2019 World Athletics Championships – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay
The men's 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2019 World Athletics Championships was held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, from 4 to 5 October 2019.
Summary
Background
Defending champion Great Britain was back with two members of their winning team, taking the qualifying heats with a world leading time. South Africa set the African continental record as they qualified winning the other heat. In a familiar situation, despite having the gold and silver medalists on their team, USA struggled with their handoff, completing their handoff at the end of the third zone and missing disqualification by inches or a favorable judge's decision. USA was the slowest qualifier into the final, just.08 ahead of Italy setting their national record in the adjacent lane. Because of the poor qualification position, USA drew lane 8. Instead of a substitute anchor runner, they went with their "A" team, putting in 200 meter champion Noah Lyles. Lyles spent the 2019 season coming back after slow starts, essentially demonstrating his superior top end speed. In a relay with a rolling start, his slow starts are negated. USA put the fastest starter, now the fastest man in the world, Christian Coleman in the blocks running against GBR's fastest turn runner Adam Gemili.Race
Coleman did his part, gaining rapidly on China's best starter Su Bingtian to his outside. With a smooth handoff, as Justin Gatlin took his first step, he was ahead of China meaning USA would have no traffic interference for the rest of the race. One lane inside of Coleman, Gemili also did his job, keeping GBR close. Yuki Koike for Japan also gained on World Relays champion Brazil.On the second leg, Gatlin separated from Xu Zhouzheng and Zharnel Hughes also lost a little to the Olympic champion, but USA was right where GBR could watch them. Mike Rodgers had to hesitate to get the baton from Gatlin, but with USA's history, there was no disaster. GBR's handoff was also hesitant, with Richard Kilty having to decelerate to not run out of the handoff zone, but Japan passed quickly to former junior world record holder Yoshihide Kiryū to keep them close. Through the turn, Rodgers separated from Kilty, Kiryū also gained with Japan passing in second place and South Africa was pulling close to Brazil to create a traffic jam. USA handed off cleanly to Lyles, as if they had practiced the handoff in advance. Japan handed off to their national record holder Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, GBR handed off to Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, South Africa gave it to #6 on the season Akani Simbine and Brazil had Paulo André de Oliveira. And they were off to the races.
With a metre and a half advantage, Lyles expanded it to three metres by the finish. Lyles crossed the line holding the baton in the air in victory. Mitchell-Blake gained slightly to battle Brown for the medals, taking silver by a half a metre. Behind them de Oliveira came back on Simbine to nip South Africa at the line.
USA's 37.10 tied Jamaica's rescinded Usain Bolt/Asafa Powell powered 2008 Olympic team for the third fastest ever and the American record. Great Britain's 37.36 tied two more Bolt led Jamaican World Championship teams from 2013 and 2015 for the sixth best ever and the European record. Japan's 37.43 moved them into #14 in history, #4 as a country and the Asian record. And Brazil moved to become the #8 country, just behind South Africa's now #7 place from their faster race the trials and set the South American record improving on the one they tied in the trials. In all four continental records and nine national records among the 16 team event.
Records
Before the competition records were as follows:| Record | Team | Date | Location | |
| World | 36.84 | Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt | 11 Aug 2012 | London, United Kingdom |
| Championship | 37.04 | Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt | 4 Sep 2011 | Daegu, South Korea |
| World leading | 37.60 | Chijindu Ujah, Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake | 21 Jul 2019 | London, United Kingdom |
| African | 37.94 | Osmond Ezinwa, Olapade Adeniken, Francis Obikwelu, Davidson Ezinwa | 9 Aug 1997 | Athens, Greece |
| Asian | 37.60 | Ryota Yamagata, Shota Iizuka, Yoshihide Kiryu, Asuka Cambridge | 19 Aug 2016 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| NACAC | 36.84 | Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt | 11 Aug 2012 | London, United Kingdom |
| South American | 37.90 | Vicente de Lima, Édson Ribeiro, André da Silva, Claudinei da Silva | Sydney, Australia | |
| European | 37.47 | Chijindu Ujah, Adam Gemili, Daniel Talbot, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake | 12 Aug 2017 | London, United Kingdom |
| Oceanian | 38.17 | Paul Henderson, Tim Jackson, Steve Brimacombe, Damien Marsh | 12 Aug 1995 | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Oceanian | 38.17 | Anthony Alozie, Isaac Ntiamoah, Andrew McCabe, Josh Ross | 10 Aug 2012 | London, United Kingdom |
The following records were matched or set at the competition:
| Record | Team | Date | |
| World leading | 37.56 | Adam Gemili, Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake | 4 Oct 2019 |
| African | 37.65 | Thando Dlodlo, Simon Magakwe, Clarence Munyai, Akani Simbine | 4 Oct 2019 |
| South African | 37.65 | Thando Dlodlo, Simon Magakwe, Clarence Munyai, Akani Simbine | 4 Oct 2019 |
| Chinese | 37.79 | Su Bingtian, Xu Zhouzheng, Wu Zhiqiang, Xie Zhenye | 4 Oct 2019 |
| South American | 37.90 | Rodrigo do Nascimento, Vitor Hugo dos Santos, Derick Silva, Paulo André de Oliveira | 4 Oct 2019 |
| Brazilian | 37.90 | Rodrigo do Nascimento, Vitor Hugo dos Santos, Derick Silva, Paulo André de Oliveira | 4 Oct 2019 |
| Dutch | 37.91 | Joris van Gool, Taymir Burnet, Hensley Paulina, Churandy Martina | 4 Oct 2019 |
| Italian | 38.11 | Federico Cattaneo, Marcell Jacobs, Davide Manenti, Filippo Tortu | 4 Oct 2019 |
| World leading | 37.10 | Christian Coleman, Justin Gatlin, Mike Rodgers, Noah Lyles | 5 Oct 2019 |
| United States | 37.10 | Christian Coleman, Justin Gatlin, Mike Rodgers, Noah Lyles | 5 Oct 2019 |
| European | 37.36 | Adam Gemili, Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake | 5 Oct 2019 |
| British | 37.36 | Adam Gemili, Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake | 5 Oct 2019 |
| Asian | 37.43 | Shuhei Tada, Kirara Shiraishi, Yoshihide Kiryū, Abdul Hakim Sani Brown | 5 Oct 2019 |
| Japanese | 37.43 | Shuhei Tada, Kirara Shiraishi, Yoshihide Kiryū, Abdul Hakim Sani Brown | 5 Oct 2019 |
| South American | 37.72 | Rodrigo do Nascimento, Vitor Hugo dos Santos, Derick Silva, Paulo André de Oliveira | 5 Oct 2019 |
| Brazilian | 37.72 | Rodrigo do Nascimento, Vitor Hugo dos Santos, Derick Silva, Paulo André de Oliveira | 5 Oct 2019 |
Schedule
The event schedule, in local time, was as follows:| Date | Time | Round |
| 4 October | 21:05 | Heats |
| 5 October | 22:15 | Final |