YOKOHAMA, Japan: After squeezing into the final as one of the fastest losers, Jamaica's women sprint relay team corrected their errors from day one, to produce an exceptional performance to win a silver medal on the final day of the 2019 IAAF World Relays in front of 21,000 people in the Yokohama International Stadium, in Yokohama, Japan. It was a high point for the Jamaicans, who ended the relay carnival in second place on the points table with 27 points (two silver medals and a bronze), the same as the hosts, with the USA again taking top honours with 54 points. The Jamaicans have finished second at each of the four staging of the IAAF World Relays but this year's total is their lowest ever at the championships. In the women's 4x100m, running from lane seven, the team of Gayon Evans, Natasha Morrison, Shashalee Forbes and Jonielle Smith put together some fantastic baton exchanges to register 43.29 seconds. Smith, who got the baton in third, reeled in the field and only lost the race to the USA by 200th of a second. “From start to finish everyone did well. The last exchange could have been better but we finished healthy and with a silver medal,” Smith said after the race. “When I got the baton I just said that I had to do whatever it takes to get the job done.” Their male counterparts could only manage sixth with 38.88 seconds, as Brazil grabbed the gold medal in 38.05 ahead of the USA’s 38.07. There were high expectations for the women's 4x200m team. Having won the event in a meet record of 1:29.04 two years ago, the team was expected to go even faster with the addition of two-time 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser- Pryce and Stephenie-Ann McPherson to ace quarter-miler Shericka Jackson and Olympic sprint double champion Elaine Thompson, who were both on that team that impressed in Nassau. But poor baton exchanges on the first and last changes took them out of medal contention. They were awarded the bronze medal after the United States, who crossed the line in third position were disqualified for lane violation. "Our baton exchanges weren’t up to standard and for that we are disappointed but we came out and we gave a sincere effort,” Fraser-Pryce said. “It is unfortunate that the USA got disqualified and I guess we are grateful for the third.” Though it was evident that they still have work to do, the men's 4x400m relay team showed their potential by winning the country's first medal. The team of Demish Gaye, Akeem Bloomfield, Rusheen McDonald, and Nathon Allen posted 3:01.57 to win the silver medal. They crossed the line in third position but was moved up to second after the USA were disqualified for a lane infringement. "We got a season’s best and we are happy with that. It is still early season and we are not anywhere near peak fitness as yet, so we still need to get things right and come again," said Bloomfield, who ran the second leg. But it was the women's 4x400m team, that seemed set to win Jamaica's first medal of the meet, after Tiffany James, like she did in the preliminary round, ran a monster leg to put the team in front. But poor timing from Anchor runner Janieve Russell proved detrimental, as she faded on the home straight away and was beaten into fifth with a time of 3:28.30. "I am disappointed with my run. I think I didn’t execute as well as I thought I could to make my team get a medal, but I am glad that I finished the race injury-free," Russell said. Poland won the race in 3:27.49 ahead of the USA, 3:27.65, while the Italians grabbed the bronze medal in 3:27.74 The men’s 4x200m team of Chadic Hinds, Nigel Ellis, Oshane Bailey and Jhevaughn Minzie were disqualified in the preliminary round after crossing the fourth.<doc-sep>The two-day IAAF World Relay Championships have concluded overnight in Yokohama with Australia claiming one medal and securing selection for the Doha World Championships in two events. In recent years the Australian men’s 4x100m and women’s 4x400m have been our strongest relay events, but it was pleasing to see in Yokohama how the other two relays, women’s 4x100m and men’s 4x400m stepped up and achieved automatic selection for the IAAF World Championships to be held in Doha in September/October. A fit Sally Pearson and the addition of new sprint queen, long jump specialist Naa Anang, proved key ingredients to the women’s 4x100m unit. Combined with national 200m champion, Maddie Coates and Commonwealth Games representative Riley