US hold off Botswana to win 4x400m relay in record time

PARIS :The United States continued their dominance of the Olympic 4x400 metres relay on Saturday but only just, as Rai Benjamin held off Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo in a thrilling last-leg battle between two individual gold medallists.

The U.S. as expected, dropped Quincy Wilson, the 16-year-old who struggled badly in the heats, but did not bring in individual 400m champion Quincy Hall, instead adding 400m hurdles champion Benjamin to run the final leg.

Chris Bailey took them out but handed over in third to Vernon Norwood who ran a stormer in the heats and repeated it in the final to send Bryce Deadmon off in the lead.

Botswana’s Anthony Pesela, however, closed the gap to set up a dramatic finale.

Tebogo the 200m champion who was drafted in at the last minute to run the first leg for Botswana in the heats on Friday, sat on Benjamin’s shoulder and looked poised to pass him entering the final straight.

Benjamin’s one-lap speed endurance showed, however, as he held him off to win in an Olympic record two minutes 54:43.

It was a remarkable 19th gold in the event for the U.S.

Botswana, bronze medallists in Tokyo, took silver in an African record 2:54.53 with Britain taking bronze in a European record 2:55.83.

The race was of such high quality that fourth-place Belgium and fifth-placed South Africa set national records, and Japan in sixth set an Asian record.