A women&rsquo;s distance medley relay team featuring three global medallists set a world best of 10:40.31 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, the opening meeting of the 2017 IAAF World Indoor Tour.
The meeting, run at the Reggie Lewis Center at Roxbury Community College for the 21st year, concluded with Olympic 1500m gold medallist Matt Centrowitz&rsquo;s tactically brilliant victory in the mile in 3:55.78, one of four other world-leading marks.
Olympic steeplechase bronze medallist Emma Coburn led off the distance medley relay with a 3:18.40 1200m leg and was closely pressed by Anna Silvander of the European team. Coburn passed to Olympic 400m hurdles semifinalist Sydney McLaughlin, who clocked 52.32 for the 400m leg.
At this point the team was somewhat behind schedule for the record, but 2013 world 800m bronze medallist Martinez, who anchored the previous best team, split 2:01.94 for the 800m leg &ndash; a time which, run in a straight race, would be a world lead &ndash; to put the record back in play.
Martinez passed off to Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Jenny Simpson, who then ran more or less alone to a 4:27.66 1600m leg to secure the mark.
&ldquo;I knew I wasn&rsquo;t just running for myself,&rdquo; said Simpson. &ldquo;I had to not throw away the hard work of the three women in front of me. I wanted to make sure I could still close hard.&rdquo;
The previous best of 10:42.57 was run at this meeting in 2015 by a team of Sarah Brown, Mahogany Jones, Megan Krumpoch, and Martinez.
<h3>Centrowitz&rsquo;s mind control bubble</h3>
Centrowitz stuck to the pacemaker&rsquo;s shoulder for most of the men&rsquo;s mile, then took charge with two laps remaining. After that, it was a signature Centrowitz race, with challenges from Ben True and then Vincent Kibet posed and shrugged off. Centrowitz later admitted he hadn&rsquo;t known who was challenging him, only aware that someone was there.
Kibet came to the finish with arms swinging high, as though trying to claw Centrowitz back to him, but was unable to gain ground and took second in 3:56.09. Third place went to Jake Wightman &ndash; who ran much of the race in sixth or seventh, but came through the pack on the last lap &ndash; in 3:57.24.
Hellen Obiri ran 8:39.08 to best Sifan Hassan and Shannon Rowbury in the women&rsquo;s 3000m, despite doing much of the pace work herself. Obiri and Hassan originally gapped Rowbury with six laps remaining, but then Obiri&rsquo;s varying pace (which wavered between 33 and 36 seconds per lap mid-race) allowed Rowbury to re-establish contact.
Finally at the bell Obiri managed to establish a gap on Hassan, and Hassan on Rowbury, settling the eventual finish order. Hassan clocked 8:40.99 and Rowbury 8:41.94.
<h3>Stefanidi prevails</h3>
The duel of Olympic pole vault gold medallists between Ekaterini Stefanidi and Jenn Suhr became a non-event when Suhr pulled out after her first unsuccessful attempt. After passing to 4.53m, Suhr cited injury, leaving Stefanidi and Canada's Alysha Newman still vaulting. Newman was out at 4.63m, so Stefanidi made three unsuccessful attempts at 4.73m before taking the victory.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not very good at jumping alone,&rdquo; Stefanidi said afterwards. &ldquo;I wish Jenn could have continued.&rdquo;
English Gardner won the women&rsquo;s 60m in 7.17 by a lean.
&ldquo;I stumbled on about the fourth or fifth step,&rdquo; Gardner said. &ldquo;It was a pretty good start, but it&rsquo;s only about my third time in blocks this year. I knew if I was patient they would come back. My maturity won the race today &ndash; I&rsquo;m proud of myself for holding my composure.&rdquo; Second place went to Dezerea Bryant in 7.19.
Britain's Harry Aikines-Aryeetey won the men&rsquo;s 60m in 6.66 &ndash; the same time recorded by China's Xie Zhenye in second. Aikines-Aryeetey took the victory in thousandths, 6.654 to 6.657, a smaller margin than the difference in the two men&rsquo;s reaction times.
Charlene Lipsey sprung a trap on Ethiopia's Habitam Alemu to win the women&rsquo;s 800m* in a world-leading 2:02.01. Alemu held the lead from 500m, when the pacemaker stepped off the track, but Lipsey knew she had more left.
&ldquo;The whole third lap I was thinking, be patient, be patient,&rdquo; she said. Lipsey pounced a lap later, on the backstretch of the bell lap, and seized the rail before reaching the final bend. Alemu fought hard but couldn&rsquo;t recover the distance; Lipsey took the tape with Alemu second in 2:02.38.
<h3>Chelimo content</h3>
USA's Olympic 5000m silver medallist Paul Chelimo won the men&rsquo;s 3000m in a world-leading 7:42.39, with Britain's Andrew Butchart second in 7:42.97. Hagos Gebrhiwet, who switched back from the mile to the 3000m only the morning before, took third in 7:43.04.
Lawi Lalang took the race out quickly, but too quickly, in Chelimo&rsquo;s judgement. &ldquo;He was 57, 58 for the first 400m,&rdquo; Chelimo explained. He sat back to run his own race, running in second or third and only taking the lead with from Lalang with three laps remaining.
&ldquo;I wanted to run under 7:30, but for the first race of the season, I can&rsquo;t ask for much,&rdquo; said Chelimo.
Butchart, also a 5000m finalist in Rio, forced the pace late, saying: &ldquo;I figured if we weren&rsquo;t going to go with Lawi I&rsquo;d try a little bit. I&rsquo;m in better shape now than I was in Rio, and this is only my third race ever indoors.&rdquo;
<h3>Thomas, Mamona and LaPierre victorious in the jumps</h3>
Donald Thomas, the 2007 world champion, struggled early in the men&rsquo;s high jump, taking two attempts to clear 2.25m when his competitors made it over on the first jump. Once the bar went to 2.28m, however, Thomas cleared on his second attempt to put himself in the driver&rsquo;s seat. Nobody else made that height, leaving Allex Austin and Michael Mason tied for second at 2.25m. Thomas moved the bar to 2.34m, where he took three attempts but did not clear.
Patricia Mamona won the women&rsquo;s triple jump in commanding fashion, reaching 14.01m on her fourth and last jump. All four of Mamona&rsquo;s jumps would have been enough to win.
Fabrice Lapierre and Michel Torneus both jumped 7.80m in the men&rsquo;s long jump, with the victory going to LaPierre on the strength of his second mark of 7.75m. Lapierre reached 7.80m on the second of four rounds, and Torneus on the third; Torneus wasn&rsquo;t able to break the tie in the fourth round, so Lapierre passed his last attempt.
Courtney Okolo held off challenges, first from Candace Hill and then Jessica Beard, winning the women&rsquo;s 300m from the outside lane in 36.87. Noah Lyles out-legged last year&rsquo;s winner Vernon Norwood to take the men&rsquo;s 300m in 32.67, .03 faster than Norwood&rsquo;s winning (and world-leading) time in 2016.
Duane Solomon broke the tape in the men&rsquo;s 600m, but the victory went to Donavan Brazier in 1:16.57. Solomon was disqualified for breaking too early from his lane.
Parker Morse for the IAAF&nbsp;
&nbsp;
*Yuliya Stepanova of Russia competed as a neutral athlete.

