay, runners in the 4 × 400 typically look back and grasp the baton from the incoming runner, due to the fatigue of the incoming runner, and the wider margins allowed by the longer distance of the race. Consequently, disqualification is rare. As runners have a running start, split times cannot be compared to individual 400 m performances. Internationally, the U.S. men's team has dominated the event, but have been challenged by

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

in the 1950s and Britain in the 1990s. The current men's Olympic champions are from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. According to the IAAF rules, world records in relays can only be set if all team members have the same nationality. Mixed-gendered 4 × 400 metres relays were introduced at the

2017 IAAF World Relays The 2017 IAAF World Relays is the third edition of the biennial, global track and field relay competition between nations. It was held April 22–23, 2017, in Nassau, Bahamas. The distance medley relay The distance medley relay (DMR) is an athlet ...

, with the IAAF first recognizing a world record in that event at the

2019 World Athletics Championships The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships () was the seventeenth edition of the biennial, global athletics competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since renamed World Athletics. It was held betw ...

. In March 2022 World Athletics Council decided a set order – man, woman, man, woman – at future championships.

Records

''Note:'' The IAAF rescinded a time of 2:54.20 set at Uniondale on 22 July 1998 by the United States ( Jerome Young,

Antonio Pettigrew Antonio Pettigrew (November 3, 1967 – August 10, 2010) was an American sprinter who specialized in the 400 meters. Early life and career Pettigrew was born in Macon, Georgia. While attending St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, North Ca ...

Tyree Washington Tyree Washington (born August 28, 1976) is a retired American sprinter. Born in Riverside, California, Washington attended both La Sierra High School and San Bernardino Valley College. His coach during 2003 was Antonio Pettigrew, who ran alo ...

, Michael Johnson) on 12 August 2008 after Pettigrew admitted to using human growth hormone and EPO between 1997 and 2003. ''Note:'' The above world record was bettered by three teams at the 2018 NCAA Division I Championship on 10 March 2018 in College Station,

: * 3:00.77 by the

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

team of

Zach Shinnick Zack or Zach may refer to: People * Zach (surname), various people * Zack (surname), various people * Zack (personal name), lists of people and fictional characters named Zack, Zach, Zac, Zak or Zakk * Záh (gens) or Zách, a ''gens'' (clan) in th ...

Rai Benjamin Rai Benjamin (born July 27, 1997) is an American professional hurdler and sprinter specializing in the 400 m and 400 m hurdles. He is the second fastest man in history in the 400 m hurdles with a personal best time of 46.17 ...

, Ricky Morgan Jr., Michael Norman). This time was not record-eligible because Benjamin was a citizen of Antigua & Barbuda, and the others are United States citizens. Benjamin has since switched to represent the United States. * 3:01.39 by the

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

team of

Ilolo Izu Ilolo Izu (born May 28, 1997) is an American sprinter, specialized in the 400 metres hurdles and 400 metres. Biography Ilolo Izu was born in Arlington, Texas and attended Strake Jesuit College Preparatory for high school, and Texas A&M for colle ...

, Robert Grant, Devin Dixon and Mylik Kerley. All four runners represent the United States, and World Athletics currently lists this as the NACAC area record, but it has not been ratified as the world record. * 3:01.43 by the

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

team of Kunle Fasasi,

Grant Holloway Stanley Grant Holloway (born November 19, 1997) is an American hurdler and sprinter. He is the 2019 and 2022 world champion in the 110 meters hurdles, 2020 Olympic silver medalist in the same event, and current world record holder in the indo ...

, Chantz Sawyers, and

Benjamin Lobo Vedel Benjamin Lobo Vedel (born 23 September 1997) is a professional track and field sprinter specialising in the 400 metres and competes for Denmark. He currently trains in Aarhus, Denmark. He is the national record holder on both the 200m and 400m i ...

. This time was not record-eligible because Fasasi represents Nigeria, Holloway represents the United States, Sawyers represents Jamaica, and Vedel represents Denmark.

All-time top 10 by country

Men

*Correct as of August 2021.

Women

*Correct as of August 2022.

