USA's Britton Wilson hands the baton to Sydney McLaughlin in the world 4x400m final in Oregon (© Getty Images)
As the year draws to a close, we look back at the key moments of 2022 in each area of the sport.
The series begins with a review of the relays and will be followed over the coming days by reviews of all the other event groups.
Women’s 4x100m
Season top list
| 41.14 | United States 🇺🇸 USA | Eugene | 23 July |
| 41.18 | Jamaica 🇯🇲 JAM | Eugene | 23 July |
| 41.99 | Great Britain & NI 🇬🇧 GBR | Eugene | 22 July |
| 42.03 | Germany 🇩🇪 GER | Eugene | 23 July |
| 42.10 | Nigeria 🇳🇬 NGR | Birmingham | 7 August |
World medallists
| 🥇 | United States 🇺🇸 USA | 41.14 |
| 🥈 | Jamaica 🇯🇲 JAM | 41.18 |
| 🥉 | Germany 🇩🇪 GER | 42.03 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: United States 🇺🇸 USA 41.14
African Championships: Nigeria 🇳🇬 NGR 44.45
European Championships: Germany 🇩🇪 GER 42.34
NACAC Championships: United States 🇺🇸 USA 42.35
Oceania Championships: Australia 🇦🇺 AUS 44.06
Commonwealth Games: Nigeria 🇳🇬 NGR 42.10
World U20 Championships: Jamaica 🇯🇲 JAM 42.59 WU20R
Season at a glance
Numerous national records were set across each of the relay disciplines in 2022, including the women’s 4x100m, where 12 countries went faster than they ever had before.
But it was the US quartet of Melissa Jefferson, Abby Steiner, Jenna Prandini and Twanisha Terry that went quickest overall, clocking 41.14 to win a thrilling battle with Jamaica at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. To the roar of a passionate home crowd, USA ran a US all-comers’ record and the fifth-fastest women’s 4x100m of all time to dethrone defending champions Jamaica, whose 41.18 was the sixth-fastest of all-time. Only two other US teams and two other Jamaican squads have ever gone faster.
Three nations dipped under 42 seconds for the fourth consecutive major championships year, Germany again coming close with 42.03 to claim bronze in the world final in Oregon.
The Jamaican quartet of Serena Cole, Tina Clayton, Kerrica Hill and Tia Clayton broke the world U20 record with 42.94 at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi last year and they repeated the feat at this year’s edition of the global U20 showpiece in Cali, improving the mark to 42.59.
A total of four nations – Jamaica, United States, Great Britain & NI and Germany – had U20 teams that dipped under 44 seconds.
Jamaica's women's world 4x100m record-breakers in Cali (© Marta Gorczynska)
Men’s 4x100m
Season top list
| 37.48 | Canada 🇨🇦 CAN | Eugene | 23 July |
| 37.55 | United States 🇺🇸 USA | Eugene | 23 July |
| 37.67 | Great Britain & NI 🇬🇧 GBR | Munich | 21 August |
| 37.94 | France 🇫🇷 FRA | Munich | 21 August |
| 37.97 | Germany 🇩🇪 GER | Munich | 19 August |
World medallists
| 🥇 | Canada 🇨🇦 CAN | 37.48 |
| 🥇 | United States 🇺🇸 USA | 37.55 |
| 🥉 | Great Britain & NI 🇬🇧 GBR | 37.83 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: Canada 🇨🇦 CAN Eugene 37.48
African Championships: Kenya 🇰🇪 KEN 39.28
European Championships: Great Britain & NI 🇬🇧 GBR 37.67
NACAC Championships: United States 🇺🇸 USA 38.29
Oceania Championships: Australia 🇦🇺 AUS 40.24
Commonwealth Games: England 🏴 ENG 38.35
World U20 Championships: Japan 🇯🇵 JPN 39.35
Season at a glance
A total of 15 countries set national men’s 4x100m records in 2022, that list topped by Canada with the 37.48 recorded by Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse to win the world title in Oregon.
Just like in the women’s world 4x100m final, there was a fierce home straight clash in the men’s event, De Grasse returning after having Covid-19 to hold off USA’s Marvin Bracy-Williams on the anchor leg. USA’s silver medal-winning time was 37.55, while Great Britain bagged bronze in 37.83.
Like last year, five nations went sub-38 seconds, France and Germany also dipping under that mark with respective times of 37.94 and 37.97.
Women’s 4x400m
Season top list
| 3:17.79 | United States 🇺🇸 USA | Eugene | 24 July |
| 3:20.74 | Jamaica 🇯🇲 JAM | Eugene | 24 July |
| 3:20.87 | Netherlands 🇳🇱 NED | Munich | 20 August |
| 3:21.68 | Poland 🇵🇱 POL | Munich | 20 August |
| 3:21.74 | Great Britain & NI 🇬🇧 GBR | Munich | 20 August |
World medallists
| 🥇 | United States 🇺🇸 USA | 3:17.79 |
| 🥈 | Jamaica 🇯🇲 JAM | 3:20.74 |
| 🥉 | Great Britain & NI 🇬🇧 GBR | 3:22.64 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: United States 🇺🇸 USA 3:17.79
World Indoor Championships: Jamaica 🇯🇲 JAM 3:28.40
African Championships: South Africa 🇿🇦 RSA 3:29.34
European Championships: Netherlands 🇳🇱 NED 3:20.87
NACAC Championships: United States 🇺🇸 USA 3:23.54
Oceania Championships: New Zealand 🇳🇿 NZL 3:35.03
Commonwealth Games: Canada 🇨🇦 CAN 3:25.84
World U20 Championships: United States 🇺🇸 USA 3:28.06
Season at a glance
This event saw unprecedented depth in 2022, with six countries running sub-3:23. The previous peak was five, achieved most recently in 2021.
