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2012 Olympic Games London - Men's 4 x 100 m

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Details: Parent Category: Olympic Games (Athletics); Category: 2012 Olympic Games London - (Athletics); Last Updated: 11 May 2016; Hits: 1122

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Host City: London, Great Britain

Format: Top three in each heat and next two fastest advanced to the final.

Date Started: August 10, 2012

Date Finished: August 11, 2012

Venue(s): Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park, Stratford, London

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Summary by Sports-reference.com

Jamaica was heavily favored to win gold in this race. They were led by Usain Bolt, who had won the 100-200 double in both 2008 and already in London. Yohan Blake had been second to both races in London and was the 2011 World Champion in the 100. They were without former 100 world record holder Asafa Powell, injured in the 100 final, but would lead off with Nesta Carter and Michael Frater, and seemed impregnable. The Americans had Tyson Gay, the 2007 100/200 World Champion, and Justin Gatlin, 2004 Olympic 100 gold medalist and third in the short sprint in London, but they just didn't seem to have the firepower to challenge the Jamaicans. In addition, US sprint relay teams had shown a frequent propensity to either drop the baton or run out of the zone and had not finished at several recent major internationals. Nobody else was given a chance at gold and the bronze was wide-open.

Carter put the Jamaicans ahead on the opener, with American Trell Kimmons trailing slightly. The race was very close, however, for the next two legs, as Gatlin/Frater matched second legs in 8.9, and Gay/Blake both ran 9.0 around the final curve. But this gave the lead to Usain Bolt on the anchor leg, to be challenged by American newcomer Ryan Bailey, who had been fifth in the open 100 metres. Bailey acquitted himself well, but he could not catch Bolt. The USA finished in 37.04, matching the existing world record, but Bolt brought Jamaica home in 36.84, the first time ever under 37 seconds for the gold and a new world record. Canada came home in third, it seemed, but was disqualified for a lane violation and the bronze went to Trinidad & Tobago.

Jamaica thus defended its gold medal in the event, and Bolt had doubled up with three gold medals in the 100, 200, and sprint relay in both 2008 and 2012, the first runner ever to do so. For the Americans it seemed to be some measure of redemption as they did successfully finish the race with good baton exchanges, but were simply beaten by a faster team. However, in 2014 Tyson Gay tested positive for doping, and his penalty was applied retroactively, which caused the US relay team in this event to be disqualified, although that was not announced by the IOC until May 2015.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On 11 August, the Jamaican national team, led by Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt, won the gold medal and broke their own world record of 37.04 set at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, with a time of 36.84.

Carter did not start well, and Trell Kimmons of the United States led the first 100 metres. Kimmons handed the baton to former world record holder and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin, who was in the lead. By the third changeover, America had a slight lead over the Jamaicans, but when Michael Frater handed over to Yohan Blake, Blake took the final bend and made up ground and overtook Tyson Gay of the USA. Blake then passed the baton to Bolt slightly ahead of Gay's pass to Ryan Bailey. In the final 100 metres, Bolt extended that lead to a few metres and crossed the line in a new world record time for his country for the second consecutive Olympics, with the USA finishing second. Although the Canadian team finished third, they were disqualified after third leg runner Jared Connaughton accidentally stepped on a line, and the bronze medal went to Trinidad and Tobago.

While the Jamaican team were breaking the world record, the American team crossed the line in exactly the same time as the old record of 37.04 seconds, setting a new national record.

In May 2014, the US 4x100m relay team member Tyson Gay received a one-year suspension for anabolic steroid use and was stripped of his medals and disqualified from all results after 15 July 2012 when he first used. In May 2015 the IOC wrote to the USOC telling them to collect the medals from teammates Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Ryan Bailey, Jeffery Demps and Darvis Patton. One of Gay's teammates who ran with him in the final, Gatlin, had previously also served a suspension. If the medals are reallocated, Trinidad and Tobago will be awarded silver, while France will take bronze.

Records

Prior to the competition, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.

