Mixed 4x400m relay
In their first race of the Paris Olympics, the U.S. mixed 4x400m relay team smashed the world record by over a full second, blazing to to victory in 3:07.41.
In an eye-popping performance, mixed U.S. team of Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon and Kaylyn Brown absolutely dominated the heat. The Americans maintained a commanding lead halfway through when Deadmon, running the third leg, blistered down the track to balloon the lead. From there, 19-year-old Brown rocketed down the purple track en route to a victory and a world record.
“We knew what the record was, and we knew what it was going to take,” said Norwood, the 32-year-old elder statesmen of the relay team. “Our job was just to come out and execute. Tomorrow we’re going to do it again.”
A world record during a preliminary round is incredibly rare, and the U.S. squad has done it.
The previous record (3:08.80) was set at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, set by an American team of Justin Robinson, Rosey Effiong, Matthew Boling and Alexis Holmes.
The U.S. advanced to the final, slated for Saturday afternoon. Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, France and Belgium also survived the heats and will race on Saturday.
