Inaugurual IAAF world relay championships sees records fall

Canada’s relay teams were in action this weekend at the inaugural IAAF world relay championships in Nassau, The Bahamas.

The meet was highly competitive, with three world records falling in the men’s and women’s 4×1,500m and the men’s 4x200m events.

Both 4×1,500m relay records were shattered by the Kenyan contingents. The female team of Mercy Cherono, Faith Kipyegon, Irene Jelagat and Hellen Obiri bested the previous record by 32 seconds, with a time of 16.33.58.

The men’s star-studded team of Collins Cheboi, Silas Kiplagat, James Magut and Asbel Kiprop averaged 3:35 to finish with an impressive 14:22.22, slicing 14 seconds off the previous world record in the event. Kiprop, the 2008 Olympic Champion and two-time world champion, ran a 3:32.3 solo anchor leg.

The times are very impressive, especially considering it is a rarely-contested event.

The Jamaican men — Nickel Ashmeade, Warren Weir, Jermaine Brown and Yohan Blake — bested the 20-year-old world record in the 4x200m with a time of 1:18.63. The team from the United States, expected to go head-to-head with Jamaica for the record, suffered from a botched hand-off that resulted in disqualification.

Canadian teams competed in both the men’s and women’s 4×100 and 4x400m events. The men’s 4×100 team, consisting of Jared Connaughton, Dontae Richards-Kwok, 
Gavin Smellie and 
Justyn Warner, placed sixth with a time of 38.55. The event title was taken by the Jamaicans.

Khamica Bingham
, Shai-Anne Davis, 
Crystal Emmanuel
 and 
Kimberley Hyacinthe made up Canada’s women’s team, running 43.33 in the B Final. The event was won by the United States.

In the men’s 4x400m, Daundre Barnaby
, Daniel Harper
, Tremaine Harris
 and Philip Osei posted a time of 3:04.67 in the B Final. The women’s team of Fawn Dorr, 
Jenna Martin
, Carline Muir and 
Sarah Wells ran 3:32.58 in the B Final.