Name Finish Time Athlete 1 Time Athlete 2 Time Athlete 3 Time Athlete 4 Time
1 UNITED STATES 2:58.82 0:42.41 0:46.54 0:44.00 0:45.87 1:28.95 2:12.95
2 JAMAICA 2:59.13 0:45.58 0:44.10 0:44.79 0:44.66 1:29.68 2:14.47
3 SOUTH AFRICA 2:59.21 0:46.28 0:43.27 0:44.46 0:45.20 1:29.55 2:14.01
4 GB & NI 3:00.38 0:43.84 0:46.99 0:44.99 0:44.56 1:30.83 2:15.82
5 GERMANY 3:00.68 0:45.19 0:45.41 0:45.18 0:44.90 1:30.60 2:15.78
6 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 3:02.47 0:42.12 0:49.20 0:45.89 0:45.26 1:31.32 2:17.21
7 JAPAN 3:02.64 0:44.86 0:45.78 0:47.02 0:44.98 1:30.64 2:17.66
8 KOREA 3:04.05 0:44.58 0:46.87 0:46.71 0:45.89
Name Finish Time Athlete 1 Time Athlete 2 Time Athlete 3 Time Athlete 4 Time
1 BELGIUM 3:00.71 0:46.45 0:44.24 0:45.83 0:44.19
2 RUSSIA 3:00.81 0:45.49 0:46.03 0:44.52 0:44.77
3 KENYA 3:00.97 0:44.44 0:46.80 0:45.01 0:44.72
4 BAHAMAS 3:01.54 0:42.58 0:48.55 0:45.28 0:45.13
5 AUSTRALIA 3:01.56 0:43.82 0:47.59 0:45.40 0:44.75
6 POLAND 3:01.84 0:43.22 0:48.04 0:45.68 0:44.90
7 FRANCE 3:03.68 0:44.75 0:47.48 0:45.68 0:45.77
8 SAUDI ARABIA 3:05.65 0:46.22 0:47.28 0:47.22 0:44.93
42.4 off the blocks for team USA: That oughta be worth the cover of Track & Field News haha
Thankyou for doing the work on this and replying so quickly. I did pass this on to the Sth African team from where the original request came to me
By Peter Rutherford
DAEGU, South Korea | Thu Sep 1, 2011 11:07am IST
DAEGU, South Korea (Reuters) - Double amputee Oscar Pistorius led off his 4x400 relay team at the world championships on Thursday and was “extremely proud” to help South Africa qualify for the final with a new national record.
Pistorius, who runs with carbon fibre prosthetic blades in place of his lower legs, had been ordered to take the first leg by the IAAF to “avoid danger to other athletes”.
The 24-year-old delivered the baton smoothly to team mate Ofentse Mogawane, before Willem de Beer and Shane Victor brought South Africa home in third place behind the United States and Jamaica in the first heat.
The team set a South Africa best of 2:59.21 to qualify.
“It is unbelievable to be one of four names on a list to run a national record,” a jubilant “Blade Runner” said. “I’m extremely proud. To make the final makes me even more happy.”
Britain, Germany, Belgium, Russia and Kenya also qualified for Friday’s final in Daegu.’
The South African’s battle to overcome a series of legal and performance obstacles and become the first amputee to run at a major championships on his prosthetic limbs has made him a crowd favourite in South Korea.
American LaShawn Merritt, who ran the anchor leg for his team, said he had no problem with Pistorius being allowed to compete at the world championships.
“Not at all,” he said. “After I go back and change I will congratulate him.”
Pistorius first competed against able-bodied athletes in 2007 but the IAAF then amended its rules to ban the use of “any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device”.
In the following year, the world governing body said scientific research had shown he enjoyed an advantage over able-bodied athletes and banned him from competitions held under their rules.
However, the decision was over-ruled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), making Pistorius eligible for the 2008 Beijing Olympics although he was unable to qualify for the South African team, winning gold medals instead in the Paralympic 100, 200 and 400 metres.
IAAF head Lamine Diack had said last week that Pistorius was a “particular case” and that he must run the first leg if he wanted to take part in the relay.
“The only thing we said to the South African federation is that if he wants to run in the relay, he must run the first leg to avoid danger to other athletes,” he said.
Slightly off thread. When splitting the first leg do you go start to changeover and is it a credible 400m estimate?
I would guess it to be start to middle of exchange zone, but that might be hard to locate, so who knows. Maybe PJ will fill us in if he ever sees this.
These splits can’t be correct. 43.27 for the second leg who has a PB of 45.11 and an SB of 45.59? That’s almost as unlikely as the 42.41 for Greg Nixon’s first leg. TMSSF’s splits make much more sense. I hope the South African federation doesn’t make a decision based on such dubious splits.
These splits can’t be true unless I’m reading them wrong. According to the first split, Australia was a clear 3rd at the change over, over 10m in front of Russia and nearly 20m in front of Belgium as Thomas took the baton. I find it hard to believe Ben Offereins was in sub 45s shape let alone sub 44s.
South Africa’s splits were quite easy since they started out in lane 1. Each split was taken with the baton at the common line.
I have to assume that times have been taken from start to the finish line for the first leg then finish line to finish line for the rest (or similar) as it a rough guide each lane gets faster (very rough) in the first lap and the reverse in the second. I hope that makes sense?