Mixed

*Correct as of July 2022

All-time top 25

Men

*Correct as of July 2022. Note * A USA team ran 2:54.20 in Uniondale in 1998 but the performance was annulled due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by

* A USA team ran 2:56.35 in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 2000 but the performance was annulled due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by

* A USA team ran 2:56.45 in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

in 1999 but the performance was annulled due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by

* A USA team ran 2:56.47 in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

in 1997 but the performance was annulled due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by

* A USA team ran 2:56.60 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 2000 but the performance was annulled due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by

* A USA team ran 2:57.54 in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

in 2001 but the performance was annulled due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by

Women

*Correct as of July 2022. Note * A Russian team ran 3:18.82 in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

in 2008 but the performance was annulled due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by

Tatyana Firova Tatyana Pavlovna Firova (russian: Татьяна Павловна Фирова; born October 10, 1982) is a Russian former sprint athlete. She was awarded the silver medal in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In 2016, it was ann ...

Mixed

*Correct as of July 2022.

Olympic medalists

Men

Women

Mixed

World Championships medalists

Men

Women

Mixed

European Championships medalists

World Indoor Championships medalists

Men

Note* Indicates athletes who ran only in the preliminary round and also received medals. * A USA team of

Milton Campbell Milton Campbell (born May 15, 1976) is a former track and field athlete from the United States who mainly competes in the 400 metres. His success comes during the indoor season. At the 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships he set a world reco ...

Leonard Byrd Leonard Byrd (born March 17, 1975, in Fort Rucker, Alabama) is an American sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. His personal best time is 44.45 seconds, achieved in May 2002 in Belém, Brazil. This was the fastest time of 2002. He original ...

, Trinity Gray and Jerome Young originally finished second in the 2001 World Indoor Championships, but was disqualified after Young was found to have used performance-enhancing drugs. * A USA team of James Davis, Jerome Young,

and

originally won in the 2003 World Indoor Championships, but was disqualified after Young was found to have used performance-enhancing drugs.

Women

Note* Indicates athletes who ran only in the preliminary round and also received medals. * A Russian team of Svetlana Pospelova,

Natalya Nazarova Natalya Viktorovna Nazarova (russian: Наталья Викторовна Назарова, born May 26, 1979, Moscow) is a track and field Sprint (running), sprinter. She was born in Moscow. Following a personal best time of 49.65 seconds ...

, Kseniya Vdovina and

originally finished second in the 2010 World Indoor Championships, but was disqualified after Firova was found to have used performance-enhancing drugs. * A Jamaican team of Bobby-Gaye Wilkins, Clora Williams, Davita Prendergast and

Novlene Williams-Mills Novlene Hilaire Williams-Mills (''maiden name, née'', Williams; born 26 April 1982), is a retired Jamaican track and field athlete. She won the bronze medal in the 400 metres at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, 2007 World Championshi ...

originally finished third in the 2010 World Indoor Championships, but was disqualified after Wilkins was found to have used performance-enhancing drugs. * A Russian team of Yuliya Gushchina, Kseniya Ustalova, Marina Karnaushchenko and

Aleksandra Fedoriva Aleksandra Andreyevna Fedoriva (russian: Александра Андреевна Федорива) (born 13 September 1988 in Moscow) is a Russian track and field athlete who competes mainly in sprinting events. Fedoriva began her career as a h ...

originally finished third in the 2012 World Indoor Championships, but was disqualified in 2019 after Gushchina was found to have used performance-enhancing drugs.

Notable splits

Men

Herb McKenley The Hon. Herbert Henry McKenley OM (10 July 1922 – 26 November 2007) was a Jamaican track and field sprinter. He competed at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics in six events in total, and won one gold and three silver medals. Born in Pleasant Vall ...

(

) ran a 44.6 split in the 1952 Helsinki Olympic final. *

Ron Freeman Ronald John Freeman III (born June 12, 1947 in Elizabeth, New Jersey) is an American former athlete. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Freeman won a gold medal in the 4×400 m relay and a bronze medal in the 400 meters. Freeman ran the second leg on ...

(USA) ran a 43.2 split in the 1968 Mexico Olympic final. *

Julius Sang Julius Sang (19 September 1948 – 9 April 2004) was a Kenyan athlete. Along with teammates Robert Ouko, Charles Asati and Munyoro Nyamau he won the 4 x 400 relay race at the 1972 Summer Olympics for Kenya. He also took a bronze me ...