Day, they clocked a stunning 43.19 in the heats – the third quickest time in Australian history and the fastest since 2000. There third place and fifth overall time, secured a finals berth where they placed sixth in 44.62 seconds. For the final, 20-year-old Victorian Nana Owusu-Afriyiereplaced Coates due to a sore hamstring. As a top-10 team they secured automatic selection for Doha. The men’s 4x400m team was equally impressive in the heats, recording 3:03.53, a shade faster than the time they ran at the Queensland Track Classic and their fastest for six years. The team of Tyler Gunn, Steven Solomon, Alex Beck and Murray Goodwin, placed fourth in the heat and progressed to the final where they placed seventh in 3:05.59. Importantly their top-10 placing securing qualification for the 2019 World Championships. Two new events were added to the World Relays program this year. Former NSW 400m champion, but now an 800m specialist, Joshua Ralph was perfectly suited to the format of the 2x2x400m relay, where an athlete runs two 400s with about 60 seconds rest. He was joined by rising 800m star Catriona Bisset and together they ran wisely to secure silver – the equal best performance by an Australian team at the world relays. Their splits were: Bisset 57.10, Ralph 50.80, Bisset 59.40 and Ralph 50.31. Another new event was the mixed shuttle relay where two men and two women compete in the 110m hurdles and 100m hurdles. Former NSW Kings’ School students Nick Hough (SYU) and Nick Andrews (CHE) combined with WA’s Brianna Beahan and Victoria’s Celeste Mucci. In their heat Australia placed third, with the fourth fastest time overall in a time of 56.40. They lined up in the four-person final, to discover Jamaica were non-starters. But there was disappointment for Australia when Beahan broke at the start – resulting in disqualification for Australia. In the women’s 4x400m, the team of Ellie Beer, Caitlin Sargent, Lauren Wells and Morgan Mitchell placed sixth in 3:31.34, progressing to the B final where the same team placed fifth with 3:32.22. In the men’s 4x100m race, the team of Trae Williams, Alex Hartmann, Zach Holdsworth and Jake Doran placed sixth, running 39.05 seconds. Australia also competed in the new Olympic event, the mixed 4x400m relay where the team of Angie Backburn, Luke Stevens, Ian Halpin and Bec Bennett finished fourth in their heat and 14th overall in a time of 3:21.80.<doc-sep>
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica managed to secure two second silver medals and a bronze on the final day of the 2019 IAAF World Relays at the Yokohama International Stadium in Japan this morning. The day was off to a disappointing start when the men's 4x200m team of Chadic Hinds, Nigel Ellis, Oshane Bailey, and Jevaughn Minzie was disqualified in the heats. USA went on to win the final in 1:20.12, South Africa was second in 1:20.42 and Germany finished third in a national record of 1:21.26. It was more disappointment for Jamaica in the women's 4x400m, as the team of Chrisann Gordon, Anastasia Le-Roy, Tiffany James, and Janieve Russell faded to fifth (3:28.30) in their final. Poland won the race in 3:27.49, while the USA, having won this event at the past three editions of the World Relays, took second place in 3:27.65. Italy finished third (3:27.74). The men's 4x400m team (Demish Gaye, Akeem Bloomfield, Rusheen Mcdonald, and Nathon Allen) had better luck, salvaging a second place finish after the USA were disqualified. The race was won by Trinidad and Tobago, which clocked 3:00.81. Belgium was third in 3:02.70 Similarly, third–place finishers, the USA, were disqualified in the women's 4x200m final, giving the spot to the Jamaicans. The team of Elaine Thompson, Stephenie Ann McPherson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Shericka Jackson clocked 1:33.21. They were beaten by France, which won in 1:32.16 and China, which took second in an Asian record of 1:32.76. In the women's 4x100m final, Gayon Evans, Natasha Morrison, Shashalee Forbes and Jonielle Smith produced an impressive run to secure a second place finish in 43.29 seconds. The USA won in 43.27s while Germany finished third in 43.68s. Jamaica did not fare well on the men's side of the event, with the team of Nesta Carter, Julian Forte, Rasheed Dwyer, and Nigel Ellis clocking 38.88s for sixth. Brazil won the race in a world-leading 38.05s, holding off a strong US quartet (38.07s) and world champions Great Britain (38.16s).