World record	Jamaica (Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt)	37.04	Daegu, South Korea	4 September 2011
Olympic record	Jamaica (Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell)	37.10	Beijing, China	22 August 2008
2012 world leading	Racers Track Club (Mario Forsythe, Yohan Blake, Kimmari Roach, Usain Bolt)	37.82	Kingston, Jamaica	14 April 2012

			Results

*4 x 100 m*	Men		Final	11 August
11 AUG 2012 Report London 2012 - Event Report - Men's 4x100m Final Closing out the athletics action on the track at London’s Olympic Games, Jamaica broke the World record* in the men’s 4x100m relay tonight at Olympic Stadium. Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, double silver medallist Yohan Blake and double-double Olympic champion Usain Bolt smashed through the event’s 37-second barrier to stop the clock in 36.84, breaking the previous mark of 37.04 set by the same quartet and running in the same order at the World Championships in Daegu one year ago. Seemingly speaking for the capacity crowds that have filled the Olympic Stadium for the past eight days, Bolt said, "It's always a beautiful feeling to end off like this. We did it last year in the World Championships. For me it is a wonderful feeling." But unlike in Daegu, the Jamaican foursome had a strong race on their hands, pushed to the line by an inspired U.S. quartet. Trell Kimmons lead off for team USA, handing over a slight edge to Justin Gatlin, who in turn cushioned that lead running against Frater. But Blake ate up that gap on the third leg, and eventually ran about even with Tyson Gay by the end of the leg, leaving Bolt to tangle with U.S. anchor Ryan Bailey. The latter ran admirably against the double Olympic champion, but after about half a dozen strides, Bolt pulled away for good. The only barrier left was the 37-second mark which Bolt managed to simply smash. "The team came out and gave their all," said Bolt, who upped his lifetime Olympic gold medal tally to six. "I knew a World record was possible." So did teammate Carter. "We got a lot of practice this year so I was expecting a fast time, and 36.84 is a fast time." "We ran as a team and we handled the pressure pretty well," Blake said. "For me, two silvers and a gold medal is a wonderful feeling. Usain Bolt has been motivating me all along – it has been great." Casting aside the ghosts of past relay disasters, the U.S brought the baton around in 37.04, equalling the previous World mark to break the national record for the second time in as many days. "We did a great job and next year we’re going to do an even better race," said Gatlin, whose 100m bronze was the only short dash medal Jamaica did not claim at these Games. "As soon as the gun went off, I was ready for the stick to get to me," said Bailey, a finalist in the 100m earlier this week. "I ran for my life. It was a great effort. We can’t be upset." Trinidad and Tobago, the silver medallists four years ago, took bronze this time around in 38.12 following the disqualification of Canada who initially clocked 38.07. France, last year’s World Championships bronze medallists, were fourth in 38.16, well ahead of Japan (38.35) and The Netherlands (38.39) who in turn edged Australia (38.43). Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
Rank	Mark		Team	Country	NOC	Records
1	36.84		Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt	Jamaica	JAM	WR
2	38.12		Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender, Richard Thompson	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO
3	38.16		Jimmy Vicaut, Christophe Lemaitre, Pierre-Alexis Pessonneaux, Ronald Pognon	France	FRA
4	38.35		Ryota Yamagata, Masashi Eriguchi, Shinji Takahira, Shota Iizuka	Japan	JPN
5	38.39		Brian Mariano, Churandy Martina, Giovanni Codrington, Patrick van Luijk	Netherlands	NED
6	38.43		Anthony Alozie, Isaac Ntiamoah, Andrew McCabe, Joshua Ross	Australia	AUS
	DQ		Gavin Smellie, Seyi Smith, Jared Connaughton, Justyn Warner	Canada	CAN
10 AUG 2012 Report London 2012 - Event Report - Men's 4x100m Relay Round One After a commanding first round blitz, Jamaica and the USA are set for another scintillating showdown in the men’s 4x100m Relay final, the final event on the programme at Olympic Stadium on Saturday night. Team Jamaica, led by double-double sprint champion Usain Bolt, claimed five of the six medals on offer in the 100 and 200m, and moral is high for a successful defence of their sprint relay crown as well. The quartet from the island nation performed admirably, winning the first heat in a sizzling 37.39, the fourth fastest time in history, and quicker than any other nation has run. And they did it without Bolt, whose unprecedented double defence here was rewarded with an evening off. Good thing, too, because they’ll need him. As it turned out, their world leader was very short-lived. Jeff Demps, Darvis Patton, Trell Kimmons and 100m bronze medallist Justin Gatlin formed an inspired and fearsome foursome in the second heat, dominating the race en route to a 37.38 run, 0.01 better than the Jamaican squad, and 0.02 faster than the national record Michael Marsh, Leroy Burrell, Dennis Mitchell and Carl Lewis set 20 years and two days ago at the Barcelona Games. Fast time notwithstanding, Jamaica doesn’t seem too worried, if double sprint medallist Blake’s post-race thoughts are any indication. "We didn’t want to run too fast, we are taking things easy for tomorrow," said Blake, who ran the third leg behind Bolt during their 37.04 World record in Daegu last year. Gatlin too believes there is more room for improvement on the U.S. squad. "We want to be on top of the podium. I feel we have more time in us." There was a blanket finish behind the U.S. – well behind – with just 0.10 separating positions two through five. Japan was second in 38.07 just ahead of Trinidad and Tobago (38.10) to take the next two automatic qualifying spots. The next two fastest to advance came from this race as well, with France (38.15) just edging Australia (38.17) who equaled their own Area record first set in 1995. There was drama behind the Jamaican squad – Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake and Kemar Bailey-Cole – but not quite the kind another capacity crowd of 80,000 was hoping for. Running the anchor for Great Britain, World junior champion and 100m semi-finalist Adam Gemili botched the exchange from Daniel Talbot, missing it the first time around. By the time he did grab the baton, he was clearly out of the exchange zone. He powered on and passed Canadian anchor Justyn Warner, initially bringing the baton around in 37.93. But the shroud of disappointment that covered the 18-year-old told the story. An announcement a few minutes later made the disqualification official. "I think I went to the check mark maybe a tiny bit early," Gemili, who has clocked 10.05 this year, said. "In a stadium like this it’s hard to hear. I put my hand out and was waiting and waiting (for the baton), and it didn’t come." Canada – Gavin Smellie, Oluseyi Smith, Jared Connaughton and Warner – were elevated to second in 38.05. The Netherlands – Brian Mariano, Churandy Martina, Giovanni Codrington and Patrick van Luijk – were third to also move on to the final, propelled by a 38.29 national record. The fast London track also brought national records for China (38.38) and St. Kitts and Nevis (38.41) in heat One and Poland (38.31) in heat Two. Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
*4 x 100 m*	Men		Heat 1	10 August

