A brilliant performance from the US team of Dave Kimmons, Demi Omole, Ivory Williams and LaShawn Merritt not only brought them victory, by five metres from Jamaica, but also brought the Grosseto crowd to its feet with a new world record of 38.66.
Williams, recently crowned as World Junior 100m champion and Omole as runner up, ensured a hard-core of blazing speed, but the novelty came from World Junior 400m champion Merrit who ran an excellent anchor leg, maintaining the huge lead given to him by the other members of his team.
The next three teams all set season’s bests, with Jamaica’s Renaldo Rose coming home in 39.27, just doing enough on the last leg to edge Naoki Tsukahara, whose Japanese team mates had made the best baton exchanges of the afternoon to stop the clock at 39.43. Germany’s sprinters finished fourth with 40.00, just edging Poland (40.13).
