Bedlam on the track with multiple fallers and a DQ as new event makes its debut at the World Indoor Champs.
The mixed 4x400m relay made its debut at the World Indoor Championships on Saturday (March 21) but its future might now be under review after a chaotic race where several teams were impeded and a number of athletes fell.
If you enjoy Wacky Races-style entertainment, it was great. But for many of the athletes taking part it was probably frustrating.
It was reminiscent of the 400m hurdles being staged indoors a few years ago – great to watch, but only if you enjoy unpredictable chaos on the track.
Gold went to Belgium, who got out hard courtesy of Jonathan Sacoor on the first leg with a 46.16 split and stayed out of trouble before Helena Ponette brought them home in 3:15.60 with a 51.15 split.
The Spanish team were lucky to stay on their feet but came from fourth at the end of the first leg to second thanks to a fine anchor by Blanka Hervas with a 51.06 split.
Initially, Jamaica took third, just ahead of the home Polish team, but the Jamaicans were soon disqualified for impeding the American team at the end of the first stage.
The first leg is where most of the carnage occurred. If this was athletics’ equivalent of Wacky Races, then character of Dick Dastardly was played by Keenan Blake of the Netherlands.
Aged 23 and a former Dutch indoor 200m champion, Blake is not short of experience. But after being drawn on the outside lane he abruptly cut in at the bell and then lost ground down the back straight on his second lap – fading from third to fifth – before swinging out wide into the home straight and right into the path of Spain’s Markel Fernandez.
Then, trying to lunge to pass his baton to team-mate Myrte van Der Schoot, he fell over in the melee.
Blake hardly the only villain, though. Delano Kennedy for Jamaica on the first leg tried to pass his baton to team-mate Shana Kaye Anderson at the end of the first leg, but he thrust his arm in front of American Jevon O’Bryant on his outside, something that resulted in American Sara Reifenrath falling and losing a shoe.
It also led to Jamaica being disqualified, which naturally delighted the home fans. The Netherlands, meanwhile, were never in the race after the first leg and the United States were also unable to get back into contention.
“Before the race, I knew it would be tight and so it was,” said Polish anchorwoman Justyna Święty-Ersetic. “There was pushing and jostling, as well as falls. The battle was close until the end.”
What wasn’t in doubt was the Belgium victory with Sacoor, Ilana Hanssens, Julien Watrin and Ponette keeping clear of danger as they eased to victory.
Sacoor said: “We knew it was going to be a very tough race. All teams were very close on times. We knew a few would try to get an early advantage so I pushed hard on the first leg to place the team well.
“I personally didn’t see what was happening behind me but it was very messy. We had a plan, stuck to it and it went well for us.”