If ever a race proved the perfect exposition of relays &ndash; in all their chaotic, captivating brilliance &ndash; then it was this.
The men&rsquo;s 4x400m final, and in particular its final leg, produced a battle for the ages as LaShawn Merritt of the US fended off the charge of a brilliant Motswanan quartet, the USA taking victory in the end by just 0.15 in 3:02.13.
Since their defeat by The Bahamas at the 2012 Olympics, the US have been unstoppable in this event, thanks mainly to the calm, composed and classy anchor-leg ability of Merritt, who has made a habit of dispensing his energy with almost unmatched wisdom in that role.
The US led through the opening leg courtesy of a 45.28-second clocking from David Verburg, who handed over to Tony McQuay. A 45.26-second leg from him gave them a narrow advantage over Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Botswana at the halfway point, but it was still all to play for.
On the third leg, Kyle Clemons went out hard for the USA &ndash; perhaps too hard &ndash; because as he reached the home straight he began to hit a wall, allowing Botswana and Jamaica to take close order entering the final leg.
Down the back straight, a relaxed Merritt was soon joined by Jamaica&rsquo;s Steven Gayle, who came up to his shoulder with a surging run, but it was to be short-lived. The US sprinter cranked it up a gear entering the bend, but when he turned for home he still had company in the shape of Botswana&rsquo;s Karabo Sibanda.
Still only 18, Sibanda displayed the fearlessness of youth with 50 metres to run, charging his way to Merritt&rsquo;s side, but if the Motswanan was a picture of grit, grimace and determination, then Merritt looked at ease, his face a model of relaxation as he held his form entering the final metres.
That proved the difference, with Merritt always doing enough to ensure the US successfully defended the title, coming home in 3:02.13, with Botswana second in 3:02.28 and Jamaica third in 3:02.86.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m 31 years old this year,&rdquo; said Merritt. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m older, but I&rsquo;m also wiser. We have a great group of guys here tonight; they did what they had to do and I did what I do best &ndash; that&rsquo;s bring it home.&rdquo;
Botswana&rsquo;s Sibanda was upbeat with his silver medal, and wants more later this year in London. &ldquo;We ran very well today,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We could have won, but Isaac Makwala had a bit of trouble with a muscle. I think we can win gold at the World Championships.&rdquo;
In the B-final, Kenya reigned supreme with a run of 3:06.36, all four of their team members clocking below 47 seconds. They came home well clear of Belgium (3:07.14) and Poland (3:07.14).
Czech Republic led through halfway, narrowly in front of Kenya and Belgium, but a strong third leg from Geoffrey Kiprotich put the Kenyans back in control as they entered the final leg. He rocketed through the opening 200 metres, building a lead that Belgium&rsquo;s Kevin Borlee, try as he might, simply couldn&rsquo;t close.
Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF

If ever a race proved the perfect exposition of relays – in all their chaotic, captivating brilliance – then it was this.

Men's 4x400m final – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

Less than 24 hours after cursing their luck &ndash; and indeed their mistakes &ndash; in the 4x100m final, Canada found redemption in Nassau on Sunday night (23), defeating sprint superpowers USA and Jamaica to claim the 4x200m title in superlative fashion.
From the outset, they made their intentions known at the front of the race, with Gavin Smellie &ndash; who had a controversial false start rescinded in the heats earlier in the night &ndash; handing over to Brendon Rodney in slick fashion. After a strong leg, Rodney passed off to Andre De Grasse marginally in front of the US and Jamaica at the halfway mark.
De Grasse was impressive on the third leg, despite facing an opponent of the highest calibre. Three lanes to his right was Isiah Young, a 19.86 athlete, who the Olympic 200m silver medallist steadily reeled in down the back straight.
At the final handoff, Canada&rsquo;s was the quicker exchange, with Aaron Brown getting into full sprint a fraction of a second ahead of USA's Ameer Webb, setting the scene for a thrilling finale.
Webb, however, had two metres to find on Brown, and try as he might that was never going to be realistic, given the Canadian has clocked 20.00 for the distance.
Approaching the line, the emotions visibly erupted for Brown, and with the ghosts of Saturday night&rsquo;s dropped baton firmly behind them, he raised his arms into an X-celebration as he brought his nation home to victory in 1:19.42.
"It did not go well yesterday but I'm glad we were able to break the curse, get the monkey off our backs and show the world what we are able to do in the relays."
De Grasse, meanwhile, paid tribute to his teammates. "It was a great run by all of us," he said. "We just wanted to keep the stick today, but we told each other to trust each other and be patient. If we could do that, we could come away with the gold today."
The US took second in 1:19.88, with Jamaica third in 1:21.09.
"Of course, we always come into the race shooting for the gold, but it was the first time in the last three years that we got the stick around," said Isiah Young. "That's already good, and we also came away with a silver medal."
Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF

Less than 24 hours after cursing their luck – and indeed their mistakes – in the 4x100m final, Canada found redemption in Nassau on Sunday night (23), defeating sprint superpowers USA and Jamaica to claim the 4x200m title in superlative fashion.

Men's 4x200m final – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

The US women confidently collected their third straight 4x400m title, dominating the proceedings from gun to tape on a wet and windy evening at Thomas A Robinson Stadium.
Phyllis Francis led off with a solid 50.42 opening lap &ndash; the fastest of the race&nbsp;&ndash; to hand Ashley Spencer a 1.13-second lead. The Olympic 400m hurdles bronze medallist immediately went to work, piecing together a lead of some 10 metres by the end of her sub-51-second circuit.
Quanera Hayes was next and like the world 400m leader did in the heats on Saturday, she simply put the race well out of reach with her 50.66 leg, nearly doubling the quartet's lead to more than 15 metres after three laps.&nbsp;
There was little pressure on Natasha Hastings on anchor who nonetheless padded the lead before crossing the line in 3:24.36, a world lead.
"I did have some ceviche and boiled plantain this morning so maybe that helped," Hastings joked. "But on a serious note, I'm specially blessed to have this group of young ladies with me."
Well behind her, a fierce battle ensued over the final lap for the remaining podium positions. Poland's Justyna Swiety won that one, clawing her way from fourth midway through the final turn, to second, just nipping Jamaican Stephenie Ann McPherson a couple steps from the finish to secure her country's first World Relays medal in the event. Poland clocked 3:28.28 to Jamaica's 3:28.49.
"I'm really surprised for how this race went for me," said Swiety, a bronze medallist in the 400m at last month's European Indoor Championships. "Hopefully (at the World Championships) in London it will be even better."
In a fairly tight finish, Great Britain and Northern Ireland were fourth in 3:28.72, with Botswana sixth (3:30.13).
Nigeria (3:32.94) in seventh and France (3:35.03) in eighth also secured their automatic qualifying spots for this summer's IAAF World Championships London 2017.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

The US women confidently collected their third straight 4x400m title, dominating the proceedings from gun to tape on a wet and windy evening at Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