A women’s distance medley relay team featuring three global medallists set a world indoor best of 10:40.31 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, the opening meeting of the 2017 IAAF World Indoor Tour.

World best in distance medley relay highlights World Indoor Tour opener in Boston

In what was her final outing at the event, Sanya Richards-Ross anchored the USA team to victory in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m on the final day of action at&nbsp;the Penn Relays in Philadelphia on Saturday (30).
The Olympic 400m champion ran a 52.36 leg to bring her team home to victory in 3:26.83 ahead of Jamaica in 3:29.00 and Nigeria in 3:32.37.
On the first leg for the USA team, Natasha Hastings clocked&nbsp;a 51.3 split to give her team an immediate advantage.&nbsp;That was a lead extended by DeeDee Trotter, who was timed at 51.4 on the second leg. Next up was Phyllis Francis, who ran 51.42 to give the USA team an unassailable lead for Richard-Ross&rsquo;s victory lap on the anchor leg.
&ldquo;Penn Relays is always special for me,&rdquo; said Richards-Ross. &ldquo;Today, the crowd was amazing. My teammates gave me a big lead and I felt like I was running a victory lap. I'm just a runner, but to see the impact my career has had on a lot of young people, it meant a lot to me.&rdquo;
Richards-Ross, 31, had confirmed at a pre-meet press conference that 2016 will be the last season of her decorated career which &ndash; including relays &ndash; has seen her win five Olympic medals and seven World Championships medals.
On Saturday the crowd gave her warm cheers when her name was announced at Franklin Field before the race. &ldquo;Lots of young girls came up to me and asked me not to retire,&rdquo; she said with tears beginning to fill her eyes. &ldquo;I don't want to be emotional because every race will be a last race for me. I love being out here doing what I love.&rdquo;
In the men&rsquo;s 4x400m, the young squad of the USA blue team &ndash; Chris Giesting, Brycen Spratling, Je&rsquo;Von Hutchison and James Harris &ndash; proved a class apart and took victory in 3:02.32.
Jeremy Wariner, the 2004 Olympic 400m champion, made a return to form, clocking a 44.5-second leg for the USA red team and helping them to second place in 3:03.73, narrowly in front of Brazil, who ran 3:03.75 for third.
&ldquo;It's a big honour to put on the American uniform,&rdquo; said James Harris, who ran 45.5 on the anchor leg for the winning team. &ldquo;To get the victory on top of this, it's priceless.&rdquo;
Wariner, 32, was pleased to help his team to second place, and his split was the fastest of the day. &ldquo;It's a whole different field for me now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;A bunch of young kids are coming up. I'm happy I was able to run well and give them some good experiences.&rdquo;
<h3>Elation for US women, frustration for US men</h3>
Elite relay sections at the Penn Relays are titled &lsquo;USA versus the World&rsquo;, and that rivalry of the sprint superpowers was best exemplified by the women&rsquo;s 4x100m.
US-based Jamaican supporters filled the stands to lend their support, but when the gun fired, it was the USA&rsquo;s Tianna Bartoletta who started best. She handed over to Candyce McGrone, who passed off to Kimberlyn Duncan, who built a lead for Carmelita Jeter on the last leg. Jeter duly held off Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to anchor her team to victory in 42.61 ahead of Jamaica&rsquo;s 42.90.
&ldquo;I had been hurting for two years, but they believed in me,&rdquo; said Jeter. &ldquo;Whenever I get a stick in my hand, I don't think about myself. I think about the other three women who ran before me, and I can't let these women down.&rdquo;
Right after the victory of the US women, the American fans were brought back down to earth as the USA blue team of Mike Rodgers, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Isiah Young were disqualified in the 4x100m for a zone infringement on the final exchange.
Rodgers and Gatlin had built a lead over Jamaica and the USA red after two legs, but&nbsp;a sluggish handoff between Gay and Young let the Jamaican team of Jermaine Hamilton, Julian Foote, Rasheed Dwyer and Oshane Bailey back into the lead, and it was a chance they didn&rsquo;t relinquish, taking victory in 38.70.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I had a good start and good hand off to Justin,&rdquo; said Rodgers. &ldquo;It didn't end so well, but we just need lots of practice for Rio. People keep pointing their fingers and downing us, but nobody has ever tried to come out there and help us.&rdquo;
After the huge disappointment of the 4x100m, the US quartet of Young, Gatlin, Wallace Spearmon and Rodgers took victory in a swift 1:20.94 in the men&rsquo;s 4x200m.
In the women's 4x200m, USA and Jamaica ran head-to-head until the finish leg, with the US quartet of Candyce McGrone, Kaylin Whitney, Duncan and Cambria Jones eventually taking a narrow win over Jamaica, 1:31.17 to 1:31.34.
<h3>Hosts bring the house down with late charge</h3>
Elsewhere on Saturday, the University of Pennsylvania took victory in the 4xmile in 16:26.30, the host college running down leaders Indiana in the home straight to make it a double after Friday's success in the men's distance medley relay. In that earlier event, Penn's&nbsp;anchor Brandon Kinner ran a 4:00.77 1600m leg to hand his college victory in 9:35.51 ahead of Georgetown, who were second in 9:36.32.
Jamaican college GC Foster was&nbsp;best in the college men&rsquo;s 4x400m in 39.31, while the 4x200m title went to South Carolina in 1:22.38.
The University of Florida took a commanding victory in the college men&rsquo;s 4x400m, coming come easy winners in 3:04.78, while the University of Oregon took the win in a much closer women&rsquo;s race, beating the University of Tennessee 3:30.11 to 3:30.73. However, there was delight for Tennessee in the women&rsquo;s 4x200m, their quartet taking victory over UTech in 1:31.84.
In the women&rsquo;s 4x1500m on Friday, Villanova's Siofra Cleirigh-Buttner unleashed a strong kick on the anchor leg (4:21.7) to hand her college&nbsp;victory in 17:44.29, just coming home ahead of the University of Oregon (17:44.67).
The University of Florida was a dominant winner of the sprint men&rsquo;s sprint medley relay, their quartet&rsquo;s winning time of 3:16.87 leaving them well clear of runner-up BYU (3:16.87). The University of Oregon were equally dominant in the women&rsquo;s event, taking a decisive victory in 3:46.40 ahead of Clemson (3:50.62).
Earlier in the day, the Oregon women were also successful in the college 4x100m in 43.44, with Tennessee second in 43.72.
In the high school events, rising star Drew Hunter underlined his vast potential on Friday by anchoring Loudoun Valley to victory in the distance medley relay (1200m-400m-800m-1600m), running 4.00.73 on his final leg and overcoming a 10-second deficit to beat La Salle Academy by just 0.001 in 10:00.00.
Jamaican school Edwin Allen once again asserted their dominance over their US rivals in the sprint ranks, taking victory in the high school girls&rsquo; 4x100m on Friday in 45.73. They made it a double later in the day, winning the high school girls&rsquo; 4x400m in 3:40.88 ahead of their compatriots and rivals St Elizabeth Tech, who were second in 3:41.17.
Ayako Oikawa for the IAAF