Leading the way was USA, whose 3:17.79 to take the world title on home soil in Oregon was a US all-comers’ record and the eighth-fastest of all time. There, the quartet of Talitha Diggs, Abby Steiner, Britton Wilson and world 400m hurdles record-holder Sydney McLaughlin combined to win the race by almost three seconds ahead of Jamaica and Great Britain.
Joining those three nations at the head of the season top list are Netherlands and Poland, who clocked 3:20.87 and 3:21.68 respectively at the European Championships in Munich, plus Belgium, who clocked 3:22.12 to finish fourth in a high-quality final in Munich.
There was also impressive depth indoors, with four nations dipping under 3:29, a feat last achieved in 2013. Jamaica won the world indoor title in Belgrade in 3:28.40 ahead of Netherlands (3:28.57), Poland (3:28.59) and USA (3:28.63).
Men’s 4x400m
Season top list
| 2:56.17 | United States 🇺🇸 USA | Eugene | 24 July |
| 2:58.58 | Jamaica 🇯🇲 JAM | Eugene | 24 July |
| 2:58.72 | Belgium 🇧🇪 BEL | Eugene | 24 July |
| 2:59.35 | Great Britain & NI 🇬🇧 GBR | Munich | 20 August |
| 2:59.51 | Japan 🇯🇵 JPN | Eugene | 24 July |
World medallists
| 🥇 | United States 🇺🇸 USA | 2:56.17 |
| 🥈 | Jamaica 🇯🇲 JAM | 2:58.58 |
| 🥉 | Belgium 🇩🇪 BEL | 2:58.72 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: United States 🇺🇸 USA 2:56.17
World Indoor Championships: Belgium 🇧🇪 BEL 3:06.52
African Championships: Botswana 🇧🇼 BOT 3:04.27
European Championships: Great Britain & NI 🇬🇧 GBR 2:59.35
NACAC Championships: United States 🇺🇸 USA 3:01.79
Oceania Championships: Australia 🇦🇺 AUS 3:11.14
Commonwealth Games: Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹 TTO 3:01.29
World U20 Championships: United States 🇺🇸 USA 3:04.47
Season at a glance
As with all the other relay events in 2022, the men’s 4x400m world-leading time was set in the World Championships final, Champion Allison anchoring USA to another victory on home soil in 2:56.17. There, his teammates Elija Godwin, Michael Norman and Bryce Deadmon set him up for success and the team won by more than two seconds as Jamaica claimed silver and Belgium the bronze.
Those were the only three nations to go sub-2:59 throughout the year, compared to eight in 2021 and also three – the same three countries in a repeat of the podium – during the last World Championships year in 2019.
Belgium got gold indoors, in a final that for the first time in World Indoor Championships history did not feature a US quartet.
Kevin Borlee anchors Belgium to the world indoor 4x400m title in Belgrade (© Getty Images)
Mixed 4x400m
Season top list
| 3:09.82 | Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 DOM | Eugene | 15 July |
| 3:09.90 | Netherlands 🇳🇱 NED | Eugene | 15 July |
| 3:10.16 | United States 🇺🇸 USA | Eugene | 15 July |
| 3:12.31 | Poland 🇵🇱 POL | Eugene | 15 July |
| 3:12.71 | Jamaica 🇯🇲 JAM | Eugene | 15 July |
World medallists
| 🥇 | Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 DOM | 3:09.82 NR |
| 🥈 | Netherlands 🇳🇱 NED | 3:09.90 NR |
| 🥉 | United States 🇺🇸 USA | 3:10.16 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 DOM 3:09.82
African Championships: Botswana 🇧🇼 BOT 3:21.85
NACAC Championships: United States 🇺🇸 USA 3:12.05
World U20 Championships: United States 🇺🇸 USA 3:17.69
Season at a glance
The world all-time list was re-written again in this event in 2022, Dominican Republic clocking the second-fastest time in history of 3:09.82 to win a competitive clash against USA and Netherlands at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. The winning team included Lidio Andres Feliz, Marileidy Paulino, Alexander Ogando and Fiordaliza Cofil, as Cofil pipped Netherlands' Femke Bol and USA's Kennedy Simon on the anchor leg.
Three of the five fastest times ever recorded were achieved in Oregon, with Netherlands clocking 3:09.90 and USA 3:10.16. The winning time was just half a second off USA’s world record set at the 2019 World Championships. The depth didn’t match that of 2021, however, with nine nations going sub-3:15, compared to 16 last year.
Although having to settle for bronze at the senior event, USA did hold on to take the title at World U20 Championships in Cali, the team clocking a world U20-leading championship record of 3:17.69 to narrowly win ahead of India with 3:17.76. Both performances were area U20 records.
World Athletics