That is how it should be done. It is only ever an estimate because the incoming first leg could run 10 metres short (ie 390m) and the outgoing second leg could run 10m long (ie 410m). Other variables of course are deceleration (incoming) and acceleration (outgoing) but it is a much better assessment than clocking hand-over to hand-over.
Thanks Kitkat1. I timed an athlete, who started, from the start line to the start line (which was just before the change over) and another coach told me I was wrong you should go start line to finish line - which made no sense to me as they start on the 4 x 4 start which is further up the track then the 400m line.
The saying I heard years ago was to time the baton and not the man (or woman). It can be tough unless you are close by to find the middle of the zone on a three turn stagger though the middle of the zone does have a line on it. The toughest exchange to time by far is 1 to 2. 2 to 3 and 3 to 4 are much easier to time- same place, finish line.
That’s OK, but that’s also how you end up with first leg running significantly short and being credited by the official Seiko Team as having run 400 metres in 42.4sec. Which is ridiculous unless his name was Usain Bolt 
KK, I’m not sure I understand. I mean being close enough as a timer on a three turn stagger to find the middle of the exchange zone for each lane so the legs are of equal length and not 395, 405 etc. Most of the tracks I’ve seen have either a solid or dashed line in the middle of the zone (for each lane) and it’s usually well up into the curve from the middle lanes on. I think only lane one has the same line (which is the finish line) for all three exchanges.
By timing the baton I mean when it crosses first the middle of the zone (for each lane, not the common zone so it tends to be further into the curve for most of the lanes) for the first exchange then timing the baton as it crosses the finish line for exchanges 2 and 3.
AS PREDICTED…kk
Oscar Pistorius out of 1,600 relay final at worlds
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DAEGU, South Korea (AP) - Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius was left off South Africa’s team for the 1,600-meter relay final Friday, a day after helping the squad qualify at the world championships.
"Haven’t Been included in the Final for the SA Mens 4x400m. Pretty Guttered,’’ Pistorius wrote in a Twitter message.
Instead of Pistorius, the South African team decided to go with L.J. van Zyl, who won the bronze medal in the 400 hurdles.
After making a historic breakthrough for Paralympic athletes by reaching the semifinals of the 400 early this week, the "Blade Runner’’ ran a strong opening leg on the tough inside lane Thursday to help South Africa to a third-place finish in its heat and a South African record.
Team manager Magda Botha said in a statement the decision was based on "factual information and knowledge’’ after a meeting with the athletes early Friday.
The 24-year-old Pistorius, who had his legs amputated when he was a baby, can still get a medal if South Africa finishes in the top three because he ran in the heats.
It was already considered an amazing performance for Pistorius to get into the 400 semifinals on his carbon-fiber blades, but Thursday, the relay performance did one better.
The IAAF had said that Pistorius could only run the leadoff leg of the relay because it is completed with teams still running in lanes. There were fears that the his blades could be a danger if he had to run in a bunch.
Pistorius traditionally has a slow start over the first 100 meters before picking up more speed and it might have been a reason to leave him off the team. It still was an unexpected decision since he trails only Van Zyl in the South African season’s standings.
The United States and Jamaica led qualifying, just ahead of South Africa, highlighting that Pistorius still had a chance to collect a medal.
It would be an achievement in itself. All through his youth, Pistorius played games and sports with able-bodied kids, refusing to accept the difference shins, ankles, feet and toes made.
He was good at whatever he did, became a Paralympic star and won three gold medals at the Beijing Paralympics to prove it.
Yet he always wanted to compete against the best.
When the IAAF refused to let him, he took his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and won the right in 2008 to be allowed to run in able-bodied events on his blades.
At first he didn’t qualify for major championships, but Pistorius finally achieved the qualifying mark for Daegu with a personal best of 45.07 seconds at a small meet in northern Italy in July on his last attempt.
After failing to reach the final in the individual 400, he had good hopes to run the relay final Friday.
On the first leg, best place to stop the clock to get the lead-off runner’s split is, as you rightly pointed out, when the baton (whomever is carrying it) crosses the green spotted line within the box.
SILVER FOR SOUTH AFRICA, WELL DONE USA
02 September 2011 - 21:15
Position Lane Bib Team Country Mark .
1 5 United States
(Greg Nixon; Bershawn Jackson; Angelo Taylor; LaShawn Merritt) USA 2:59.31 .
2 8 South Africa
(Shane Victor; Ofentse Mogawane; Willem de Beer; L.J. van Zyl) RSA 2:59.87 .
3 4 Jamaica
(Allodin Fothergill; Jermaine Gonzales; Riker Hylton; Leford Green) JAM 3:00.10 .
4 3 Russia
(Maksim Dyldin; Konstantin Svechkar; Pavel Trenikhin; Denis Alekseyev) RUS 3:00.22 (SB)
5 6 Belgium
(Jonathan Borlée; Antoine Gillet; Nils Duerinck; Kévin Borlée) BEL 3:00.41 (SB)
6 7 Kenya
(Vincent Kiplangat Kosgei; Vincent Mumo Kiilu; Anderson Mureta Mutegi; Mark Kiprotich Mutai) KEN 3:01.15 .
7 1 Great Britain & N.I.
(Richard Strachan; Nigel Levine; Christopher Clarke; Martyn Rooney) GBR 3:01.16 .
8 2 Germany
(Jonas Plass; Kamghe Gaba; Miguel Rigau; Thomas Schneider) GER 3:01.37 .
I wonder why the US put in Jackson and Taylor to the squad. They ran slower while Merritt was made to run a couple seconds faster than in the heats.