In what was her final outing at the event, Sanya Richards-Ross anchored the USA team to victory in the women’s 4x400m at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia on Saturday (30). 

Emotional victory for Richards-Ross as USA dominate Penn Relays

Statisticians A Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava look back on the best relay performances of the year.<h3>Men&rsquo;s 4x100m</h3>One of the most amazing global championship winning streaks in our sport is that of Jamaica in the 4x100m. From the 2008 Olympics Games onwards they managed to win all six finals &ndash; in itself remarkable due to the hazardous nature of the event &ndash; by margins of between 0.30 and 1.28. In the process, the Caribbean nation has produced the six fastest times ever in the event, ranging from 36.84 to 37.36, the latter mark being clocked to win at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015.Of course, Usain Bolt has been of great importance to the Jamaicans and been part of all the winning teams over the past seven years but one man alone can&rsquo;t achieve success in relays. However, he again anchored Jamaica to success in the Chinese capital where the hazardous nature of the event was clearly illustrated in the final when neither of the two other main medal candidates, USA and Great Britain, managed to complete the race legitimately and the silver, much to the delight of the crowd, went to host nation China.The demise of the USA, thanks to a botched last exchange, was especially hurtful as they had their &lsquo;Dream Team&rsquo; in action. The USA fielded numbers two, three, five and six from the individual 100m final versus numbers one and seven for Jamaica.Furthermore, at the IAAF World Relays in Nassau in May the USA team had set a national record of 37.38 which clearly defeated a Bolt-anchored Jamaica. Three-quarters of both of those teams also ran in Beijing, so Nassau should have been a confidence booster for the USA, but to no avail as it turned out.<h3>Men&rsquo;s 4x400m</h3>The three-minute barrier was first surpassed in 1966 by the USA but although almost half a century has passed, sub-3:00 times have never become commonplace. However, just as 2015 was a year for the history books in the individual 400m, that also manifested itself in the 4x400m.For the first time ever, a team ran faster than three minutes in a heat but failed to advance to the final as Botswana&rsquo;s 2:59.95 for fifth place in the second heat in Beijing&rsquo;s was not sufficient to progress. (Just two years ago in Moscow an almost identical time &ndash; 2:59.88 &ndash; gave Jamaica the silver medal.)Luckless Botswana were one of a record 10 nations to run faster than three minutes in 2015 with the final itself being won by the USA in a world-leading 2:57.82, partly thanks to an outstanding 44.18 last leg from LaShawn Merritt to defeat an inspired Trinidad and Tobago quartet.The IAAF World Relays, now in its second year, has created greater interest in the event by providing one more attractive competitive opportunity and the top five in Beijing all finished in the top seven in Nassau three months earlier. The correlation would have been even greater had World Relays silver medalist and host nation The Bahamas not been disqualified for a lane infraction in the Beijing heats. <h3>Other men&rsquo;s relay events</h3>Except for the championship events of the 4x100m and 4x400m, arena relay activity is still limited outside of the US collegiate scene. However, the introduction of the IAAF World Relays has changed the situation somewhat by offering a competition completely focusing on relays with 4x200m, 4x800m and &ndash; for the first time in 2015 &ndash; the distance medley relay added to the two standard events.In the Nassau 4x200m, major problems in the last exchange for both the USA and Jamaica unfortunately dashed all hopes for fast times. But the latter prevailed to win in a world-leading 1:20.19.In the two longer events, the expected scenario was that Kenya and the USA would push each other, which they did at least some of the way. Perhaps surprisingly, both races turned out to be fairly clear wins for the USA with the individual ability to judge the pace being the crucial factor.The distance medley was run for the first time ever internationally and the winning USA team of Kyle Merber (1200m), Brycen Spratling (400m), Brendan Johnson (800m) and Ben Blankenship (1600m) recorded 9:15.50, the fastest time ever and which was later was ratified as the inaugural world record.