A quartet of American middle-distance runners, Brannon Kidder, Brandon Miller, Isaiah Harris, and Henry Wynne, etched their names into the archives of track and field history by erasing the distance medley relay world record with a scintillating display at the 2024 Oregon Relays in Eugene, USA, on Friday (19).
The quartet’s fascinating performance saw them stop the clock at an impressive 9:14.58, emphatically rewriting the record books in fine style.
The distance medley relay, a mixture of speed, endurance, and sometimes precision test, consists of legs spanning 1200m, 400m, 800m, and 1600m.
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Brannon Kidder ignited the fireworks with a strong 1200m leg in 2:49.60, setting the stage for Miller to maintain the momentum with a formitable 400m split of 46.60.
Harris then took center stage, unleashing a scorching 800m leg in 1:45.75, before Wynne sealed the deal with a masterful 1600m anchor leg in 3:52.64, bringing the baton home in style.
Their combined effort of 9:14.58 eclipses the previous world record of 9:15.50, established by a quartet of American athletes at the 2015 World Athletics Relays in The Bahamas. The quartet of Kyle Merber, Brycen Spratling, Brandon Johnson, and Ben Blankenship had held the record until this remarkable feat by Kidder, Miller, Harris, and Wynne.
The upcoming edition of the World Athletics Relays is poised to return to Nassau on 4-5 May, promising more thrilling moments and record-breaking performances on the global stage. Could we possibly see another record-breaking performance there?
Time will tell.
Meanwhile, a DMR ALL-Stars team of Sam Prakel, Sam Ellis, Kieran Lumb, and WIll Laird finished second in 9:43.36, while team Wannabeast with Mac Franks, Tristan Heinicke, David Timlin, and Clayton VanDyke took third with 10:06.75.