Rank	Mark		Team	Country	NOC	Records
1	37.39	Q	Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Kemar Bailey-Cole	Jamaica	JAM
2	38.05	Q	Gavin Smellie, Seyi Smith, Jared Connaughton, Justyn Warner	Canada	CAN
3	38.29	Q	Brian Mariano, Churandy Martina, Giovanni Codrington, Patrick van Luijk	Netherlands	NED	NR
4	38.35		Aldemir Gomes da Silva, Sandro Viana, Nilson André, Bruno de Barros	Brazil	BRA
5	38.38		Guo Fan, Liang Jiahong, Su Bingtian, Zhang Peimeng	China	CHN	NR
6	38.41		Lestrod Roland, Jason Rogers, Antoine Adams, BJ Lawrence	Saint Kitts and Nevis	SKN	NR
7	38.58		Simone Collio, Jacques Riparelli, Davide Manenti, Fabio Cerutti	Italy	ITA
	DQ		Christian Malcolm, Dwain Chambers, Danny Talbot, Adam Gemili	Great Britain	GBR
*4 x 100 m*	Men		Heat 2	10 August

Rank	Mark		Team	Country	NOC	Records
1	38.07	Q	Ryota Yamagata, Masashi Eriguchi, Shinji Takahira, Shota Iizuka	Japan	JPN
2	38.10	Q	Richard Thompson, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender, Keston Bledman	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO
3	38.15	Q	Jimmy Vicaut, Christophe Lemaitre, Pierre-Alexis Pessonneaux, Ronald Pognon	France	FRA
5	38.31		Kamil Masztak, Dariusz Kuć, Robert Kubaczyk, Kamil Kryński	Poland	POL	NR
6	38.37		Julian Reus, Tobias Unger, Alexander Kosenkow, Lucas Jakubczyk	Germany	GER
7	38.61		Tang Yik Chun, Lai Chun Ho, Ng Ka Fung, Tsui Chi Ho	Hong Kong	HKG

Quick Result View

Round 1

Qual. rule: first 3 of each heat (Q) plus the 2 fastest times (q) qualified.