<h3>Women&rsquo;s 4x100m</h3>Jamaica notched up an early season morale-boosting win at the IAAF World Relays, winning in 42.14 with the USA in second place in 42.32.However, these weren&rsquo;t the fastest times of the season prior to Beijing. Two US teams recorded quicker times at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Monaco in July, with the winning quartet clocking 41.96 and the second team 42.27. In Beijing, Jamaica was narrowly the fastest in the heats, winning their race in 41.84 and USA wasn&rsquo;t far behind with their 42.00 performance in the other heat. The final though belonged to Jamaica for the second World Championships in a row. The USA was not even close.Jamaica, anchored by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce again, successfully defended their world title clocking a superb world-leading time of 41.07 and the USA was second, as in 2013, in 41.68. Trinidad and Tobago won their first medal in this event in third with a 42.03 national record.Great Britain was a close fourth in a 42.10 national record but the Netherlands, one of the medal favourites after their 42.32 national record in the heats, was unfortunately disqualified.<h3>Women&rsquo;s 4x400m</h3>The 4x400m season started as usual with USA getting another win at the IAAF World Relays in a world-leading 3:19.39. The USA has historically controlled this event, having won the past five Olympic titles from 1996 to 2012 and four recent world titles in 2003 and 2007-2011. (Russia got a rare win in front of their home crowd in Moscow in 2013 and in Helsinki in 2005.)At the IAAF World Relays, Russia finished in second place in 3:20.23 and Jamaica third in 3:20.95. However,&nbsp; in the Beijing final, Russia was never in the picture, while Jamaica fought hard and won their first world title in 14 years, their only previous gold medal coming in 2001.Allyson Felix passed the baton at the final exchange with the USA in a narrow lead, but Jamaican anchor Novlene Williams-Mills, a four-time World Championships silver medallist in this event, timed her leg perfectly and passed the USA's fading last leg runner Francena McCorory some 20 metres from the finish. The winning time of 3:19.13 was the best in the world this year and the second fastest ever for a Jamaican quartet.Behind the first two, Great Britain won their second successive bronze in this event, this time clocking 3:23.62.<h3>Other women&rsquo;s relay events</h3>A delighted and delightful Nigerian quartet was the fastest in 4x200m at the IAAF World Relays, winning in a national record of 1:30.52 with Jamaica finishing second in 1:31.73. USA came out on top in the 4x800m relay in Nassau in a national record of 8:00.62, finishing almost 11 seconds ahead of second-placed Poland, while the USA were also the winners in the distance medley at the IAAF World Relays in 10:36.50, with Kenya taking the second spot with 10:43.35.A Lennart Julin (men&rsquo;s events) and Mirko Jalava (women&rsquo;s events) for the IAAF

Statisticians A Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava look back on the best relay performances of the year.

2015 end-of-year reviews – relays

The following world records have recently been ratified...<h3>World records</h3>MenDistance medley relay: 9:15.50 United States (Kyle Merber, Brycen Spratling, Brandon Johnson, Ben Blankenship) Nassau, BAH 2 May 15 Previous best: 9:15.56 Kenya (Elkanah Angwenyi, Thomas Musembi, Alfred Kirwa Yego, Alex Kipchirchir Rono) Philadelphia, USA 29 Apr 06WomenDistance medley relay: 10:36.50 United States (Treniere Moser, Sanya Richards-Ross, Ajee Wilson, Shannon Rowbury) Nassau, BAH 3 May 15 Previous best: 10:42.57i United States (Sarah Brown, Mahagony Jones, Megan Krumpoch, Brenda Martinez) Boston, USA 7 Feb 1520km race walk: 1:24:38 Hong Liu (CHN) La Coruna, ESP 6 Jun 15 Previous: 1:25:02 Elena Lashmanova (RUS) London, GBR 11 Aug 2012IAAF

The following world records have recently been ratified...

