2016 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 4 × 400 m (women)

sport	athletics
discipline	4 x 400 meter relay
gender	Women
Attendees	61 athletes from 16 countries
Competition location	Estádio Nilton Santos
Competition phase	August 19, 2016 (preliminary) August 20, 2016 (final)
Medalists  United States  Jamaica  Great Britain

The women's 4 x 400 meter relay at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro took place on August 19 and 20, 2016 at the Estádio Nilton Santos . 61 athletes took part in sixteen relays.

The gold medal was won by the US season with Courtney Okolo , Natasha Hastings , Phyllis Francis and Allyson Felix as well as Taylor Ellis-Watson and Francena McCorory, who were also used in the run-up . Silver went to Jamaica with Stephenie Ann McPherson , Anneisha McLaughlin-Whilby , Shericka Jackson and Novlene Williams-Mills as well as Christine Day and Chrisann Gordon, who were also used in the run-up . Great Britain won bronze ( Eilidh Doyle , Anyika Onuora , Emily Diamond , Christine Ohuruogu / also in the preliminary stages: Kelly Massey ).

The runners used in the heats for the medal relay also received the corresponding precious metal.

The German season was eliminated in the preliminary round.
Relays from Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein did not take part.

Current titleholders

Olympic champions	United States	3: 16.87 min	London 2012
World champions	Jamaica	3: 19.13 min	Beijing 2015
European champions	Great Britain	3: 25.05 min	Amsterdam 2016
North / Central America / Caribbean champions	United States	3: 25.39 min	San José 2015
South America champions	Brazil	3: 34.51 min	Lima 2015
Asian champions	People's Republic of China	3: 33.44 min	Wuhan 2015
African champions	South Africa	3: 28.49 min	Durban 2016
Oceania champions	Papua New Guinea	3: 52.66 min	Cairns 2015

Existing records

World record	Soviet Union ( Tazzjana Ljadouskaja , Olga Nasarowa , Marija Pinigina , Olha Bryshina )	3: 15.17 min	Seoul , South Korea	October 1, 1988
Olympic record			Final from Seoul , South Korea

Note: All times are based on Rio local time ( UTC-3 ).

Preliminary round

The preliminary round was held in two runs. The first three seasons of each run qualified for the final. In addition, the two fastest teams below, the so-called lucky losers , advanced. The directly qualified teams are highlighted in light blue, the lucky losers in light green.

Run 1

Scene from the first run:
Second change in the USA from Taylor Ellis-Watson to Francena McCorory

Last change in Brazil from Letícia de Souza to Jaílma de Lima, on the right the Australian Caitlin Sargent-Jones and the French Marie Gayot, on the left Bianca Răzor from Romania

August 19, 2016, 8:40 pm

space	nation	occupation	Time (min)	annotation
1	United States	Courtney Okolo Taylor Ellis-Watson Francena McCorory Phyllis Francis	3: 21.42
2	Ukraine	Alina Lohwynenko Olha Bibik Tetjana Melnyk Olha Semljak	3: 24.54
3	Poland	Małgorzata Hołub Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz Iga Baumgart Justyna Święty	3: 25.34
4th	Australia	Jessica Thornton Anneliese Rubie Caitlin Sargent-Jones Morgan Mitchell	3: 25.71
5	France	Phara Anacharsis Brigitte Ntiamoah Marie Gayot Floria Gueï	3: 26.18
6th	Netherlands	Madiea Ghafoor Lisanne de Witte Nicky van Leuveren Laura de Witte	3: 26.98	NO
7th	Romania	Adelina Pastor Anamaria Ioniță Andrea Miklós Bianca Răzor	3: 29.87
8th	Brazil	Joelma Sousa Geisa Aparecida Coutinho Letícia de Souza Jaílma de Lima	3: 30.27

Run 2

Scene from the 2nd preliminary:
Change in Jamaica from McLaughlin-Whilby to Gordon, on the left behind the Briton Massey

August 19, 2016, 8:51 pm

space	nation	occupation	Time (min)	annotation
1	Jamaica	Christine Day Anneisha McLaughlin-Whilby Chrisann Gordon Novlene Williams-Mills	3: 22.38
2	Great Britain	Emily Diamond Anyika Onuora Kelly Massey Christine Ohuruogu	3: 24.81
3	Canada	Carline Muir Alicia Brown Noelle Montcalm Sage Watson	3: 24.94
4th	Italy	Maria Benedicta Chigbolu Maria Enrica Spacca Ayomide Folorunso Libania Grenot	3: 25.16	NO
5	Germany	Laura Müller Friederike Möhlenkamp Lara Hoffmann Ruth Spelmeyer	3: 26.02
6th	Bahamas	Lanece Clarke Anthonique Strachan Carmiesha Cox Christine Amertil	3: 26.36	NO
7th	India	Nirmala Sheoran Tintu Lukka M.R. Poovamma Anilda Thomas	3: 29.53
8th	Cuba	Lisneidy Veitia Gilda Casanova Roxana Gomez Daisurami Bonne	3: 30.11

final

August 20, 2016, 10:00 p.m.

