The opening day of the World Athletics Championships 2023 was kind of a Dutch fall day as the team USA dramatically won the gold medal in the Mixed 4 × 400 Metres Relay with a new world record after the Dutch star athlete Femke Bol fell just before the finishing line.
World Athletics Championships 2023: Mixed 4 × 400 Metres Relay – USA vs Netherlands battle had a dramatic end
The United States team and the Netherlands team had a neck-to-neck battle for almost the entire Mixed 4 × 400 Metres Relay final event on Saturday (19 August) night.
Justin Robinson, Rosey Effiong, Matthew Boling and Alexis Holmes participated for the USA in the final event. Meanwhile, the Dutch athletes Liemarvin Bonevacia, Lieke Klaver, Isaya Klein Ikkink and Femke Bol produced a tight battle and almost secured their first gold medal in the World Athletics Championship event.
However, just before the finishing line, the Dutch star Femke Bol surprisingly lost her balance and fell on the track to lose the medal battle. Earlier in the day, another Dutch star Sifan Hassan missed out on the gold medal in the Women’s 10,000m race event after she fell almost 20 meters before the finishing line.
The USA team won the medal with a new world record of 3:08.80. The team USA also held the previous world record in this event (3:09.34) during the World Athletics Championships 2019.
World Athletics Championships 2023: Mixed 4 × 400 Metres Relay – Great Britain and Czech Republic won silver and bronze medals
Meanwhile, Great Britain & Northern Ireland team (Lewis Davey, Laviai Nielsen, Rio Mitcham and Yemi Mary John) secured the silver medal (3:11.06), and the Czech Republic team (Matěj Krsek, Tereza Petržilková, Patrik Šorm and Lada Vondrová) bagged the bronze medal (3:11.98), both with their respective national records.
World Athletics Championships 2023: Mixed 4 × 400 Metres Relay (Final Status)
Rank | Country | Athletes | Mark |
1 | United States | Justin Robinson, Rosey Effiong, Matthew Boling, Alexis Holmes | 3:08.80 (WR) |
2 | Great Britain & Northern Ireland | Lewis Davey, Laviai Nielsen, Rio Mitcham, Yemi Mary John | 3:11.06 (NR) |
3 | Czech Republic | Matěj Krsek, Tereza Petržilková, Patrik Šorm, Lada Vondrová | 3:11.98 (NR) |
4 | France | Gilles Biron, Louise Maraval, Téo Andant, Amandine Brossier | 3:12.99 |
5 | Belgium | Robin Vanderbemden, Imke Vervaet, Jonathan Borlée, Camille Laus | 3:13.83 |
6 | Ireland | Jack Raftery, Sophie Becker, Christopher O'Donnell, Sharlene Mawdsley | 3:14.13 |
7 | Germany | Manuel Sanders, Alica Schmidt, Jean Paul Bredau, Elisa Lechletiner | 3:14.27 |
8 | Poland | Igor Bogaczyński, Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz-Zawadzka, Karol Zalewski, Marika Popowicz-Drapała | 3:15.49 |
9 | Netherlands | Liemarvin Bonevacia, Lieke Klaver, Isaya Klein Ikkink, Femke Bol | DNF |
(NOTE: WR = World Record; NR = National Record)
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