World records ratified

USA followed in the footsteps of their female counterparts on Saturday and shaved 0.06 off the world record* in the men's distance medley with a time of 9:15.50 on the second day of the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015.The team of &nbsp;Kyle Merber (1200m), Brycen Spratling (400m), Brandon Johnson (800m) and Ben Blankenship (1600m) improved on the nine-year-old record of Kenya, the win and the record thanks in no small part to an outstanding last leg by Blankenship in 3:51.24.Blankenship took over just in front of Kenya and Australia with four laps to go but was almost a second-and-a half outside the world record pace at that point.He then saw Kenyan's experienced Timothy Cheriuyot got pass him 200 metres into the first lap and quickly establish a 20-metre lead, as the Kenyan sped through his first 400m in 51.96, but the American held his never and started to reel in his rival.By the bell, Blankenship was on the shoulder of Cheriuyot and then passed him on the final bend before visibly gritting his teeth down the home straight, well-aware that Cheriuyot was going through the pain barrier as well as both men could see what was happening on the big stadium screen in front of them.Blankenship, racing in his first major international competition, had enough in the tank to complete his last lap in 56.80 though to go into new territory for the event as the flagging Cheriuyot brought Kenya home 20 metres in arrears in second place, clocking 9:17.20.The American later revealed that he had not been watching the clock over the final metres but had resisted the urge to celebrate before crossing the line, a gesture which could potentially have denied the US team the record and the US$50,000 bonus.Australia, having been just a stride or so behind the USA and Kenya at the change, took the bronze medals in 9:21.62; their last leg runner Collis Birmingham being better known these days for his feats over longer distances and not having enough speed in his legs to hold onto Blankenship and Cheriuyot from 600 metres out.Six teams finished, including Papua New Guinea, whose anchor leg runner George Yamak was lapped by all five teams in front of him but who was sportingly cheered all round his solitary last lap by the sporting home crowd. Phil Minshull for the IAAF*subject to the usual ratification procedures

USA shaved 0.06 off the world record* in the men's distance medley with a time of 9:15.50 on the second day of the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015.

Men's distance medley – IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015

USA smashed the world record* in the women's distance medley with a time of 10:36.50 on the first day of the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015.The team of Treniere Moser (1200m), Sanya Richards-Ross (400m), Ajee Wilson (800m) and Shannon Rowbury (1600m) took more than six seconds off the previous mark of 10:42.57 that was set indoors earlier this year by a different US team.The first leg looked to be more tactical in the beginning with none of the athletes willing to lead as the first lap was covered in just 69 seconds. But the pace had picked up by the end of the 1200m section, with France leading the USA, 3:18.11 to 3:18.38.The slow first lap meant the teams were a few seconds outside world record pace, but a 50.12 clocking from Richards-Ross on the 400m leg put them back on course.Wilson then ran a solo 2:00.08 for the 800m leg and Rowbury then increased their lead, which was already substantial, to bring the baton home in 10:36.50, covering the final four laps in 4:27.92.In second, Kenya set an African record of 10:43.35 while Poland broke the European record with 10:45.32 in third place.Another area record was set in fourth place with Australia clocking an Oceania best of 10:46.94. Early leaders France faded as the race progressed and they eventually finished sixth behind Germany, both teams taking more than 11 minutes to cover the 10 laps.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF*Subject to the usual ratification procedures.

USA smashed the world record* in the women's distance medley with a time of 10:36.50 on the first day of the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015.

Women's distance medley – IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015

The new event on the IAAF World Relays programme replaces the 4x1500m and sees teams sending runners out on legs of 1200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m.The target time for any nation to break the world record is 9:15.56, set by a Kenyan quartet at the Penn Relays in 2006.Inevitably, based on the quality of their squad and with little other form to go on, it&rsquo;s Kenya who will be the favourites for this innovative new event in Nassau and their squad includes Timothy Cheruiyot and Ferguson Rotich, the latter being part of Kenya&rsquo;s victorious 4x800m team in 2014.Despite the international inexperience of the other members of the Kenyan squad, what points in their favour is that key members of other anticipated challengers will probably have run in the 4x800m the day before.Poland have named Adam Kszczot and Marcin Lewandowski in both relays, as have Bahrain with 2009 1500m world champion Yusuf Saad Kamel; although the latter also have the accomplished 1500m man Benson Seurei and junior 400m talent Abbas Abubakar Abbas to call upon.Perhaps the challenge to the Kenyans will come from Germany, who have not entered the 4x800m. The Germans have a squad that includes the fastest 1500m man in the world indoors this year, Homiyu Tesfaye, and the emerging 800m talent and former European junior champion Robin Schembera.The USA, in many respects the home of the distance medley relay, could get in the medals with Will Leer and Andrew Wheating among their team and, in the field of seven which will be a straight final, Australia might also enter reckoning. Phil Minshull for the IAAF

The new event on the IAAF World Relays programme replaces the 4x1500m and sees teams sending runners out on legs of 1200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m.

Men's distance medley preview – IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015

Being the only nation in the world that holds distance medley relays with any regularity, it would be the biggest shock of the competition if the USA did not triumph in the newest addition to the IAAF World Relays programme.They have already been in record-breaking form this year. In February at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix a quartet of Sarah Brown, Mahagony Jones, Megan Krumpoch and Brenda Martinez clocked 10:42.57, which will be officially recognised as a world record on the eve of this year&rsquo;s World Relays.None of those four will be in Nassau, but the US team for this weekend is just as strong, if not stronger. US champion Ajee Wilson, 2009 world bronze medallist Shannon Rowbury, 2014 US indoor 3000m champion Gabriele Grunewald and multiple US 1500m champion Treniere Moser make up the hotly tipped squad.Three of the women who will represent Poland in the 4x800m &ndash; Angelika Cichoka, Sofia Ennaoui and Katarzyna Broniatowska &ndash; will double up in the distance medley.Two-time world 1500m champion Maryam Jamal leads a full-strength Bahraini team that could get among the top three.Kenya fielded an all-star team in the 4x1500m last year which won by more than 20 seconds, but their 2015 squad for the event&rsquo;s replacement is nowhere near as strong.France and Germany, two nations with strong athletes across all events, could also challenge for a podium position.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Being the only nation in the world that holds distance medley relays with any regularity, it would be the biggest shock of the competition if the USA did not triumph in the newest addition to the IAAF World Relays programme.

