4 x 100 meter relay
Rules
The 4 x 100 meter relay is a team discipline in the athletics program. A team of 4 athletes must, passing the baton, run 400 meters and get ahead of their rivals at the finish line. It is held only in the summer season on the 400-meter track of stadiums. The relay starts from the starting positions of the 400-meter race, and each team runs the entire distance along its own track. The distance consists of four stages, the transfer of the wand to the next participant should be carried out in a corridor 20 meters long, on specially marked paths. The most difficult technique is the transfer of the wand, which requires coherence developed in training. Athletes do not have the right to lubricate their palms with any adhesive compound or wear gloves to better hold the wand. It is considered optimal to transfer the wand in the last third of the 20-meter corridor, which allows the athlete receiving the wand to accelerate sufficiently and receive the baton on the move. In the best case, athletes pass the wand to each other without reducing the maximum speed. The most common mistake that leads to the disqualification of the team is passing the wand outside the corridor. If the wand is lost, the athlete can pick it up and continue the distance from the same place where he left it, and should not shorten the distance due to this.
History
The 4 x 100 metres relay has been part of the Olympic Games program for men since 1912 and for women since 1928. The program of the summer World and European Championships is included from the very beginning.
Interesting facts
When Usain Bolt ran the final stage for Jamaica at the 2012 Olympics, he ran the last 100 meters at a speed of 8.70 seconds. There are two main ways to transfer a wand. In the first case, the wand is passed from top to bottom into the open palm and from bottom to top. With the “top-down” technique, the probability of losing the wand during transmission is slightly higher, with the “bottom-up” technique, when intercepting from stage to stage, the length of the wand may “run out” and problems with transmission will arise at the last stage.
Records
Men: team Jamaica with a time of 36.84 s . London, United Kingdom 2012,
Women: Team USA with a time of 40.82 s. London, UK 2012.
