Athletics_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics_–_Women's_4_×_100_metres_relay
| Women's 4 × 100 metres relay at the Games of the XXX Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Olympic Stadium | |||||||||
| Date | 9 August 2012 (2012-08-09) (heats) 10 August 2012 (2012-08-10) (final) | |||||||||
| Teams | 16 | |||||||||
| Winning time | 40.82 WR | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
The women's 4 × 100 metres relay competition at the 2012 Olympic Games in London took place on 9–10 August at the Olympic Stadium.[1] The victorious United States team broke the world record by over half a second. The previous record had been set 27 years previously by East Germany.[2] The Jamaican team, 6 metres back, missed the previous world record by 0.04, but set a new national record. Another 7 metres back, Ukraine took the bronze, also setting a new national record.[3]
Prior to the competition[update], the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |  East Germany(Silke Gladisch, Sabine Rieger, Ingrid Auerswald, Marlies Göhr) |
41.37 | Canberra, Australia | 6 October 1985 |
| Olympic record | East Germany (Romy Müller, Bärbel Wöckel, Ingrid Auerswald, Marlies Göhr) |
41.60 | Moscow, Soviet Union | 1 August 1980 |
| 2012 World leading |  United States(Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, Carmelita Jeter)[4] |
42.19 | Philadelphia, United States | 28 April 2012 |
The following records were established during the competition:
| Date | Event | Name | Nationality | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 August 2012 | Final | Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, Carmelita Jeter |  United States | 40.82[3] | WR |
| 10 August 2012 | Final | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sherone Simpson, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Kerron Stewart |  Jamaica | 41.41[3] | NR |
| 10 August 2012 | Final | Olesya Povh, Hrystyna Stuy, Mariya Ryemyen, Elyzaveta Bryzgina |  Ukraine | 42.04[3] | NR |
| 9 August 2012 | Round 1 | Michelle-Lee Ahye, Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Kai Selvon, Semoy Hackett |  Trinidad and Tobago | 42.31 | NR |
| 9 August 2012 | Round 1 | Kadene Vassell, Dafne Schippers, Eva Lubbers, Jamile Samuel |  Netherlands | 42.45 | NR |
| 9 August 2012 | Round 1 | Ana Claudia Silva, Franciela Krasucki, Evelyn dos Santos, Rosângela Santos |  Brazil | 42.55 | AR |
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 | 2 | United States | Tianna Madison, Jeneba Tarmoh, Bianca Knight, Lauryn Williams | 41.64 | Q, SB |
| 2 | 4 | Trinidad and Tobago | Michelle-Lee Ahye, Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Kai Selvon, Semoy Hackett | 42.31 | Q, NR |
| 3 | 8 | Netherlands | Kadene Vassell, Dafne Schippers, Eva Lubbers, Jamile Samuel | 42.45 | Q, NR |
| 4 | 7 | Brazil | Ana Claudia Silva, Franciela Krasucki, Evelyn dos Santos, Rosângela Santos | 42.55 | q, AR |
| 5 | 3 |  Nigeria | Christy Udoh, Gloria Asumnu, Oludamola Osayomi, Blessing Okagbare | 42.74 | q, SB |
| 6 | 9 |  Bahamas | Sheniqua Ferguson, Chandra Sturrup, Christine Amertil, Anthonique Strachan | 43.07 | SB |
| 7 | 6 |  Switzerland | Michelle Cueni, Mujinga Kambundji, Ellen Sprunger, Léa Sprunger | 43.54 | PB |
| 8 | 5 |  Japan | Anna Doi, Kana Ichikawa, Chisato Fukushima, Yumeka Sano | 44.25 |
Heat 2
| Rank | Lane | Nation | Competitors | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Ukraine | Olesya Povh, Hrystyna Stuy, Mariya Ryemyen, Elyzaveta Bryzgina | 42.36 | Q, SB |
| 2 | 6 | Jamaica | Samantha Henry-Robinson, Sherone Simpson, Schillonie Calvert, Kerron Stewart | 42.37 | Q, SB |
| 3 | 9 |  Germany | Leena Günther, Anne Cibis, Tatjana Pinto, Verena Sailer | 42.69 | Q |
| 4 | 2 |  Poland | Marika Popowicz, Daria Korczynska, Marta Jeschke, Ewelina Ptak | 43.07 | |
| 5 | 5 |  Colombia | Yomara Hinestroza, Norma González, Darlenis Obregón, Eliecith Palacios | 43.21 | SB |
| 6 | 7 |  Russia | Olga Belkina, Natalia Rusakova, Elizabeta Savlinis, Aleksandra Fedoriva | 43.24 | SB |
| 7 | 3 |  Belarus | Alina Talay, Katsiaryna Hanchar, Elena Danilyuk-Nevmerzhytskaya, Yuliya Balykina | 43.90 | |
| — | 8 |  France | Myriam Soumaré, Ayodelé Ikuesan, Lina Jacques-Sébastien, Johanna Danois | DQ | R 163.3a |
- France originally finished in seventh place with a time of 43.77, but were disqualified due to a lane infringement.
Final
The American team had an often repeated history of relay failures, so most of the pre-race discussion focused on whether it could successfully get the baton around the track. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, both the men's and women's 4 × 100 metres teams had dropped the baton, leading one reporter to call it the "nadir in US relay history".[5]
On the first leg of the final, Tianna Madison was able to hold her own against the double 100-metre gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Allyson Felix put the USA into the lead, extended by Bianca Knight around the turn. At the final handoff to individual 100-metre silver medalist Carmelita Jeter, the team enjoyed a 3-metre lead. Secure in the handoffs, Jeter sped to the finish, noticing the time and pointing at the clock before the finish line.[6][7]
| Rank | Lane | Nation | Competitors | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 7 | United States | Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, Carmelita Jeter | 40.82[3] | WR |
 | 6 | Jamaica | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sherone Simpson, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Kerron Stewart | 41.41[3] | NR |
 | 5 | Ukraine | Olesya Povh, Hrystyna Stuy, Mariya Ryemyen, Elyzaveta Bryzgina | 42.04[3] | NR |
| 4 | 2 | Nigeria | Oludamola Osayomi, Gloria Asumnu, Endurance Abinuwa, Blessing Okagbare | 42.64[3] | SB |
| 5 | 8 | Germany | Leena Günther, Anne Cibis, Tatjana Pinto, Verena Sailer | 42.67[3] | |
| 6 | 9 | Netherlands | Kadene Vassell, Dafne Schippers, Eva Lubbers, Jamile Samuel | 42.70[3] | |
| 7 | 3 | Brazil | Ana Claudia Silva, Franciela Krasucki, Evelyn dos Santos, Rosângela Santos | 42.91[3] | |
| — | 4 | Trinidad and Tobago | Michelle-Lee Ahye, Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Kai Selvon, Semoy Hackett | — | DNF[3] |
- Trinidad and Tobago failed to finish as Michelle-Lee Ahye could not pass the baton to Kelly-Ann Baptiste in time.
- "Athletics - News, Athletes, Highlights & More". Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- Turnbull, Simon (11 August 2012). "Jeter brings it home to smash 27-year-old world record". The Independent. London. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- "International Association of Athletics Federations". iaaf.org. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- "The Penn Relays - April 26-28, 2012". Pennrelaysonline.com. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- Shira Springer (12 August 2012). "Gripping tale for US sprinters". Boston.com. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- "Highlights: U.S. Women Set 4x100m World Record, Win Gold - Track & Field Video". NBC Olympics. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- "Expert Analysis: U.S. Women Set 4x100m WR; Men on Tap - Track & Field Video". NBC Olympics. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.