The mixed 4 × 400 metres relay is a mixed-sex

4 × 400 metres relay The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track and field, 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 ...

in which teams field two men and two women. Initially, teams were free to arrange participants in any order. This created scenarios where mixed genders run on the same leg. This was changed in March 2022, where team members run in the order: man-woman-man-woman. It was 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 ...

and was then held 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 ...

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Background

Part of the rationale for the event was 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

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 In March 2022, the rule was changed so that every team must use the order man-woman-man-woman. 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. Poland won the inaugural Olympic 4 × 400 metres mixed relay at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

, held in 2021.

Records

Global records

Progression

''Main Article: Mixed 4 x 400 Metres relay 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. During the

2023 World Athletics Championships The 2023 World Athletics Championships (), the nineteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships, were held from 19 to 27 August 2023 at the National Athletics Centre (Budapest), National Athletics Centre, in Budapest, Hungary. The tourna ...

, team USA bested the previous record with a time of 3:08:80. Team USA further improved the record in the first heat at the 2024 Olympics with a time of 3:07:41.

Continental records

* Updated 10 August 2024.

Notes

All-Time Top 10 by Country

* Correct as of August 2024.

Short track

* Correct as of 6 March 2025

All-Time Top 25

* Correct as of May 2025.

Short track

*Correct as of 6 March 2025

Olympic medalists

World Athletics Championships

World Athletics Relays

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mixed 4 x 400 metres relay * Mixed-sex athletics Track relay races