In June, I predicted Jamaica could go sub 37.
The next big question is, what will be the order?
Usain Bolt ran the 3rd leg, when everyone expected him to run 2nd, the “longest leg” with his long strides.
This is silly, as the 3rd leg can also be the “longest leg”!
But Bolt ran the 3rd leg, which I can only assume he is not comfortable with his left hand. The 2nd leg must take the baton from the left hand while on the “outside” of the lane. The danger of the 2nd leg is being on the “outside” for the outgoing 3rd leg, who is in the “inside”. You only get one chance with the pass before the outgoing runner pulls away.
If the outgoing runner slows down too much, the incoming runner will run up to you and crowd you out with no real estate room. Just watch the Jamaica’s Women’s 4x100m relay and you can see the disaster there.
For a good tutorial on 4x100m relay passes and exchanges, read my previous post.
Jamaica smashes the 4x100m World Record in a time of 37.10. They didn’t go sub 37 as I predicted, but they got the stick around!
Trinidad finished 2nd in 38.06 and Japan 3rd in 38.15. Canada’s 38.66 is a season best and betters their 10th place ranking coming into the Olympics.
I would have preferred to see our athlete Nathan Taylor run Canada’s 3rd leg, like he did in the 2006 Commonwealth Games Bronze medal team, but kudos goes to newcomer Jared Connaughton who ran an excellent leg. Jared also ran 3 rounds of the 200m earlier in the week (20.60 Prelims, 20.45 QF, 20.58 SF).
Like the 1936 Olympics, where Jesse Owens let Ralph Metcalfe stand in front of the medal podium, I hope they let Asafa Powell stand in front, as this is his first Gold medal at the Olympics. Usain Bolt has been there twice already.
Jimson Lee
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