PICS: Canada stun US to win men’s 4×100 relay gold

Images from the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday, Day 9.

IMAGE: Andre De Grass, Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake and Brendon Rodney celebrate winning gold for Canada in the men’s 4×100 metres at the World Athletics Championships, in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

A flubbed final handover cost the United States gold in the men’s 4×100 metres relay on Saturday as Canada surged down the final straight to take the world title.

The Americans looked set to retain their crown until the last changeover between Elijah Hall and Marvin Bracy, who lost time with a slow exchange.

Canadian anchor Andre De Grasse did not waste the opportunity and passed Bracy on the final leg.

Britain finished with bronze.

IMAGE: Andre De Grasse crosses the line first to clinch gold for Canada in the men’s 4×100 metres relay final. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

It was a phenomenal final push from De Grasse, the Olympic 200m champion who suffered an early season foot injury and was off the track during a crucial training period due to COVID-19 ahead of the worlds.

He withdrew from the 200m earlier in the meet and failed to qualify for the 100m final.

“I’m happy to be here,” he said. “I’m just happy to come out here.”

It was the first world gold in the event for Canada since 1997.

The United States stuck to the same lineup from Friday’s semi-final and got off to a strong start from Doha 100m champion Christian Coleman, who executed a serviceable handover to Noah Lyles.

Bracy attempted to recover the lost time from the final pass of the baton but the United States once again fell short.

Despite their depth of sprinting talent American teams have won only three world titles since 2001 and failed to top the podium at the Olympics since Sydney.

US women shock Jamaican superstars to win sprint relay

IMAGE: Melissa Jefferson, Abby Steiner, Jenna Prandini and Twanisha Terry celebrate winning the women’s 4×100 metres relay final. Photograph: Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters

Jamaica fielded the three medallists from the women’s 100 metres in Saturday’s World Championships sprint relay but that was still not enough to prevent a super-slick U.S. quartet taking gold to raise the biggest cheer of the week at Hayward Field.

Jamaica looked formidable after bringing in their “big three” – Shericka Jackson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah – with lead runner Kemba Nelson the only survivor from their semi-final team.

The United States introduced Abby Steiner to join Melissa Jefferson, Jenna Prandini and Twanisha Terry, and after a superb series Terry ran a terrific anchor leg to bring them home in 41.14 seconds – the fifth-fastest in history.

Jamaica were second in 41.18 – the sixth-best ever – after losing fractions on a couple of stretched changeovers.

Britain were in the medal hunt until 200m bronze medallist Dina Asher-Smith pulled up injured at the end of her third leg, allowing Germany to storm through for a surprise bronze in 42.03.

IMAGE: Twanisha Terry crosses the line ahead of Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson to win the women’s 4×100 metres relay final for the United States. Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

Jamaica and the United States had each won four of the previous eight world titles and between them eight of the last 10 Olympic golds.

Saturday’s head-to-head was as mouth-watering as any of those, with the Americans hoping their well-honed teamwork could make the difference against a squad that they hoped might just be a metre of pace down after their gruelling individual campaigns.

It proved to be the case as Jamaica twice had to slow a touch to collect the baton, as the Americans made no mistakes.

Prandini ran a brilliant third leg and Jamaican anchor Jackson, two days after her 200m gold, could make no impression on Terry as the United States took their Eugene gold tally to 10.

It was a stunning consolation for Steiner, who came into the championship as a medal favourite in the 200m but finished fifth in the final.

Nigeria set an African record of 42.22 to come fourth while Spain posted a national record 42.58 in fifth having also set a new mark in the semis.