The men's 4×400 metres relay at the
2004 Summer Olympics as part of the
athletics program was held at the
Athens Olympic Stadium
The Olympic Stadium of Athens " Spyros Louis" ( el, Ολυμπιακό Στάδιο Αθηνών "Σπύρος Λούης", ''Olympiakó Stádio Athinon "Spyros Louis"'') is a sports stadium in Athens, Greece. It is a part of the Athens Olympic ...
from August 27 to 28. The sixteen teams competed in a two-heat qualifying round in which the first three teams from each heat, together with the next two fastest teams, were given a place in the final race.
The American dominance in this relay event had become increasingly clear, having swept the medals in the 400 metres five days earlier. From an explosive start in the final,
Otis Harris led off for the U.S. team and gave them a relentless lead over the rest of the field throughout the race. With no other team aiming to chase the Americans on the home stretch, the foursome of Harris,
Derrick Brew, Olympic 400 metres champion
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 ...
, and
Darold Williamson stormed away to an effortless triumph in a time of 2:55.91, nearly five seconds ahead of the silver-winning Aussie squad. Meanwhile, the Nigerians stayed much closer with Japan and Great Britain on the final bend, until they outlasted the rivals in a desperately tight finish for the bronze.
The victory also helped the Americans compensate for the surprising runner-up finish of their team in the earlier sprint relay.
Records
, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.
No new records were set during the competition.
Qualification
The qualification period for athletics was 1 January 2003 to 9 August 2004. A
National Olympic Committee (NOC) could enter one qualified relay team per relay event, with a maximum of six athletes. For this event, an NOC would be invited to participate with a relay team if the average of the team's two best times, obtained in
IAAF-sanctioned meetings or tournaments, would be among the best sixteen, at the end of this period.
Schedule
All times are Greece Standard Time (UTC+2
UTC+02:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +02:00. In ISO 8601, the associated time would be written as 2020-11-08T23:41:45+02:00. This time is used in:
As standard time (year-round)
''Principal cities: Cairo, Pretoria, Cape ...
)
Results
Round 1
Qualification rule: The first three teams in each heat (Q) plus the next two fastest overall (q) moved on to the final.
Heat 1
Heat 2
Final
References
External links
IAAF Athens 2004 Olympic Coverage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's 4 by 400 metres relay
M
Relay foot races at the Olympics
Men's events at the 2004 Summer Olympics