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4 x 400m |
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12 August |
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Women's 4x400m final |
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An extraordinary incident, in which the USA's Suziann REID dropped the baton at the start of the fourth leg of the women's 4x400m relay final, handed the gold medal to Jamaica and saw the USA team finish outside the medal positions for the first time at a World Championships since 1983.
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Jamaica's individual Olympic 400m silver medallist Lorraine FENTON seized the opportunity from REID's error and stormed round the last leg to record a gold winning 3:20.65 for her team, the fastest time in the world since 1993 and the seventh fastest ever. Germany came home in second, some 20 metres behind, in 3:21.97, a season's best. Russia also benefited from the USA's bizarre baton dropping to take the bronze in 3:24.92.
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Joy WILLIAMS went off hard in lane one on the first leg for Canada, with Jamaica and Russia also starting well. But, inevitably, at the first exchange it was the USA's Monique HENNAGAN who came away with the baton in the lead. At the break on the back straight of the second leg HENNAGAN was five metres ahead of Jamaica's Catherine SCOTT, with Germany in third and France 10 metres down in fourth.
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At this stage the three leading teams appeared to have the medals sewn up. And with Michelle COLLINS's third leg for the USA they were favourite to regain the gold they last won in Gothenburg in 1995. COLLINS set off with a five metre advantage over Jamaica's Debbie-Ann PARRIS, with Germany's Claudia MARX another five metres behind her. A gap of some 25 metres separated these three from Great Britain in fourth.
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But the drama was yet to come. PARRIS made up ground on COLLINS in the closing metres of the third leg, but USA still had a good lead as COLLINS handed the baton to REID. REID took it safely in her left hand then switched it to her right as she turned to set off. But she couldn't get a firm grip in her right, and the stick juggled and bounced from her fingers, flying off to the left and crashing inside the edge of the track.
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FENTON flew past her with BREUER in chase as Russia's Olesya ZYKINA came through hard into third place. By the time REID had retrieved the baton and got into her running she was back in fourth and chasing a minor medal, at best.
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FENTON powered home for Jamaica's first ever gold at this event as the unfortunate REID could do nothing to make up for her mistake, even losing fourth place at one stage to Great Britain's Catherine MURPHY. She recovered that position with a dip on the line, but it was little compensation for her or her team mates. |
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Final |
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1 |
Sandie Richards 50.9, Catherine Scott 50.1, Debbie Parris-Thymes 49.70, Lorraine Fenton 49.95 |
JAM |
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3.20.65 |
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AR |
2 |
Florence Ekpo-Umoh 51.7, Shanta Ghosh 50.0, Claudia Marx 50.61, Grit Breuer 49.65 |
GER |
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3.21.97 |
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3 |
Irina Rosikhina 52.6, Yuliya Pechonkina 50.6, Anastasiya Kapachinskaya 51.11, Olesya Zykina 50.56 |
RUS |
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3.24.92 |
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4 |
Jearl Miles-Clark 50.2, Monique Hennagan 49.7, Michelle Collins 49.96, Suziann Reid 57.01 |
USA |
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3.26.88 |
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5 |
Lee McConnell 52.2, Helen Frost 51.1, Tasha Danvers 51.97, Catherine Murphy 51.65 |
GBR |
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3.26.94 |
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6 |
Francine Landre 51.8, Anita Mormand 51.9, Sylvanie Morandais 51.97, Marie-Louise Bévis 51.84 |
FRA |
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3.27.54 |
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7 |
Aleksandra Pieluzek 53.2, Grażyna Prokopek-Janáček 50.8, Aneta Lemiesz 52.05, Małgorzata Pskit 51.74 |
POL |
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3.27.78 |
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8 |
Foy Williams 52.33, Samantha George 51.38, Danielle Kot 52.83, LaDonna Antoine-Watkins 51.39 |
CAN |
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3.27.93 |
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Heats |
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11 August |
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Women's 4x400m relay heats |
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The United States confirmed their favouritism for the women's 4x400m relay when they ran the second fastest time of the year in heat one.
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The Americans, lacking stars but containing depth, beat Jamaica with 3:21.97. The Jamaican team were last at the second change but made up this ground courtesy of their last two athletes, hurdler Deon HEMMINGS and Sandie RICHRADS, who brought the team home in 3:24.87. Third were Canada who qualified with a national record of 3:25.68.
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Germany won the second heat after moving in to second on the second leg then first on the final leg as Grit BREUER and Donna FRASER (GBR) battled up the straight. The Germans ran 3:26.81. FRASER claimed second in 3:27.25, a season's best, and the fast finishing Russians qualified in third with 3:27.39. Despite leading at the first change and having individual gold medallist Amy Mbacke THIAM on the anchor leg, Senegal did not qualify.
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Heat 1 |
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1 |
Demetria Davis, Michelle Collins, Mikele Barber, Suziann Reid |
USA |
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3.21.97 |
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Q |
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2 |
Michelle Burgher, Catherine Scott, Deon Hemmings, Sandie Richards |
JAM |
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3.24.87 |
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Q |
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3 |
Foy Williams, Samantha George, Danielle Kot, LaDonna Antoine-Watkins |
CAN |
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3.25.68 |
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Q |
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4 |
Francine Landre, Anita Mormand, Sylvanie Morandais, Marie-Louise Bévis |
FRA |
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3.26.92 |
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q |
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5 |
Aleksandra Pieluzek, Grażyna Prokopek-Janáček, Aneta Lemiesz, Małgorzata Pskit |
POL |
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3.27.37 |
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q |
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6 |
Mixed nationalities: Yudalis Díaz, Julia Duporty, Libania Grenot ITA, Daimí Pernía |
CUB |
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3.28.68 |
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7 |
Militza Castro, Yvonne Harrison, Sandra Moya, Yamelis Ortiz |
PUR |
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3.30.81 |
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NR |
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Heat 2 |
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1 |
Florence Ekpo-Umoh, Shanta Ghosh, Claudia Marx, Grit Breuer |
GER |
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3.26.81 |
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Q |
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2 |
Lee McConnell, Lesley Owusu, Catherine Murphy, Donna Fraser |
GBR |
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3.27.25 |
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Q |
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3 |
Natalya Shevtsova, Irina Rosikhina, Anastasiya Kapachinskaya, Olesya Zykina |
RUS |
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3.27.39 |
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Q |
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4 |
Natallia Safronnikava, Sviatlana Usovich, Iryna Khliustava, Anna Kozak |
BLR |
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3.28.93 |
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5 |
Aïda Diop, Tacko Diouf, Fatou Binetou Fall, Amy Mbacké Thiam |
SEN |
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3.30.03 |
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6 |
Miho Sato, Kazue Kakinuma, Sakie Nobuoka, Makiko Yoshida |
JPN |
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3.33.51 |
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7 |
Julia Alba, Norfalia Carabalí, Miriam Bravo, Yolanda Reyes |
ESP |
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3.33.78 |
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