Women's 4x400m final – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

In the end, after more than three kilometres of running in the men&rsquo;s 4x800m final, it all boiled down to a sprint &ndash; a head-to-head duel between the athletes who finished third and fifth in the Olympic final last year: Clayton Murphy of the US and Ferguson Rotich of Kenya.
Once again, as in Rio, it was the US runner who proved the stronger, Murphy blasting past Rotich halfway down the home straight to take victory in 7:13.16.&nbsp;
"It was awesome," he said afterwards, and it was.&nbsp;
From early in the race, it was clear the two middle-distance superpowers would settle the fight for gold between them. Brannon Kidder of the US led through the first half mile, but the advantage was only a slender one when he handed over to teammate Erik Sowinski.
"We knew we had the best anchor," said Sowinski, "so we just tried to keep it close for him so he could bring home the gold."
Kipyegon Bett powered away from Sowinski down the home straight towards the end of the second leg, giving Kenya a 10-metre advantage at halfway, but that was steadily eaten away on the third leg by Casimir Loxsom, who reeled in Kenya&rsquo;s Timothy Kitum over the ensuing lap.
Loxsom forged his way past towards the end of his leg, but rather than take the lead at the start of the final leg, Clayton Murphy made a canny &ndash; and ultimately correct &ndash; decision to back off, allowing Kenya&rsquo;s Ferguson Rotich to assume the pace-making duties.
Further back, the tussle for bronze was heating up with Poland, Australia and Mexico all in contention as they set out on the final leg.
At the front, Murphy settled into a relaxed rhythm with the nonchalant air of a man who knew he held the trump card; it was just a matter of when he would choose to play it.
Rotich, though, was no guinea pig out front.
Instead of pushing the pace, he settled into a relaxed rhythm, knowing all too well the assault he would face when they turned for home. He gradually shifted through the gears up the back straight, but had to hit full throttle on the final bend as Murphy moved wide and began to launch his kick.
Rotich, though, was ready for it and was able to fend him off until halfway down the home straight, at which point Murphy&rsquo;s class began to tell, the world leader battling his way past to claim gold.
Kenya took second in 7:13.70, with Poland, anchored by the ever-reliable Marcin Lewandowski, coming home third in 7:18.74, well clear of Australia (7:20.10) and Mexico (7:20.92).
"We came well prepared but it wasn't enough to win," said Alfred Kipketer. "We had new names on the team this time around but I am confident in our 800m runners. We will do well this season."
The biggest cheer of the race, however, was not for any of the medallists, but reserved for the four athletes from South Sudan who comprised the Athletes Refugee Team &ndash; Gai Nyang, Paulo Amotun Lokoro, Wiyual Puok Deng and Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu &ndash; who came home seventh in 8:12.57.
It wasn&rsquo;t just the fans, but their fellow competitors too, who stood in appreciation as Lokinyomo approached the finish, all those present in the Thomas A Robinson Stadium offering them warm and well-deserved applause.
"We've never run in this type of relay before so it was all new," said Amotun. "We didn't run that well, but with this experience, we will go home and keep working and everything will be good."
Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF

In the end, after more than three kilometres of running in the men’s 4x800m final, it all boiled down to a sprint – a head-to-head duel between the athletes who finished third and fifth in the Olympic final last year: Clayton Murphy of the US and Ferguson Rotich of Kenya.

Men's 4x800m final – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

Olympic champions USA took to the track with confidence in the opening round of the 4x100m, and they raced with grace and precision as well as they dominated the round on Thomas A Robinson's soggy track.
Once again it was Tianna Bartoletta, the lead runner at the previous two editions, who got things off, passing to Jenna Prandini who increased their margin midway through the back stretch. Olympic finalist English Gardner all but sealed the win with a strong performance around the final bend, before handing off to Morolake Akinosun to forged on to a 42.96 victory, more than 10 metres clear of runners-up China who clocked 43.98.
The Netherlands, with world 200m champion Dafne Schippers on the second leg, seemed to struggle mid-race, but came back to finish third in 43.98 to nab the third automatic qualifier to this evening's final.&nbsp;
Heat two produced a surprise with Germany nabbing an upset victory over defending champions Jamaica. Running virtually even after the final exchange, Rebekka Haase steadily pulled away from Jamaican anchor Christania Williams to confidently cross the line unchallenged in 43.04. Jamaica, who included Simone Facey, Natasha Morrison and Gayon Evans in legs one, two and three, clocked 43.22 to easily move on to this evening's final as well.
Further back, France finished third in 44.14 to move on, with Brazil (44.20) also advancing on time.
The Bahamas, fourth in the first heat in 44.11, also moved on to the final.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

Olympic champions USA took to the track with confidence in the opening round of the 4x100m, and they raced with grace and precision as well as they dominated the round on Thomas A Robinson's soggy track.

