Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay
Mixed-gender track and field event covering 1600 metres
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The mixed 4 × 400 metres relay is a mixed-sex 4 × 400 metres relay 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 and was then held at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Qatar.
United States (Vernon Norwood (M), Shamier Little (F), Bryce Deadmon (M), Kaylyn Brown (F)) 3:07.41 (2024) United States (Vernon Norwood (M), Shamier Little (F), Bryce Deadmon (M), Kaylyn Brown (F)) 3:07.41 (2024) United States (Justin Robinson (M), Rosey Effiong (F), Matthew Boling (M), Alexis Holmes (F)) 3:08.80 (2023)| Athletics Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay | |
|---|---|
| World records | |
| Mixed | United States (Vernon Norwood (M), Shamier Little (F), Bryce Deadmon (M), Kaylyn Brown (F)) 3:07.41 (2024) |
| Olympic records | |
| Mixed | United States (Vernon Norwood (M), Shamier Little (F), Bryce Deadmon (M), Kaylyn Brown (F)) 3:07.41 (2024) |
| World Championship records | |
| Mixed | United States (Justin Robinson (M), Rosey Effiong (F), Matthew Boling (M), Alexis Holmes (F)) 3:08.80 (2023) |
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.[1] All the teams in the finals at the 2017 IAAF World Relays ran man-woman-woman-man.[1] 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.[2] In March 2022, the rule was changed so that every team must use the order man-woman-man-woman.[3]
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.[2]
Poland won the inaugural Olympic 4 × 400 metres mixed relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics, held in 2021.[4]
Records
Global records
| Record | Time | Country | Members | Place | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World record | 3:07.41 |  United States |
Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, Kaylyn Brown | Saint-Denis, France | 2 August 2024 | |
| Olympic record | ||||||
| Short track world record | 3:12.44 | Vacant | [5] | |||
| Short track world best | 3:15.63 i |  Netherlands |
Nick Smidt, Eveline Saalberg, Tony van Diepen, Femke Bol | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | 6 March 2025 | [6][7][8] |
Progression
Main Article: Mixed 4 × 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,[9] 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.[10] During the 2023 World Athletics Championships, 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.[11]
Continental records
- Updated May 2026.[12]
| Area | Time | Competition / Venue | Athletes | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa (records) | 3:09.87 | 2026 World Relays | George Mutinda, Mercy Oketch, Kelvin Tonui, Mercy Chebet |  Kenya |
| Asia (records) | 3:11.82 | 2019 World Athletics Championships | Musa Isah, Aminat Yusuf Jamal, Salwa Eid Naser, Abbas Abubakar Abbas |  Bahrain |
| Europe (records) | 3:07.43 | 2024 Summer Olympics | Eugene Omalla, Lieke Klaver, Isaya Klein Ikkink, Femke Bol | Netherlands |
| North, Central America and Caribbean (records) |
3:07.41 WR | 2024 Summer Olympics | Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, Kaylyn Brown | United States |
| Oceania (records) | 3:10.57 | 2026 World Relays | Cooper Sherman, Ellie Beer, Thomas Reynolds, Mia Gross |  Australia |
| South America (records) | 3:14.42 | Nicholas Salinas, Lina Esther Licona Torres, Daniel Balanta, Evelis Aguilar |  Colombia |
All-Time Top 10 by Country
- Correct as of May 2026.
Short track
- Updated May 2026
All-Time Top 25
- Correct as of May 2026.
Short track
- Updated May 2026
Olympic medalists
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 |  Poland | 3:09.87 OR, AR |  Dominican Republic | 3:10.21 NR | United States | 3:10.22 SB |
| 2024 | Netherlands | 3:07.43 AR | United States | 3:07.74 |  Great Britain | 3:08.01 NR |
World Athletics Championships
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | United States (USA) | 3:09.34 WR |  Jamaica (JAM) | 3:11.78 NR | Bahrain (BHR) | 3:11.82 AR |
| 2022 | Dominican Republic (DOM) | 3:09.82 NR | Netherlands (NED) | 3:09.90 NR | United States (USA) | 3:10.16 |
| 2023 | United States (USA) | 3:08.80 WR |  Great Britain (GBR) | 3:11.06 NR |  Czech Republic (CZE) | 3:11.98 NR |
| 2025 | United States (USA) | 3:08.80 =CR | Netherlands (NED) | 3:09.96 |  Belgium (BEL) | 3:10.61 |
World Athletics Relays
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |  Bahamas (BAH) | 3:14.42 CR | United States (USA) | 3:17.29 | Jamaica (JAM) | 3:20.26 |
| 2019 | United States (USA) | 3:16.43 |  Canada (CAN) | 3:18.15 | Kenya (KEN) | 3:19.43 |
| 2021 |  Italy (ITA) | 3:16.60 |  Brazil (BRA) | 3:17.54 | Dominican Republic (DOM) | 3:17.58 |
| 2024 | United States (USA) | 3:10.73 CR | Netherlands (NED) | 3:11.45 |  Ireland (IRE) | 3:11.53 |
| 2025 | United States (USA) | 3:09.54 CR |  Australia (AUS) | 3:12.20 | Kenya (KEN) | 3:13.10 |
| 2026 | United States (USA) | 3:07.47 CR | Jamaica (JAM) | 3:08.24 | Great Britain (GBR) | 3:09.69 |
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