Women's distance medley preview – IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015

University of Oregon&rsquo;s Edward Cheserek played a starring role at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, the 21-year-old Kenyan running a composed mile leg in the distance medley relay, at the end of which he kicked away from Villanova&rsquo;s Jordan Williamsz to give Oregon their second consecutive title on Friday (24).Cheserek took the baton in second place for the anchor leg after Oregon&rsquo;s Johnny Gregorek ran the opening 1200m leg in 2:56.8, Marcus Chambers followed up with a 47.9 400m stint and Niki Franzmair ran 800m in 1:49.75, Oregon coming home in 9:33.86 to Villanova&rsquo;s 9:34.36.&ldquo;I was prepared,&rdquo; said Cheserek. &ldquo;I was just waiting for (Williamsz) to take the lead a little bit. I stayed with him and saved energy for the last 200 metres. My coach told me to sit in second and make the move on the last lap when you feel strong.&rdquo;Oregon&rsquo;s lead-off runner Gregorek, whose father John anchored Georgetown to victory in the same event at the 1982 Penn Relays, winning allowed him to emulate his father&rsquo;s achievement. &ldquo;It feels great,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I've always looked up to my dad as a runner. Slowly over the years, I've realised how cool some of his accomplishments here were. I'm happy to keep the tradition going.&rdquo;Over 39,000 were in attendance at Franklin Field for the penultimate day of the Relays as a total of 98 events played out in glorious spring sunshine. Another Oregon star to help her team to victory was Jenna Prandini, who ran the second leg (200m) of the college sprint medley championship. Prandini, who is the fastest in the world over 200m this year after a 22.42 run at the Mt Sac Relays last week, was joined by Jasmine Todd (200m), Raevyn Rogers (400m) and Annie Leblanc (800m). Thanks to a battling anchor leg from Leblanc &ndash; who edged Clemson&rsquo;s Natoya Goule in a home-stretch duel &ndash; Oregon took and narrow victory and got to lift the famed championship wheel, running 3:44.59 to Clemson&rsquo;s 3:44.71. <div class="quote">&nbsp; &ldquo;When I saw that straightaway, I just gave it my all,&rdquo; said Leblanc. &ldquo;I could feel the energy of my team mates and my coaches. It's amazing. Once we get the wheel in our hands, I think I'll start realizing it. I'm just really, really happy.&rdquo;</div> The men&rsquo;s sprint medley relay saw Penn State take a narrow victory over Louisiana State University, 3:21.29 to 3:21.95, with Brannon Kidder&rsquo;s 1:48.90 800m anchor leg playing a pivotal role. &ldquo;I just wanted to be the first one to go and i thought I could survive so I did,&rdquo;&nbsp;said Kidder. &ldquo;My team put me in a good spot so I had to try and win it for them.&rdquo;In the college women&rsquo;s 4x1500m relay, favourites Stanford took their first title in nine years, with Elise Cranny&rsquo;s third leg of 4:17.2 effectively ending the race as a contest. Stanford ran out comfortable winners in 17:27.54 ahead of North Carolina (17:30.22). &nbsp;Texas A&amp;M took a decisive win in the college women&rsquo;s 4x100m relay, anchor Aaliyah Brown powering down the home straight and bringing them home to victory in 43.76. University of Texas finished second in 44.36&ldquo;We came out here and dominated,&rdquo; said Brown. &ldquo;It was a great feeling. I came here in high school but it&rsquo;s nothing compared to this environment on a collegiate team that&rsquo;s well known.&rdquo;The all-coming Jamaican high schools proved all too strong for their American counterparts in the high school sprint relays, with Edwin Allen High School winning the girls 4x100m relay in 45.40, and the same school taking a comfortable victory over Vere Technical in the 4x400m with a win in 3:40.41. Andrew Hunter of Loudoun Valley, Virginia proved himself a class apart in the boys&rsquo; championship mile, coming home an easy winner in 4:07.15. In the field events, Darrell Hill narrowly missed the Penn Relays record when reaching 20.79m to win the college men&rsquo;s shot put and Trevor Detillion was an equally dominant winner of the high school boys&rsquo; discus throw with a best of 62.04m. Jordan Geist was also impressive when winning the high school boys shot put with a best effort of 20.45m.The Penn Relays conclude on Saturday with the professional athletes taking centre stage for the USA vs. the World sprint relay events. With many of USA&rsquo;s best sprinters slated to compete, it will serve as the perfect appetiser ahead of next weekend&rsquo;s IAAF World Relays in the Bahamas. Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF

University of Oregon’s Edward Cheserek played a starring role at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, the 21-year-old Kenyan running a composed mile leg in the distance medley relay, at the end of which he kicked away from Villanova’s Jordan Williamsz to give Oregon their second consecutive title on Friday (24).