Women's 4x100m heats – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

Canada exorcised the demons of Saturday night&rsquo;s dropped baton with a commanding performance in the heats of the men&rsquo;s 4x200m on Sunday evening (23), but it wasn&rsquo;t without controversy.
After an apparent false start, lead runner Gavin Smellie was issued a red card ahead of the first heat, but the Canadian argued his case with officials over the ensuing minutes, the end result seeing his baton handed back to him and the red card withdrawn.
&ldquo;There was maybe a little twitch, but I didn&rsquo;t move,&rdquo; said Smellie afterwards. &ldquo;I was asking the officials to watch the video to see there was no false start. I&rsquo;m happy we got back in.&rdquo;
After a clean start second time around, Smellie ran a strong opening leg, handing over to Brendon Rodney who powered through the second leg to put his team in front at halfway.
Andre De Grasse was next up for the Canadians, and the Olympic 200m silver medallist extended their lead over Jamaica, giving Aaron Brown an eight-metre advantage ahead of the final leg.
With Jamaica&rsquo;s Warren Weir in hot pursuit, Brown had to run a strong opening half of his leg, but approaching the finish he had enough in command to ease off the throttle and coast across the line, bringing his team to victory in 1:21.11.
Jamaica took second in 1:22.01, with Trinidad and Tobago third in 1:22.79, a national record. Kenya finished a creditable fourth, their time of 1:23.04 enough to see them through to the final.
With the gauntlet laid down, the second heat saw a response in kind from Canada's neighbours and rivals, the United States. They were led off by Noah Lyles, who blazed through his opening leg and handed off with precision to Jarrion Lawson. He consolidated their advantage on the second leg before a cautious, but safe, exchange with Isiah Young.
There was a brief moment of anxiety for the USA at the final exchange, as Young ran up on anchor athlete Ameer Webb, but Webb adjusted his stride accordingly approaching the end of the zone and escaped with baton in hand. He cruised down the home straight to bring his team home in 1:21.47.
Behind them, Shavez Hart of The Bahamas powered through to take second in 1:23.71, with China a close third in 1:24.01. A national record of 1:24.33 from Antigua &amp; Barbuda saw them take fourth and advance to the final as a non-automatic qualifier.&nbsp;
Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF

Canada exorcised the demons of Saturday night’s dropped baton with a commanding performance in the heats of the men’s 4x200m on Sunday evening (23), but it wasn’t without controversy.

Men's 4x200m heats – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

An IAAF/BTC World Relays record in the women's 4x200m and yet another dramatic finish in the men's 4x100m were among the key highlights on the first day of the IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017,&nbsp;with plenty more drama on tap when competition resumes this evening.
Jura Levy, Olympic 400m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson, Sashalee Forbes and double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson dominated gun-to-tape en route to their 1:29.04 performance to knock 0.41 from the competition record set by the USA two years ago.
This time around and well after Thompson crossed the line fist raised to the sky, the USA squad could do no better than third, after Gina Lukenkemper out-dueled Shalonda Solomon down the homestretch to give Germany surprise silver. [<a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-relays/iaafbtc-world-relays-bahamas-2017-5978/news/report/women/4x200-metres-relay/final">report</a> | <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-relays/iaafbtc-world-relays-bahamas-2017-5978/results/women/4x200-metres-relay/final/result#resultheader">results</a>]
The USA, out to defend their back-to-back Golden Baton honours, fared better in the men's 4x100m and women's 4x800m, collecting convincing victories to retain those respective titles and carry an 11-point lead into day two.
In the evening-capping men's 4x100m, showdowns between the USA, Jamaica and Canada never quite materialised: Canada missed their exchange between runners two and three while Jamaica suffered a similar fate and couldn't even manage to advance from the opening round heat. The last remaining challenge to the USA, an in-form British squad, also fell by the wayside when they botched the final exchange. That left Justin Gatlin alone at the front en route to their 38.43 win. Barbados was a distance second in 39.18 with China third.&nbsp;[<a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-relays/iaafbtc-world-relays-bahamas-2017-5978/news/report/men/4x100-metres-relay/final">report</a> | <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-relays/iaafbtc-world-relays-bahamas-2017-5978/results/men/4x100-metres-relay/final/result#resultheader">results</a>]
The evening's first final was deja vu all over again at Thomas A Robinson Stadium, with the USA winning their third straight title in the women's 4x800m. Chanelle Price, Chrishuna Williams, Laura Roesler and Charlene Lipsey won by nearly four seconds over Belarus in 8:16.36 with Australia taking third.&nbsp;[<a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-relays/iaafbtc-world-relays-bahamas-2017-5978/news/report/women/4x800-metres-relay/final">report</a> | <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-relays/iaafbtc-world-relays-bahamas-2017-5978/results/women/4x800-metres-relay/final/result#resultheader">results</a>]
<h3>Day 2 expected highlights&nbsp;</h3>
Competition kicks off at 19:35 local time (GMT+4) with the heats of the men's 4x200m before the inaugural mixed 4x400m brings down the curtain at 22:30.
In the latter, the focus will fall firmly on the hosts, with Bahamian golden girl Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the Olympic 400m champion, and Steven Gardiner, the current world leader in the event, expected to compete.
Although neither team advanced to Sunday's final, both ran impressively in Saturday's 4x400m heats, with Miller-Uibo's 50.20 split the fastest of the round.
The men's 4x400m is shaping into a showdown between the USA, Trinidad &amp; Tobago and Jamaica. Botswana looked strong as well in the heats, propelled by Karabo Sibanda whose 44.82 was the fastest split of the opening round.
It'll likely be a similar scenario on the women's side with the focus on USA, Jamaica and an inspired Polish team.
The men's 4x800m, meanwhile, will present Kenya's best chance to bounce back from a sub-par opening day, entering the race as podium favourites alongside defending champions USA and Poland. Alongside them, the Athlete Refugee Team will be making their eagerly awaited IAAF World Athletics Series debut.
Action also gets underway in the women's 4x100m, where yet another USA-Jamaica showdown is expected.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

