In a dramatic final event on Day 1 of the World Athletics Championships 2023, the USA set a new track and field world record to take 4x400m mixed relay gold in Budapest on Saturday (19 August).
The quartet of Justin Robinson, Rosey Effiong, Matthew Boling and Alexis Holmes came home in 3:08.80 ahead of Great Britain, who won silver, and bronze medallists Czechia (Czech Republic).
But it had been Netherlands who had looked odds-on to win the race, before a shocking end. Just minutes after the crowd had witnessed Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan fall on the last lap to miss out on the chance of winning 10,000m gold, the country’s other biggest athletics star Femke Bol lost her footing when approaching the finish line with the Dutch team in the lead.
It left the USA’s Holmes free to cross the line first and claim not only a gold medal but a new world record.
Lewis Davey, Laviai Nielsen, Rio Mitcham and Yemi Mary John crossed the line in 3:11.06 for the Brits, while Czechia’s Matěj Krsek, Tereza Petrzilkova, Patrik Šorm and Lada Vondrova came home in 3:11.98 – both times new national records for each team.
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