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

sport	athletics
discipline	4 x 400 meter relay
gender	Men
Attendees	58 athletes from 16 countries
Competition location	Estádio Nilton Santos
Competition phase	August 19, 2016 (preliminary) August 20, 2016 (final)
Medalist  United States  Jamaica  Bahamas

The men'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 . 68 athletes took part in sixteen relays.

The gold medal won the season of the USA with Arman Hall , Tony McQuay , Gil Roberts and LaShawn Merritt as well as Kyle Clemons and David Verburg, who were also used in the run-up . Silver went to Jamaica ( Peter Matthews , Nathon Allen , Fitzroy Dunkley , Javon Francis ). The Bahamas won bronze with Alonzo Russell , Michael Mathieu , Steven Gardiner and Chris Brown as well as Stephen Newbold, who was also used in the run-up .

The runners from the USA and the Bahamas who were used in the heats also received corresponding precious metals.

Relays from Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein did not take part.

Current title holders

Olympic champion	Bahamas	2: 56.72 min	London 2012
World Champion	United States	2: 57.82 min	Beijing 2015
European champion	Belgium	3:01:10 min	Amsterdam 2016
North / Central America / Caribbean champions	United States	3:00:07 min	San José 2015
South America champion	Venezuela	3: 04.96 min	Lima 2015
Asian champion	Qatar	3: 02.50 min	Wuhan 2015
African champions	Botswana	3: 02.20 min	Durban 2016
Oceania Champion	Australia	3: 15.55 min	Cairns 2015

Existing records

World record	USA ( Andrew Valmon , Quincy Watts , Harry Reynolds , Michael Johnson )	2: 54.29 min	Stuttgart , Germany	22nd August 1993
Olympic record	USA ( LaShawn Merritt , Angelo Taylor , David Neville , Jeremy Wariner )	2: 55.39 min	Beijing Final , People's Republic of China	August 23, 2008

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 after the third change:
USA (Verburg), before Jamaica (Francis), Trinidad and Tobago (Cedenio) and Botswana (Maotoanong). In the background Poland (Omelko)

August 19, 2016, 9:10 p.m.

space	nation	occupation	Time (min)	annotation
1	Jamaica	Rusheen McDonald Peter Matthews Nathon Allen Javon Francis	2: 58.29
2	United States	Arman Hall Tony McQuay Kyle Clemons David Verburg	2: 58.38
3	Botswana	Isaac Makwala Karabo Sibanda Onkabetse Nkobolo Leaname Maotoanong	2: 59.35	NO
4th	Poland	Łukasz Krawczuk Michał Pietrzak Jakub Krzewina Rafał Omelko	2: 59.58
5	France	Mame-Ibra Anne Teddy Atine-Venel Mamadou Kassé Hann Thomas Jordier	3: 00.82
6th	Colombia	Anthony Zambrano Diego Palomeque Carlos Lemos Jhon Perlaza	3: 01.84
7th	Japan	Julian Walsh Tomoya Tamura Takamasa Kitagawa Nobuya Kato	3: 01.84
DSQ	Trinidad and Tobago	Jarrin Solomon Lalonde Gordon Deon Lendore Machel Cedenio		IAAF Rule 163.3 railway transgression

Run 2

Preroll 2 after the second change:
Brazil (dos Santos) in front of Cuba (Pellicier), behind India (Dharun) and the Dominican Republic (Charles)

August 18, 2016, 11:48 a.m.

space	nation	occupation	Time (min)	annotation
1	Belgium	Julien Watrin Jonathan Borlée Dylan Borlée Kevin Borlée	2: 59.25	NO
2	Bahamas	Alonzo Russell Chris Brown Steven Gardiner Stephen Newbold	2: 59.64
3	Cuba	William Collazo Adrian Chacón Osmaidel Pellicier Yoandys Lescay	3: 00.16
4th	Brazil	Pedro Luiz de Oliveira Alexander Russo Peterson dos Santos Hugo de Sousa	3: 00.43
5	Dominican Republic	Yon Soriano Luguelín Santos Luis Charles Gustavo Cuesta	3: 01.76
6th	Venezuela	Arturo Ramírez Omar Longart Alberth Bravo Freddy Mezones	3: 02.69
DSQ	Great Britain	Nigel Levine Delano Williams Matthew Hudson-Smith Martyn Rooney		IAAF Rule 170.19 starting outside the exchange area
	India	Kunhu Muhammed Muhammed Anas Ayyasamy Dharun Arokia Rajiv

final

August 20, 2016, 10:35 p.m.

The US season was favored as the reigning world champion . The strongest competitors were the team of the vice world champion from Trinidad and Tobago, the team of Great Britain in third place in the World Cup and the team of the 2012 Olympic champion in the Bahamas. But Belgium and Botswana had also achieved excellent times in the heats, the fight for the medals seemed open.