(

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

) ran a 43.6 split in the 1972 Munich Olympic final. *

Alberto Juantorena Alberto Juantorena (born 3 December 1950) is a Cuban former runner. He is the only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles, which he achieved in 1976. He was ranked as world's best runner in the 400 m in 1974 and 1976–1978, a ...

(Cuba) ran a 43.7 split in the 1977 IAAF World Cup event as part of the Americas team. *

Quincy Watts Quincy D. Watts (born June 19, 1970) is an American former athlete, and two time gold medallist at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Career Born in Detroit, Michigan, Quincy Watts attended the University of Southern California (USC) where he excelled ...

ran a 43.1 split and Steve Lewis (USA) ran a 43.4 split in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic final. *

Butch Reynolds Harry Lee Reynolds Jr. (born June 8, 1964), commonly known as Butch Reynolds, is an American former track and field athlete who competed in the 400 meter dash. He held the world record for the event for 11 years with his personal best time of 4 ...

ran a 43.23 split and Michael Johnson (both USA) ran a 42.91 split in the 1993 Stuttgart World Championship final; the USA team's final time of 2:54.29 is the current world record. * Mark Richardson (GBR) ran a 43.57 split and

Davian Clarke Davian Clarke (born 30 April 1976) is a Jamaican former athlete, who mainly competed in the 400 metres. He won the bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the 1996 Olympics, and many relay medals followed, before he won his ...

(JAM) ran a 43.51 split in the 1997 Athens World Championship final. *

Jeremy Wariner Jeremy Matthew Wariner (born January 31, 1984) is a retired American track athlete specializing in the 400 meters. He has won four Olympic medals (three gold, one silver) and six World Championships medals. He is the fourth fastest competitor in ...

(USA) ran a 43.10 split in the 2007 Osaka World Championship final. *

(USA) ran a 43.18 split in the 2008 Beijing Olympic final. * Michael Norman (USA) ran a 43.06 split in the 2018 NCAA West Preliminaries final.

Women

Jarmila Kratochvílová Jarmila Kratochvílová (; born 26 January 1951, in Golčův Jeníkov) is a Czech people, Czech former track and field athlete. She won the 400 metres and 800 metres at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics, 1983 World Championships, setting a ...

( CZE) ran a 47.6 split in the 1982 Athens European Championship final, a 47.75 split in the 1983 Helsinki World Championship final, and a 47.9 split in the 1983 Europa Cup in London. * Marita Koch ( GDR) ran a 47.70 split in Erfurt 1984, a 47.9 split in the 1982 European Championship final, and a 47.9 split at the 1985 Canberra World Cup. *

Allyson Felix Allyson Michelle Felix (born November 18, 1985) is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. She specialized in the 200 meters from 2003 to 2013, then gradually shifted to the 400 me ...

(USA) ran a 47.72 split in the 2015 Beijing World Championships final, a 48.01 split in the 2007 Osaka World Championships final, and a 48.20 split in the 2012 London Olympic final. *

Olga Nazarova Olga Vladimirovna Nazarova (russian: Ольга Владимировна Назарова), born 1 June 1965) is a Russian former track and field athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres. She represented the Soviet Union. She won two Olymp ...

and

Olga Bryzgina Olha Bryzhina ( uk, Ольга Бризгіна, maiden name Olga Arkad'evna Vladykina; russian: Ольга Аркадьевна Владыкина; born June 30, 1963 in Krasnokamsk, Perm Oblast) is a retired athlete who represented Soviet Union ...

(

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

) both ran a 47.80 split in the 1988 Seoul Olympic final; the Soviet team's final time of 3:15.17 is the current world record. *

Sydney McLaughlin Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (, born August 7, 1999) is an American hurdler and sprinter who competes in the 400 meters hurdles. She is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion with the Games record, and 2022 World champion with a world record time of 50 ...

ran a 47.91 split at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene. *

Florence Griffith-Joyner Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner (born Florence Delorez Griffith; December 21, 1959 – September 21, 1998), also known as Flo-Jo, was an American track and field athlete. She set world records in 1988 for the 100 m and 200 m. During the late ...

(USA) ran a 48.08 split in the 1988 Seoul Olympic final.

Notes and references

External links

IAAF list of 4x400-metres-relay records in XML
{{DEFAULTSORT:4 by 400 metres relay Track relay races Events in track and field Summer Olympic disciplines in athletics