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, totaling 1600 meters. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. 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, on an Imperial distance, was a formerly run British Commonwealth 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 Unit of measurement, units of measurement to the metric system. This ...

was completed in the 1970s.

Format

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

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 in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

in the 1950s and Britain in the 1990s. The current men's Olympic champions are from the United States. According to the IAAF rules, world records in relays can only be set if all team members have the same nationality.

Mixed

Mixed-sex 4 × 400 metres relays were introduced at the

2017 IAAF World Relays The 2017 IAAF World Relays was 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 Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is a ...

, 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 sport of athletics, athletics competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since renamed World Athleti ...

. In March 2022 World Athletics Council decided a set order – man, woman, man, woman – at future championships. Eventually, the format was added to the Olympics, starting with the

Tokyo Olympics Tokyo Olympics may refer to: * 1940 Summer Olympics, Games of the XII Olympiad, cancelled due to World War II * 1964 Summer Olympics, Games of the XVIII Olympiad * 2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an ...

in 2021.

Records

World Records

''Note:'' The IAAF rescinded a time of 2:54.20 set at Uniondale on 22 July 1998 by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

( Jerome Young, Antonio Pettigrew, Tyree Washington, 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 at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, United States: * 3:00.77 by the

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

team of Zach Shinnick, Rai Benjamin, 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, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

team of Ilolo Izu, 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 U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

team of Kunle Fasasi, Grant Holloway, Chantz Sawyers, and Benjamin Lobo Vedel. This time was not record-eligible because Fasasi represents Nigeria, Holloway represents the United States, Sawyers represents Jamaica, and Vedel represents Denmark. ''Note:'' The above world record was bettered in a time of 3:21.75 by the University of Arkansas team of Amber Anning, Joanne Reid, Rosey Effiong, and Britton Wilson at the 2023 NCAA Division I Indoor Championship on 11 March 2023 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. This time was not record-eligible because Anning was a citizen of Great Britain, Reid was a citizen of Jamaica, and Effiong and Wilson were United States citizens.

Olympic Records

Continental Records

* Updated 10 August 2024.

Notes

All-time top 10 by country (outdoor)

Men

*Correct as of May 2025.

Women

*Correct as of August 2024.

All-time top 25 (outdoor)

Men

*Updated August 2024. 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 Antonio Pettigrew * A USA team ran 2:56.35 in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in 2000 but the performance was annulled due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by Antonio Pettigrew * A USA team ran 2:56.45 in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

in 1999 but the performance was annulled due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by Antonio Pettigrew * A USA team ran 2:56.47 in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

in 1997 but the performance was annulled due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by Antonio Pettigrew * A USA team ran 2:56.60 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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

Women

*Correct as of August 2024. Note * A Russian team ran 3:18.82 in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

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

All-time top 10 by country (indoor)

Men

*Correct as of March 2024.

Women

*Correct as of March 2025.

All-time top 25 (indoor)

Men

*Updated February 2025.

Women

*Updated March 2025.

Olympic medalists

Men

Women

World Championships medalists

Men

Women

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, Leonard Byrd, 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, Milton Campbell and Tyree Washington 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 (, 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 run a fortnight earlier, Natalya had lost form by the start ...

, Kseniya Vdovina and Tatyana Firova 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 Davita Prendergast (born 6 December 1984) is a Jamaican sprinter, who specializes in the 400 meters. __TOC__ Career She ran the 4 x 400 meters relay with Jamaica at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and the team took the silver me ...

and

Novlene Williams-Mills Novlene Hilaire Williams-Mills (''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. She is also a three-time Olympic silver medallis ...

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 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 Valle ...

(

) 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 × 400 relay race at the 1972 Summer Olympics for Kenya. He also took a bronze med ...

(

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

) 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 the world's best runner in the 400 m in 1974 and 1976–19 ...

(Cuba) ran a 43.7 split in the

1977 IAAF World Cup The 1st IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held from 2 to 4 September 1977, at the Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, West Germany. Ove ...

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 medalist at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Career Born in Detroit, Michigan, Quincy Watts attended the University of Southern California (USC) where he excelled a ...

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

Butch Reynolds Harry Lee "Butch" Reynolds Jr. (born June 8, 1964) 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 9 days with his personal best time of 43.29 seconds se ...

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 (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 joint sixth fastest comp ...

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

(USA) ran a 43.18 split in the

2008 Beijing Olympic The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fr ...

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

Matthew Hudson-Smith Matthew Hudson-Smith (born 26 October 1994) is a British track and field sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres and is the 5th fastest athlete of all-time over the distance. In September 2024 he was ranked as the number one 400 m runner in ...

(GBR) ran a 43.00 split,

Letsile Tebogo Letsile Tebogo (; born 7 June 2003) is a Botswana sprinter. He won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 200 metres event, with his win earning the first-ever Olympic gold medal for Botswana. He also won the silver medal at th ...

(BOT) ran a 43.04 split, and Rai Benjamin (USA) ran a 43.13 in the

2024 Paris Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

final.

Women

Jarmila Kratochvílová Jarmila Kratochvílová (; born 26 January 1951 in Golčův Jeníkov) is a Czechoslovak former track and field athlete. She won the 400 metres and 800 metres at the 1983 World Championships, setting a world record in the 400 m. In 1983, she s ...

( 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 Marita Koch (later Meier-Koch; born 18 February 1957) is a German former Sprint (running), sprint track and field athlete. During her career she set 16 List of world records in athletics, world records in outdoor sprints as well as 14 world re ...

(

GDR East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

) 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 meter ...

(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 (; 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 Olympic gold medals in the 4 × 400 metres relay, in 1988 and 1992 ...

and

Olga Bryzgina Olha Bryzhina (, maiden name Olga Arkad'evna Vladykina; ; born June 30, 1963, in Krasnokamsk, Perm Oblast) is a retired athlete who represented the Soviet Union (until 1991) and later Ukraine. Career Bryzhina trained at Dynamo (sports society), ...

(

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

) both ran a 47.80 split in the

1988 Seoul Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were repres ...

final; the Soviet team's final time of 3:15.17 is the current world record. *

Sydney McLaughlin Sydney Michelle McLaughlin-Levrone ( ; ; born August 7, 1999) is an American Hurdling, hurdler and Sprint (running), sprinter who competes in the 400 meters hurdles and is the List of world records in athletics, world record holder in that even ...

(USA) ran a 47.70 split in the

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

Femke Bol Femke Bol (; born 23 February 2000) is a Dutch track and field athlete who competes in hurdling and Sprint (running), sprinting. She specialises in the 400 metres hurdles, where she is the 2023 World Athletics Championships – Women's 400 ...

(NED) ran a 47.93 split in the

mixed 4 × 400 final. *

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 and the fastest woman ever recorded. She was married to Al Joyner, a 198 ...

(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