An IAAF/BTC World Relays record in the women's 4x200m and yet another dramatic finish in the men's 4x100m were among the key highlights on the first day of the IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017, with plenty more drama on tap when competition resumes this evening.

Looking back and moving forward: day 2 preview – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

If you can keep your head when all around are losing theirs, then yours is the World Relays title.
Okay, that wasn&rsquo;t exactly how Rudyard Kipling put it all those years ago, but never did the British writer&rsquo;s words rings as true as in Nassau on Saturday night (22) as the team so often the subject of ridicule &ndash; the United States&rsquo; men&rsquo;s 4x100m squad &ndash; laughed last and laughed best, retaining their title in 38.43 at the IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017.
Earlier in the evening, Jamaica threw their chance &ndash; and their baton &ndash; away in the heats, third leg runner Jevaughn Minzie failing to grab the stick from Kemar Bailey-Cole. That left team anchor Yohan Blake looking forlorn at the top of the home straight, awaiting an incoming runner that would never arrive.
In the final, all eyes were on two teams &ndash; Canada and the US &ndash; as sprint heavyweights Justin Gatlin and Andre De Grasse awaited the baton expecting, as they did in the heats, to go toe-to-toe in a home-stretch duel.
But then it all fell apart, at least for the Canadians.
Second leg runner Aaron Brown managed to get the baton into the hand of teammate Brendon Rodney, but only for a fraction of a second. As he swung his arm through it slid from his grasp, their hopes of getting one over on their US rivals sliding away with it.
However, the US did not, as expected, have things all their own way thereafter.
As they approached the final exchange, Britain&rsquo;s Danny Talbot was locked together with Ronnie Baker of the US, but 20-year-old British anchor Ojie Edoburun, in what could only be described as an example of vast inexperience, set sail for the finish far too early.
That left Talbot chasing in vain to hand over the baton inside the zone, an impossible task.
"Everything happens for a reason," said Talbot. "We'll learn from this mistake."
Amid the calamity occurring all around them, the US team, anchored by Justin Gatlin, executed their final changeover with precision, giving them an unassailable lead.
Gatlin, a different calibre of athlete to those chasing behind, was never going to relinquish such an advantage, and he duly brought the US home to retain their title in 38.43, with Barbados taking second in 39.18, marginally in front of Australia (39.22).
"I haven't really run the anchor leg before but my teammates put me in a good position to bring home the gold," said Gatlin.&nbsp;
In addition to the medallists, Australia and France secured qualification for the IAAF World Championships London 2017 courtesy of their respective fourth- and fifth-place finishes. However, because the Netherlands failed to finish along with Britain and Canada, the remaining three places went to the top three in the B-race.
In that, Trinidad and Tobago spoiled the party for the hosts, with Dan-Neil Telesford producing an inspired final leg to power past The Bahamas to take victory in 39.04. Germany took second in 39.15, with Bahamas marginally behind in third (39.18).
Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF

If you can keep your head when all around are losing theirs, then yours is the World Relays title.