Cheserek the star at the Penn Relays' penultimate day

There is just over a week to go before the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015, which will be held in Nassau on Saturday and Sunday 2-3 May.More than 600 athletes from around the world will compete in five relay disciplines in the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium: 4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m, 4x800m and the distance medley relay for both men and women.The star attraction will be, without doubt, the 100m and 200m world record holder Usain Bolt who has been entered as part of Jamaica&rsquo;s 4x100m and 4x200m teams.In the latter event, and with Bolt missing through injury, Jamaica set a world record of 1:18.63 at the inaugural IAAF World Relays at the same venue in 2014, one of three world records to fall in a memorable first edition of the latest addition to the roster of IAAF Competition.The Jamaica team is expected to include Veronica Campbell-Brown in the 4x100m and 2013 World Athlete of the Year Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce in the 4x200m.In addition to outstanding teams from all over the Caribbean, there are a host of star names who will be making longer journeys to get to the event.<h3>USA to defend Golden Baton </h3> The USA took the Golden Baton last year for amassing the most points within the scoring system and has sent a strong contingent to try to defend this accolade.The US squad includes 25 athletes who have won medals at global senior championships, including three of the four members of the world record women&rsquo;s 4x100m team in Tianna Bartoletta, four-time Olympic gold medallists Allyson Felix and three-time Olympic medallist Carmelita Jeter.Four-time Olympic gold medallist Sanya Richards-Ross will team up with world indoor champion Francena McCorory and Olympic bronze medallist DeeDee Trotter in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m. LaShawn Merritt is also entered in the men's 4x400m.Two-time world 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop will return to Nassau as the Kenyan team looks to replicate &ndash; or even better &ndash; their tally of three wins from the inaugural 2014 event.Last year, Kenya won the men&rsquo;s 4x800m, 4x1500m and women&rsquo;s 4x1500m in the capital of The Bahamas, dominating both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s finals and setting world records in the longest event, which has this year been replaced by a distance medley relay but it&rsquo;s sure that Kenya will be the favourite for this new event on the global stage. Other star names have been entered include: Bahrain's Maryam Yusuf Jamal, Dominican Republic's Lugelin Santos, Great Britain's Richard Kilty, Japan's Yoshihide Kiryu, Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare, Poland's Adam Kszczot, Trinidad and Tobago's Lalonde Gordon and Michelle-Lee Ahye.The IAAF World Relays is the biggest sporting event to be held in The Bahamas in 2015 and it will serve as a qualifying competition for the 2016 Olympic Games.The top eight teams in both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s 4x100m and 4x400m will automatically qualify for Rio.In addition, the top eight teams in each event will be awarded prize money with the gold medallists taking home no less than USD $50,000. In the event that a team breaks a world record in Nassau, an additional bonus of USD $50,000 will also be awarded.The IAAF will be providing live results, news and event reports which will all be available <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-relays">here</a>.IAAF

There is just over a week to go before the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015, which will be held in Nassau on Saturday and Sunday 2-3 May.

IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015 – one week to go

<a href="#FR">Fran&ccedil;ais</a>After months of anticipation, Bingo the potcake dog was introduced as the official mascot for the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015, on Tuesday (22).The competition will be held over the weekend of 2-3 May at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium in Nassau.Students and staff of Yellow Elder Primary School in Nassau got the first chance to meet the new mascot, who generated excitement and enthusiasm, as Bingo shook hands and embraced the fascinated school students. &ldquo;We are proud to introduce Bingo,&rdquo; said Mike Sands, chief executive officer and Local Organizing Committee (LOC) vice chairman.&ldquo;A lot of hard work and creativity has gone into making this character and Bingo truly represents the culture of The Bahamas.&rdquo; Adding that the LOC has adopted Yellow Elder Primary School, Sands said, &ldquo;we are committed to lending support and working with the school to educate and mould the young minds of our country.&rdquo; Designed by Nikolas Barnes and Durelle Williams, the pair were challenged to come up with a unique mascot that represented The Bahamas and would be an ambassador for a &ldquo;Bahamazing&rdquo; event. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m pleased to welcome Bingo the potcake to the IAAF/ BTC World Relays family,&rdquo; said Lionel Haven, LOC managing director. &ldquo;Thanks to the hard work of our designers, Bingo is definitely lovable, memorable and Bahamazing.&rdquo; Bingo&rsquo;s attire consist of a tracksuit made of the aquamarine colour in the Bahamian flag with the event&rsquo;s pageantry on his side and his back. As part of the countdown to this year&rsquo;s IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bingo will make appearances at schools and businesses over the next nine days ahead of the competition. The IAAF World Relays is the newest addition to the IAAF&rsquo;s global competition programme, and will see more than 600 athletes from around the world compete in five relay disciplines: 4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m, 4x800m and the distance medley relay.At the IAAF World Relays in 2014, three world records were set and more could fall this year.The IAAF/BTC World Relays is the biggest sporting event to be held in The Bahamas in 2015 and it will serve as a qualifying competition for the 2016 Olympic Games.The IAAF website also has a <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-relays">dedicated section covering the IAAF World Relays</a>.Bahamas 2015 LOC for the IAAF<hr /><a name="FR"></a><h3>Bingo le chien d&eacute;voil&eacute; comme mascotte des Relais mondiaux IAAF/BTC, Bahamas 2015&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
</h3> Au terme de mois d'anticipation, Bingo, un chien potcake, race typique des Bahamas et de la r&eacute;gion, a &eacute;t&eacute; pr&eacute;sent&eacute; en tant que mascotte officielle des

