The mixed 4 × 400 metres relay is a
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 ...
in which teams field two men and two women, in whatever order they choose.
It was 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 ...
and was then held 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 Qatar.
Background
Part of the rationale for the event is that should teams put their men and women in different orders, there will be excitement in seeing large leads being reversed when men and women are running against each other.
All the teams in the finals at the 2017 IAAF World Relays ran man-woman-woman-man.
In the final of the event's World Athletics Championship debut in 2019, all but one team chose a man-woman-woman-man order, with the exception of Poland, who chose man-man-woman-woman.
["World Athletics Championships", BBC 2, 29 September 2019]
Michael Johnson commentating at the 2019 World Athletics Championships expressed a concern that, while entertaining, the mixed 4 × 400 metres event contributes to an overly busy schedule.
World record progression
The first world record recognised by the IAAF was set by the US team at 3:12.42 in the first heat at the 2019 World Athletics Championships on 28 September 2019, beating a prior world best by the US set in 2016. The US team then set a new record of 3:09.34 in the final the next day.
2019 World Athletics Championship
2020 Summer Olympics
Poland won the
inaugural Olympic 4 × 400 metres mixed relay at the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
, held in 2021.
References
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Track relay races
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