Men's 4x100m final – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

Propelled by a strong opening leg by Jura Levy, Jamaica powered to a convincing victory in the women's 4x200m, clocking a 1:29.04 competition record in the process.
The foursome &ndash; which included Olympic 400m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson, Sashalee Forbes and anchored by double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson&nbsp;&ndash; made up for another quartet's botched exchange two years ago by putting on the finest exchange-and-carry display of the first night's competition, extending their lead with each leg.&nbsp;
By the time Thompson got the baton, she was handed a full second lead, one she extended to more than a second-and-a-half before crossing the line.&nbsp;
"We came out and passed the baton around good," said Thompson, whose homestretch display was reminiscent of her triumphant half lap run in Rio. "There was no pressure, we came on the track and do what we do. We made sure we secured a spot in the finals earlier tonight and just came and do what we do."
While their exchanges were clean, the USA squad, the co-favourites coming in, was never quite in the hunt, struggling to eat up the gap that Levy and Jackson built. The German quartet, perhaps inspired by their opening round run where they finished just 0.10 behind the US team, improved on that considerably, taking the runner-up spot due largely to Gina Luckenkemper's strong anchor leg. They clocked 1:30.68 to finish one podium step higher than in 2015.
The USA were third a few strides back in 1:30.87. Further back, Trinidad and Tobago were fourth in 1:32.68 with Nigeria, the 2015 winners, fifth this time in 1:33.08.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

Propelled by a strong opening leg by Jura Levy, Jamaica powered to a convincing victory in the women's 4x200m, clocking a 1:29.04 World Relays record in the process.

Women's 4x200m final – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

The USA made it a perfect three-for-three in the women's 4x800m, convincingly fending off short-lived challenges by Belarus and Australia who finished second in the opening evening&rsquo;s first final.
Their winning time of 8:16.36 was by far their slowest in the short history of the IAAF World Relays &ndash; indeed, that performance wouldn't have been enough to reach the podium in 2014 or 2015&nbsp;&ndash; but what it lacked in speed it made up for with bits of drama. At least over most of the first three legs when the winner was far from clear.
Chanelle Price, the 2014 world indoor champion, led off the USA quartet for the third time at the World Relays, and as in her previous lead-off roles, launched her team to a narrow lead, this time with a 2:01.73 split.&nbsp;
But Australia came back, albeit briefly, courtesy of Abbey De la Motte who ran down Chrishuna Williams after their first lap, to eventually hand Zoe Buckman a narrow 0.72 lead.
Buckman held her ground for just over a lap until Laura Roesler, a finalist at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships, glided by with 250 metres remaining in her leg. She eventually chiseled together what would be an insurmountable three-second lead before handing the baton to Charlene Lipsey.
By that point Australia had faded out of contention with Belarus, anchored by world champion Maryna Arzamasova, giving chase. The Belarusian made up some ground, but an overly-enthusiastic early injection of speed hurt her in the waning stages and a real threat never materialised.
As Lipsey crossed the finish unchallenged, Arzamasova did manage to hold off Australian anchor Heidi See to reach the line in 8:20.07 to secure a medal for Belarus in their maiden World Relays appearance.
&ldquo;I knew we had a target on our backs and that the other teams wanted to take the crown from us,&rdquo; said Price, who joined Nickel Ashmeade of Jamaica and Sanya Richards-Ross as a World Relays three-time gold medallist. &ldquo;We also wanted to set the tone for the USA.&rdquo;
Australia clocked 8:21.08 for third, well ahead of Poland, who were fourth in 8:24.71.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

The USA made it a perfect three-for-three in the women's 4x800m, convincingly fending off short-lived challenges by Belarus and Australia who finished second in the opening evening’s first final.