Relais mondiaux IAAF/BTC, Bahamas 2015, ce mardi (22).La comp&eacute;tition se tiendra au cours du week-end des 2 et 3 mai dans le cadre du stade national Thomas A. Robinson de Nassau.Ce
 sont les &eacute;tudiants et le personnel de l'&eacute;cole primaire Yellow Elder de 
Nassau qui ont eu le privil&egrave;ge de rencontrer la nouvelle mascotte en 
premier, et celui-ci n'a pas manqu&eacute;
 de g&eacute;n&eacute;rer un grand niveau d'enthousiasme aupr&egrave;s des jeunes &eacute;coliers, 
tous fascin&eacute;s par la pr&eacute;sence de Bingo parmi eux."Nous
 sommes fiers de pr&eacute;senter Bingo, le chien potcake, a d&eacute;clar&eacute; Mike 
Sands, directeur de la comp&eacute;tition et vice-pr&eacute;sident du Comit&eacute; 
d'organisation local (COL)."Beaucoup
 de travail et de cr&eacute;ativit&eacute; ont &eacute;t&eacute; consacr&eacute;s &agrave; cr&eacute;er ce personnage, 
Bingo, qui repr&eacute;sente v&eacute;ritablement la culture des Bahamas.&rdquo;Ajoutant
 que le COL avait adopt&eacute; l'&eacute;cole primaire Yellow Elder, Sands a encore 
soulign&eacute;: "Nous sommes d&eacute;termin&eacute;s &agrave; soutenir et travailler avec l'&eacute;cole 
afin d'&eacute;duquer et former
 les jeunes esprits de notre pays." Les
 deux concepteurs de la mascotte sont Nikolas Barnes et Durelle 
Williams, &agrave; qui on avait demand&eacute; de donner vie &agrave; une mascotte unique qui
 repr&eacute;senterait les Bahamas et serait
 un v&eacute;ritable ambassadeur pour cette magnifique comp&eacute;tition que sont les
 Relais mondiaux.
"Je
 suis heureux d'accueillir Bingo le chien potcake au sein de la grande 
famille des Relais mondiaux IAAF/ BTC, a dit Lionel Haven, le directeur 
g&eacute;n&eacute;ral du COL. Gr&acirc;ce &agrave; l'excellent
 travail accompli par nos designers, Bingo est clairement adorable, 
inoubliable et extraordinaire."Bingo
 est habill&eacute; d'une tenue de la m&ecirc;me couleur aigue-marine que celle du 
drapeau baham&eacute;en, avec les logos et symboles de la comp&eacute;tition tr&egrave;s 
visibles.
En
 amont de la comp&eacute;tition des Relais mondiaux IAAF/BTC, Bingo va faire 
des apparitions dans diverses &eacute;coles et soci&eacute;t&eacute;s de l'&icirc;le au cours des 
neuf jours qui nous s&eacute;parent de la
 c&eacute;r&eacute;monie d'ouverture. Les
 Relais mondiaux IAAF/BTC sont la manifestation la plus r&eacute;cente &agrave; 
int&eacute;grer le Calendrier mondial annuel, de l'IAAF. Ils verront plus de 
600 athl&egrave;tes du monde entier s'affronter
 dans cinq disciplines de relais diff&eacute;rentes (masculines et f&eacute;minines). 
Ces disciplines sont le 4x100m, le 4x200m, le 4x400m, le 4x800m ainsi 
que le relais medley.Lors
 des Relais mondiaux de l'IAAF en 2014, trois records du monde ont 
&eacute;t&eacute;&nbsp;&eacute;tablis, et on peut s'attendre cette ann&eacute;e &agrave; voir de nouveaux 
records tomber.Les
 Relais mondiaux de l'IAAF seront la plus grande manifestation sportive 
aux Bahamas en 2015; ils serviront en outre de comp&eacute;tition de 
qualification pour les Jeux olympiques
 2016.Le site internet de l'IAAF compte &eacute;galement une section r&eacute;serv&eacute;e au Relais mondiaux de l'IAAF.Bahamas 2015 pour l'IAAF

After months of anticipation, Bingo the potcake dog was introduced as the official mascot for the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015, on Tuesday (22).

Bingo the potcake dog unveiled as mascot for the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015

The US relay pools for the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015 were announced by USATF on Tuesday (21).Fifty-one athletes comprise the 10 relay pools from which the USA will select for the second edition of the IAAF World Relays in Nassau on 2-3 May.The US squad includes 25 athletes who have won medals at global senior championships, including three of the four members of the world record women&rsquo;s 4x100m team in Tianna Bartoletta, four-time Olympic gold medallists Allyson Felix and three-time Olympic medallist Carmelita Jeter.Four-time Olympic gold medallist Sanya Richards-Ross will team up with world indoor champion Francena McCorory and Olympic bronze medallist DeeDee Trotter in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m, while world junior 200m champion Kaylin Whitney appears on her first senior team at the age of 17.World indoor champion Chanelle Price and 2009 world bronze medallist Shannon Rowbury will compete in the women&rsquo;s 4x800m relay and distance medley relay, respectively. Price will be joined by world and Olympic finalist Ajee Wilson, while Rowbury will team up with 2012 world junior 800m champion Ajee Wilson.The men&rsquo;s 4x100m includes three of the four silver medallists from the 2012 Olympics in Ryan Bailey, Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay.Joining 2004 Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m relay are two members from the world indoor record-setting squad in Kyle Clemons and David Verburg, and three of four from the quartet that took home gold at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, including LaShawn Merritt, Tony McQuay and Verburg.Duane Solomon and Erik Sowinski will contest the 4x800m, the event in which they set a world indoor record last year.USA reached the podium in seven of the 10 relays events in Nassau last year, winning five of them, and was awarded the Golden Baton for amassing the most points in the scoring system.USATF for the IAAF<h3>US team for Bahamas 2015</h3>MEN 4x100m: Ryan Bailey, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Mike Rodgers, Charles Silmon, Isiah Young 4x200m: Ryan Bailey, Justin Gatlin, Curtis Mitchell, Joe Morris, Wallace Spearmon, Justin Walker 4x400m: Kyle Clemons, Tony McQuay, LaShawn Merritt, Brycen Spratling, David Verburg, Jeremy Wariner 4x800m: Robby Andrews, Brandon Johnson, Casimir Loxsom, Ryan Martin, Duane Solomon, Erik Sowinski Distance medley: Brandon Johnson, Ben Blankenship, Kyle Merber, Andrew WheatingWOMEN 4x100m: Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix, Carmelita Jeter, Jeneba Tarmoh, Tiffany Townsend, Jessica Young 4x200m: Kimberlyn Duncan, Candyce McGrone, Tawanna Meadows, Shalonda Solomon, Kaylin Whitney, Charonda Williams 4x400m: Jessica Beard, Phyllis Francis, Natasha Hastings, Francena McCorory, Sanya Richards-Ross, DeeDee Trotter 4x800m: Gabriele Grunewald, Molly Ludlow, Alysia Montano, Chanelle Price, Maggie Vessey Distance medley: Gabriele Grunewald, Trenier Moser, Shannon Rowbury, Ajee Wilson

The US relay pools for the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015 were announced by USATF on Tuesday (21).