The United States set a new world record in the mixed 4x400m relay during the heats at the Paris Olympics on Friday. The team, consisting of Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, and Kaylyn Brown, clocked 3 minutes 07.41 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 3:08.80 set by the US at the World Championships in Budapest last year.
Norwood commented, “We wanted to come out here and execute good hand-offs. We set the tone for the rest of the United States with that world record.” Little expressed her excitement, saying, “We have a really good group of guys and gals. I’m just really excited, first of all for our record, and that’s only in the prelim, so it’s only up from here.”
Deadmon reflected on the experience, noting the vibrant atmosphere at the Stade de France with a full house of 69,000 spectators. He added, “I was running down the curve and I was like, ‘Ah damn, it’s kind of loud in here.’ It’s a great experience. I’m excited to see what the rest of the Games are going to bring.”
The US heat also saw national records set by France (3:10.60), Belgium (3:10.74), and Jamaica (3:11.06) in the second, third, and fourth positions respectively. Britain won the second heat with a national record time of 3:10.61, finishing ahead of the Netherlands and Italy.
Notably, the Dutch team did not include Femke Bol, who is competing in the mixed relay and the women’s 4x400m relay. Jamaica and Poland secured the two fastest times outside the automatic qualifying spots from each heat.
The mixed relay, which made its Olympic debut at the delayed Tokyo Games, saw Poland win gold ahead of the Dominican Republic and the US. The final for this event is scheduled for 18:55 GMT on Saturday.