Heat 1

Rank	Lane	Nation	Competitors	Time	Notes
1	6	Jamaica	Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Kemar Bailey-Cole	37.39	Q, SB
2	3	Canada	Gavin Smellie, Oluseyi Smith, Jared Connaughton, Justyn Warner	38.05	Q, SB
3	7	Netherlands	Brian Mariano, Churandy Martina, Giovanni Codrington, Patrick van Luijk	38.29	Q, NR
4	8	Brazil	Aldemir da Silva Junior, Sandro Viana, Nilson Andre, Bruno de Barros	38.35	SB
5	5	China	Guo Fan, Liang Jiahong, Su Bingtian, Zhang Peimeng	38.38	NR
6	4	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Lestrod Roland, Jason Rogers, Antoine Adams, Brijesh Lawrence	38.41	NR
7	9	Italy	Simone Collio, Jacques Riparelli, Davide Manenti, Fabio Cerutti	38.58	SB
	2	Great Britain	Christian Malcolm, Dwain Chambers, Danny Talbot, Adam Gemili	DQ (37.93)

Heat 2

Rank	Lane	Nation	Competitors	Time	Notes
1	7	United States	Jeff Demps, Darvis Patton, Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin	37.38	Q, NR
2	9	Japan	Ryota Yamagata, Masashi Eriguchi, Shinji Takahira, Shota Iizuka	38.07	Q, SB
3	4	Trinidad and Tobago	Richard Thompson, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender, Keston Bledman	38.10	Q, SB
4	5	France	Jimmy Vicaut, Christophe Lemaitre, Pierre-Alexis Pessonneaux, Ronald Pognon	38.15	q
5	2	Australia	Anthony Alozie, Isaac Ntiamoah, Andrew McCabe, Josh Ross	38.17	q, =AR
6	3	Poland	Kamil Masztak, Dariusz Kuć, Robert Kubaczyk, Kamil Kryński	38.31	NR
7	6	Germany	Julian Reus, Tobias Unger, Alexander Kosenkow, Lucas Jakubczyk	38.37
8	8	Hong Kong	Tang Yik Chun, Lai Chun Ho, Ng Ka Fung, Tsui Chi Ho	38.61

Final

Results of the Final:^[6]

Rank	Lane	Nation	Competitors	Time	Notes
	6	Jamaica	Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt	36.84	WR, OR
DSQ	7	United States	Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, ~~Tyson Gay~~, Ryan Bailey	~~37.04~~	NR¹
	9	Trinidad and Tobago	Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender, Richard Thompson	38.12
4	3	France	Jimmy Vicaut, Christophe Lemaitre, Pierre-Alexis Pessonneaux, Ronald Pognon	38.16
5	4	Japan	Ryota Yamagata, Masashi Eriguchi, Shinji Takahira, Shota Iizuka	38.35
6	8	Netherlands	Brian Mariano, Churandy Martina, Giovanni Codrington, Patrick van Luijk	38.39
7	2	Australia	Anthony Alozie, Isaac Ntiamoah, Andrew McCabe, Joshua Ross	38.43
	5	Canada	Gavin Smellie, Oluseyi Smith, Jared Connaughton, Justyn Warner	DSQ (38.07)	R 163.3a

¹ The United States were disqualified after Tyson Gay was suspended for drug use. If the medals are reallocated, Trinidad and Tobago (who finished third) would be awarded silver, and fourth-placed France would take the bronze instead.^[4]

Canada originally placed third but were Disqualified for over stepping the Lane Boundary.