Practice those handoffs
The American women had no medalists in the open 100 meters or 200 meters, but they were able to win the 4 x 100-meter relay by virtue of their clean baton passes. The quartet of Melissa Jefferson, Abby Steiner, Jenna Prandini, and Twanisha Terry finished in 41.14.
It was a close one: Jamaica finished second in 41.18, only 0.04 seconds behind. Shericka Jackson, the winner of the 200 meters, nearly chased down Terry, who had a substantial lead when she got the baton. Germany was well back in third in 42.03.
On the men’s side, Canada was the surprise winner in 37.48. The United States finished second in 37.55, and Great Britain was third in 37.83.
The U.S. struggled on two of their three exchanges. The first handoff, from Christian Coleman to Noah Lyles, wasn’t perfect, and the final exchange, from Elijah Hall to Marvin Bracy, nearly disqualified the team. Hall ended up falling on the track.
All in all, though, it was an improvement for the American men, who have struggled in recent years to get the baton around the track. Last year at the Olympics, they failed to advance to the final, finishing sixth in their preliminary heat. They cited their attendance at a relay camp in July in helping them improve. Fred Kerley, the 100-meter champion, was supposed to be their anchor, but he was injured in the 200 meters and elected not to run the relay.
Back so soon?
Allyson Felix ran the last professional race of her life on July 15, the mixed 4 x 400-meter relay (where the Americans won bronze). A few days later, she was eating hot wings and a root beer float when a call came into her cell phone. Would she be willing to run the women’s 4 x 400 at the world championships for Team USA?
Felix put down the wings, and called her coach, Bobby Kersee, who gave her a few workouts. She returned to Eugene, Oregon, in time to appear on Saturday night in the preliminary round of the event. The U.S. team of Talitha Diggs, Felix, Kaylin Whitney, and Jaide Stepter Baynes ran 3:23.38, the fastest time of the evening, Felix split 50.61, the fastest leg by an American.
Now the plot thickens: Who will run in the final of the 4 x 400 meters for the U.S. Will hurdlers Sydney McLaughlin (fresh off a world record run of 50.62) and Dalilah Muhammad be ready? Will Athing Mu be good to go? She runs the final of the 800 meters a mere 75 minutes before the 4 x 400. Abby Steiner, who said she had already run 56 races so far this year, said she’d be ready if the coaches needed her. And Felix didn’t completely shut the door either, although it seemed unlikely.
Photo of the night
After anchoring the U.S. women to their first global gold medal in the 4 x 100-meter relay since 2017, Twanisha Terry performed her patented dance on the track in celebration.
The medal count
The U.S. continues to dominate the medal count with 28: 10 gold, 8 silver, and 10 bronze. Ethiopia is second with 10, and Kenya is third with 8.
Tonight...
Sunday evening is the final night of the World Athletics Championships, with finals in the men’s 5,000 meters and the women’s 800 meters, and a decathlon winner will be decided. Here's what to watch for.
Noah Lyles Is Having the Time of His Life is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World Results: 2023 World Athletics Championships, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