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

• USA - Gil Roberts for Kyle Clemons and LaShawn Merritt for David Verburg
• Jamaica - Fitzroy Dunkley for Rusheen McDonald
• Bahamas - Michael Mathieu for Stephen Newbold

Jamaica and Botswana had the best start. Jamaica's starting runner Peter Matthews was soon overtaken by Belgian Julien Watrin. Isaac Makwala from Botswana was in the lead in the first move. The USA were also able to catch up with Jamaica in third place. Michael Mathieu from the Bahamas also got closer to Nathon Allen from Jamaica. With Jonathan Borlée, the Belgians continued to do well.

At the beginning of the home stretch Karabo Sibanda maintained his lead of around five meters over Tony McQuay from the USA for his team from Botswana. Borlée had overtaken Allen and was also able to break away from Mathieu. When moving, Sibanda had difficulties finding his teammate Onkabetse Nkobolo. McQuay came up to the slowing down Sibanda, Botswana and the USA switched almost level. There was an unfortunate clash when Onkabetse Nkobolo from Botswana took over the baton. He ran in the back of US runner Gil Roberts, who was still changing. Roberts, however, kept his momentum, while Nkobolo had lost speed due to the impact and had to accelerate again. Jamaica's Fitzroy Dunkley was able to catch up many yards of its backlog in Botswana as a result of the incident. On the back straight Roberts lost his balance, threw the staff briefly in the air so as not to drop it on the ground, caught it again and was able to continue walking. Nkobolo was still second ahead of Dunkley. But because Steven Gardiner had caught up with Dunkley for the Bahamas, the race became even closer.

At the last change, LaShawn Merritt took the lead for the USA ahead of Leaname Maotoanong from Botswana. Third was now Bahamas with Chris Brown, who had overtaken Javon Francis from Jamaica when switching. Behind was Belgium with Kevin Borlée. On the back straight, Brown, Francis and Borlée approached Maotoanong, while Merritt had a lead. In the final corner, Francis and then Brown passed Maotoanong. Jamaica was now second, Bahamas third ahead of Botswana, just behind Belgium with Kevin, the third of the Borlée brothers. Maotoanong had given everything, struggled for his balance and could no longer quite keep the high pace, so that Borlée also passed him. Merritt crossed the finish line seven meters ahead of Francis, USA won gold, Jamaica silver. Three meters behind them there was a duel for bronze, which Brown won. Borlée's attempt to get past his opponent with a jump was in vain. Bahamas had won bronze, Belgium remained in fourth place. Botswana finished fifth ahead of Cuba.

The first six seasons undercut the three-minute mark, Belgium and Botswana even further undercut their national records set in the preliminary stages. However, the US team's 2008 Olympic record still held.

In the 24th Olympic final over 4 x 400 meters there was the 17th victory of a US relay.

space	nation	occupation	Time (min)	annotation
1	United States	Arman Hall Tony McQuay Gil Roberts LaShawn Merritt in the lead also: Kyle Clemons David Verburg	2: 57.30
2	Jamaica	Peter Matthews Nathon Allen Fitzroy Dunkley Javon Francis	2: 58.16
3	Bahamas	Alonzo Russell Michael Mathieu Steven Gardiner Chris Brown in advance also: Stephen Newbold	2: 58.49
4th	Belgium	Julien Watrin Jonathan Borlée Dylan Borlée Kevin Borlée	2: 58.52	NO
5	Botswana	Isaac Makwala Karabo Sibanda Onkabetse Nkobolo Leaname Maotoanong	2: 59.06	NO
6th	Cuba	William Collazo Adrian Chacón Osmaidel Pellicier Yoandys Lescay	2: 59.53
7th	Poland	Łukasz Krawczuk Michał Pietrzak Jakub Krzewina Rafał Omelko	3: 00.50
8th	Brazil	Pedro Luiz de Oliveira Alexander Russo Peterson dos Santos Hugo de Sousa	3: 03.28

Web links

• Results Book Rio 2016, official report at library.olympic.org, accessed October 4, 2018
• Results on the website of the World Athletics Federation IAAF (English), accessed on October 4, 2018
• Sports Reference, result 4 × 400 m relay men (English), accessed on October 4, 2018

Video

• USA relay team wins 4X400 gold on youtube.com, published August 24, 2016, accessed October 4, 2018

Individual evidence

1. ↑ IAAF Statistics Handbook, Beijing 2015, page 684 , accessed on October 4, 2018
2. ↑ IAAF competition rules, page 73 (PDF), accessed on October 4, 2018
3. ↑ IAAF competition rules, page 101 (PDF), accessed on October 4, 2018