Women's 4x800m final – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

Though the Bahamian quartet thrilled the crowd with a last-gasp third-place finish, in the end it was disappointment for the hosts in the heats of the men&rsquo;s 4x400m in Nassau on Saturday night (22), and they weren&rsquo;t the only victims of the stringent qualification criteria. &nbsp;
With only two to qualify automatically, the first heat saw Great Britain and Northern Ireland lead the way for the vast majority of the race, only to surrender victory approaching the line as France&rsquo;s Thomas Jordier powered past Theo Campbell to win in 3:04.74.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland came home second in 3:05.19 to secure automatic qualification, with The Bahamas, anchored by world leader Steven Gardiner, raising the roof with a powerful final leg to take third in 3:05.37.
The 21-year-old Bahamian used every inch of his gargantuan stride to ease past Kevin Borlee in the final yards, the Belgians surprisingly having to settle for fourth in 3:05.45, but neither their time or that of The Bahamas (3:05.37) was enough to advance.
In the second heat, Trinidad and Tobago caused an upset, their anchor man Lalonde Gordon coming from several metres back to pass David Verburg of the US with just metres to run.
Trinidad and Tobago had led briefly after two legs, but Tony McQuay put the USA firmly in the ascendancy entering the final leg, though it was a lead they simply couldn&rsquo;t protect. Trinidad and Tobago took the win in 3:02.51, the US second in 3:02.62, with Cuba advancing on time after their third-place finish in 3:04.97.
"I did a good job bringing it home," said Gordon. "Getting the win here means a better lane in the final tomorrow. It was important."
The third heat was a much more straightforward affair, with Botswana taking command from the outset and never relinquishing the lead. They were led off by Isaac Makwala, who handed over to Karabo Sibanda, leaving them in front of Jamaica at the halfway point.
That lead was consolidated by Onkabetse Nkobolo on the third leg, with young star Baboloki Thebe bringing them home to victory in 3:03.09. Jamaica was a close second in 3:03.52, with Brazil coming home third in 3:05.05, enough to see them through as non-automatic qualifiers. &nbsp;
"I think fighting for a medal is definitely possible," said Sibanda. "In Rio we were fifth and we didn't have everybody in the team. Now we are coming to full force so we can do it!"
Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF

Though the Bahamian quartet thrilled the crowd with a last-gasp third-place finish, in the end it was disappointment for the hosts in the heats of the men’s 4x400m in Nassau on Saturday night (22), and they weren’t the only victims of the stringent qualification criteria.  

Men's 4x400m heats – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

No surprises emerged from a competitive opening round, with defending champions USA, and perennial powers Jamaica and Poland looking the strongest ahead of tomorrow evening's final.
After running close with Australia over the opening two laps in heat one, world leader Quanera Hayes took command for the US quartet with a 50.73 split, the second fastest of the round. That allowed Natasha Hastings to come home on cruise control to seal the 3:29.27 win, the fastest of the three heats.&nbsp;
Stringing together a consistent series of 52-second legs, Australia finished a strong runner-up in 3:30.31 to also advance.
The second heat brought the crowd to life as Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the host country's biggest sporting star, led the Bahamian quartet on to the track &ndash; and again several minutes later when she was formally introduced, and again a minute after that when the Olympic champion led off for the hosts.
Running in lane seven, Miller-Uibo made up the stagger on Canadian Carline Muir after 250 metres, giving her squad a three-stride lead after an impressive 50.25 leg, the fastest of the evening. They held their lead through legs two and three but the pressure was too much for anchor Rashan Brown, who eventually faded to fourth and out of contention for a spot in the final.
The race for the win came down to Great Britain and Nigeria with Margaret Bamgbose out-dueling Briton Kelly Massey over the waning stages to take the victory in 3:31.97. The British squad were next in 3:33.00 to move on as well.
Poland produced the most entertaining victory of the round, battling with Jamaica leg-for-leg, with anchor Justyna Swiety even tossing in an impressive come-from-behind flourish to overtake Anneisha McLaughlin-Whilby over the final 40 metres. Poland clocked 3:29.42 and Jamaica 3:29.93 to easily claim their spots in the final.
Botswana was next in 3:31.61 with Germany fourth in 3:34.34 to take the last two lanes in the final.&nbsp;
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

No surprises emerged from a competitive opening round, with defending champions USA, and perennial powers Jamaica and Poland looking the strongest ahead of tomorrow evening's final.

WORLD ATHLETICS RELAYS

World Relays through a lens

Looking back on Nassau: video highlights from the IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

USA wins third straight Golden Baton – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

Mixed 4x400m final – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017

Women's 4x100m final – IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017