Botswana wins the World Relays 4x400 m at home in 2:54.47; Jamaica runs 39.62

The men's 4x400 m was the last race of the weekend at the National Stadium in Gaborone on Sunday, and Botswana won it. Lee Eppie led off in 44.26. Letsile Tebogo split 43.50 on the second leg and was caught late by South Africa's Lythe Pillay, whose 42.66 is the fastest split in the event's history. Bayapo Ndori ran third and Collen Kebinatshipi broke clear on the home straight. The time, 2:54.47, is a national record, the fastest ever run at the World Relays and the third-fastest 4x400 m ever. South Africa ran 2:55.07 and Australia 2:55.20, the fifth and sixth fastest in history. Eppie said afterwards: "We wanted to break the world record, we didn't care about the gold."

In the mixed 4x100 m final Jamaica's Ackeem Blake, Tina Clayton, Kadrian Goldson and Tia Clayton ran 39.62, lowering the 39.99 they had set in Saturday's heats. Canada were second in 40.23 and the United States third in 40.33. The top six, which also included Germany, Spain and Nigeria, qualified for the first World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September.

The United States won the mixed 4x400 m in 3:07.47 with Bryce Deadmon, Paris Peoples, Jenoah McKiver and Bailey Lear, within 0.06 of the world record from the Paris Olympics and two seconds under the meet record they set last year. Jamaica's 3:08.24 was a national record and the fourth-fastest by any nation. Elsewhere the United States won the men's 4x100 m in 37.43, Jamaica the women's in 42.00 and Norway, the surprise of the meet, the women's 4x400 m in a world-leading national record of 3:20.96. Seventy-two teams booked places at next year's World Championships in Beijing.

A home crowd, a home team, and the race of the night. That is what a championship is for.

Sources: World Athletics; World Athletics; World Athletics; World Athletics.