The

4 × 400 metres relay 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, th ...

races at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

as part of the athletics program were held on 29 and 30 September. The top two teams in each of the initial five heats automatically qualified for the semi-final. The next six fastest teams from across the heats also qualified. The top three teams in each of the semi-finals automatically qualified for the final. The next two fastest team from the semi-finals also qualified. The United States, with

Alvin Harrison Alvin Leonardo Harrison (born January 20, 1974) is an American former track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events. He won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at both the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics and a silver medal in the 40 ...

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 ...

Calvin Harrison Calvin Harrison (born January 20, 1974) is an American athlete. He won a gold medal in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He is the identical twin brother of fellow Olympic medalist Alvin Harrison. ...

and Michael Johnson, originally won the gold medal. On 18 July 2004, the

International Association of Athletics Federations World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

(IAAF) ruled that

Jerome Young Jerome Young (born August 14, 1976) is an American former track and field sprinter who specialized in the 400-meter dash. He won gold medals with the United States 4 × 400-meter relay team at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics and 1997 ...

was ineligible to compete in Sydney and annulled all his past results, including those achieved as part of relay teams. Young had competed for the USA team in the heats and semi-final of this event. Therefore, the United States team was stripped of the gold medal and Nigeria, Jamaica, and the Bahamas were moved up one position each. On 22 July 2005, the

Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its co ...

(CAS) overturned this decision and restored the original finish order of the race based on a ruling that a team should be disqualified because of a doping offense by an athlete who did not compete in the finals. In June 2008,

"admitted in U.S. court that he breached the rules" by using banned performance-enhancing substances, and agreed to return his gold medal. Michael Johnson announced that he would return his own gold medal, won as part of the relay team with Pettigrew. Johnson stated that he felt "cheated, betrayed and let down" by what Pettigrew had done at the Games. On 12 July 2012, the IOC confirmed the medal reallocation.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Medalists

* Athletes who participated in the heats only and received medals. The IOC formally withdrew the US gold medals on 2 August 2008.

Results

Heats

Round 1- Overall

Semi-finals

Final

References

External links

Results, round 1
- IAAF

- IAAF

- IAAF {{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics - Men's 4 by 400 metres relay Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics Relay foot races at the Olympics Men's events at the 2000 Summer Olympics