The favorites were the Olympic champions from the USA, the world champions from Jamaica and the world's best of the year from Great Britain. The teams with good prospects for top placements also included France and Canada. However, the French women had not reached the finals.

The following changes were made to the line-up compared to the preliminary stages:

• USA - Natasha Hastings for Taylor Ellis-Watson and Allyson Felix for Francena McCorory
• Jamaica - Stephenie McPherson for Christine Day and Shericka Jackson for Chrisann Gordon
• Great Britain - Eilidh Doyle for Kelly Massey

The final began with an attack by Jamaican Stephenie Ann McPherson, who was able to catch up with US runner Courtney Okolo by the second corner. But on the home stretch for the first change, Okolo came up again and was the first to change. Behind Jamaica were the British and Canadians. The US relay was now five meters ahead of Jamaica, followed ten meters behind by the British relay in front of Canada and Poland. On the straight before the second exchange, the British Anyika Onuora was overtaken by the Canadian Alicia Brown and the Polish Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz. Jamaica was able to shorten the gap to the USA to two meters. At the penultimate exchange, there was a small collision between Iga Baumgart from Poland and Alicia Brown from Canada, but this had no further effects.

The third runner of the USA Phyllis Francis was able to increase the lead on Jamaica in the meantime, but after the back straight Jamaica narrowed the gap again. Behind Canada in third place came the Australians, who were able to overtake Poland and then the British. But the British Emily Diamond countered the attack, passed Poland and Australia and caught up with the Canadian Noelle Montcalm. At the last change, Jamaica had shortened the US lead to one meter. Great Britain followed forty meters behind, followed by Canada and Australia.

On the last lap, Allyson Felix ran for the USA, for Jamaica the oldest participant in the Novlene Williams-Mills competition started. Williams-Mills got closer and closer to Felix at the beginning, but in the second corner it became clear that the Jamaican had taken over, the American crossed the finish line eight meters ahead of Williams-Mills. Behind were the British who were able to keep the Canadian relay at a distance. Ukraine came fifth behind Canada, ahead of Italy, Poland and Australia. This resulted in exactly the same run-in at the medal positions as in the 4 x 100 meter relay .

In the twelfth Olympic final there was the seventh victory of a US season. It was also the sixth victory in a row. Allyson Felix won her sixth Olympic gold medal here. She also had three silver medals on her account.

space	nation	occupation	Time (min)	annotation
1	United States	Courtney Okolo Natasha Hastings Phyllis Francis Allyson Felix in the lead also: Taylor Ellis-Watson Francena McCorory	3: 19.06
2	Jamaica	Stephenie Ann McPherson Anneisha McLaughlin-Whilby Shericka Jackson Novlene Williams-Mills in advance also: Christine Day Chrisann Gordon	3: 20.34
3	Great Britain	Eilidh Doyle Anyika Onuora Emily Diamond Christine Ohuruogu in advance also: Kelly Massey	3: 25.88
4th	Canada	Carline Muir Alicia Brown Noelle Montcalm Sage Watson	3: 26.43
5	Ukraine	Alina Lohwynenko Olha Bibik Tetjana Melnyk Olha Semljak	3: 26.64
6th	Italy	Maria Benedicta Chigbolu Maria Enrica Spacca Ayomide Folorunso Libania Grenot	3: 27.05
7th	Poland	Małgorzata Hołub Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz Iga Baumgart Justyna Święty	3: 27.28
8th	Australia	Jessica Thornton Anneliese Rubie Caitlin Sargent-Jones Morgan Mitchell	3: 27.45

Web links

• Results Book Rio 2016, Official Report at library.olympic.org, accessed October 13, 2018
• Results on the website of the World Athletics Association IAAF 4 × 400 m women (English), accessed on October 13, 2018
• Sports Reference, result 4 × 400 m women (English), accessed on October 13, 2018

Video

• Sixth gold in 4x400 Relay for the USA on youtube.com, published August 24, 2016, accessed October 13, 2018

Individual evidence

1. ↑ IAAF Statistics Handbook, Beijing 2015, page 804 , accessed on October 13, 2018