2011 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay
The Men's 4 × 100 metres relay event at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Daegu Stadium on 4 September.
USA won the first semi-final with deliberate handoffs, setting the world leader. France followed them into the final. The second semi-final was won by Trinidad and Tobago, ahead of favored Jamaica. Saint Kitts and Nevis set their national record in making the time qualifier in third. The third semi-final was much closer as Great Britain led Poland, with Italy making the final time qualifier.
In the final, Nesta Carter put Jamaica out into the lead, but Justin Gatlin ran down Michael Frater to put the USA even with Jamaica. On the third leg, Yohan Blake again edged Jamaica into the lead. Going into the final handoff, Darvis Patton of USA clipped Britain's Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and fell into a forward roll. American anchor Walter Dix never saw the baton and the British team also did not finish the race.[1] In addition, Patton's fall seriously impeded Richard Thompson, Trinidad and Tobago's anchor, which caused his team to finish last.[2] Meanwhile Usain Bolt took the baton and pulled away. Jamaica bettered their own World Record to finish in a time of 37.04.[3] It was the only world record to be set at the championships. France finished second with Saint Kitts and Nevis third.
Medalists
Records
Prior to the competition, the established records were as follows.
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Results
| KEY: | q | Fastest non-qualifiers | Q | Qualified | NR | National record | PB | Personal best | SB | Seasonal best |
Heats
Qualification: First 2 of each heat (Q) plus the 2 fastest times (q) advance to the final.
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Final
| Rank | Lane | Nation | Athletes | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 6 |  Jamaica (JAM) | Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt | 37.04 | WR |
 | 8 |  France (FRA) | Teddy Tinmar, Christophe Lemaitre, Yannick Lesourd, Jimmy Vicaut | 38.20 | SB |
 | 1 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) | Jason Rogers, Kim Collins, Antoine Adams, Brijesh Lawrence | 38.49 | |
| 4 | 7 |  Poland (POL) | Paweł Stempel, Dariusz Kuć, Robert Kubaczyk, Kamil Kryński | 38.50 | |
| 5 | 2 |  Italy (ITA) | Michael Tumi, Simone Collio, Emanuele Di Gregorio, Fabio Cerutti | 38.96 | |
| 6 | 5 |  Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) | Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Aaron Armstrong, Richard Thompson | 39.01 * | |
| 4 |  United States (USA) | Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Darvis Patton, Walter Dix | DNF | ||
| 3 |  Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | Christian Malcolm, Craig Pickering, Marlon Devonish, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey | DNF |
* Trinidad and Tobago's Aaron Armstrong tripped over USA's falling Darvis Patton, causing them to finish last.
References
- "Usain Bolt wins relay gold; USA women triumph". USA Today. 4 September 2011. Archived from the original on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- "RELAY HEARTBREAK". USA Today. 4 September 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- "In Final Event, Jamaica Sets a World Record in Relay". New York Times. 4 September 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-04-12. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
External links
- Relay results at the IAAF website