WCH Tokyo 25 facts and figures: women's 4x100m

Last three sets of World Athletics Championships medallists

2023 – 1 United States (USA) 41.03, 2 Jamaica (JAM) 41.21, 3 Great Britain (GBR) 41.97
2022 – 1 United States (USA) 41.14, 2 Jamaica (JAM) 41.18, 3 Germany (GER) 42.03
2019 – 1 Jamaica (JAM) 41.44, 2 Great Britain & NI (GBR) 41.85, 3 United States (USA) 42.10

Last two sets of Olympic medallists

2024 – 1 United States (USA) 41.78, 2 Great Britain (GBR) 41.85, 3 Germany (GER) 41.97
2020 – 1 Jamaica (JAM) 41.02, 2 United States (USA) 41.45, 3 Great Britain (GBR) 41.88

Fastest winning times in World Athletics Championships history

41.03 – United States, 2023
41.07 – Jamaica, 2015
41.14 – United States, 2022

Slowest winning time in World Athletics Championships history

42.32 – Germany, 2001

Best marks on Japanese soil

41.02 1 Jamaica (JAM) Tokyo (Olympics) 06.08.2021
41.45 2 United States (USA) Tokyo (Olympics) 06.08.2021
41.55 1h Great Britain (JPN) Tokyo (Olympics) 05.08.2021

Best marks on Asian soil

41.02 1 Jamaica (JAM) Tokyo (Olympics) 06.08.2021
41.07 1 Jamaica (JAM) Beijing (World Championships) 29.08.2015
41.44 1 Jamaica (JAM) Doha (World Championships) 05.10.2019

Biggest winning margins

1.46s 2013 – 41.29 Jamaica (JAM), 42.75 United States (USA)
0.95s 1983 – 41.76 German Democratic Republic (GDR), 42.71 Great Britain & NI (GBR)
0.63s 1997 – 41.47 United States (USA), 42.10 Jamaica (JAM)

​​Smallest winning margins

0.00s 1993 – 41.49 Russia (RUS), 41.49 United States (USA)
0.03s 2007 – 41.98 United States (USA), 42.01 Jamaica (JAM)
0.05s 2003 – 41.78 France (FRA), 41.83 United States (USA)

Best mark by round

Heat — 41.56 United States (USA), 2022
Semifinal — 41.52 United States (USA), 1997
Final — 41.03 United States (USA), 2023

Multiple winners

1987/95/97/05/07/11/17/22/23 - United States
1991/09/13/15/19 - Jamaica

Winners by country

9 - United States
5 - Jamaica
1 - German Democratic Republic
1 - Russia
1 - Bahamas
1 - Germany
1 - France

Five historic facts

• The United States have won nine of the 19 world 4x100m titles, including three of the last four titles
• The last time a non-Jamaica/non-American team won was France on home soil in Paris in 2003
• The United States regained the championship record from Jamaica in 2023 with 41.03
• There have been two occasions where all three medal-winning teams have broken 42 seconds: 1993 and 2023
• 16 of the 19 world 4x100m finals have been won with sub-42 second winning performances

Potential storylines

• Can the United States win their 10th world title from 20 editions of the World Championships?
• Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) could become the second female sprinter after Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) in 2013 to complete the sprint treble
• This looks set to be the final competition of Fraser-Pryce's illustrious career. Can she win her 17th medal (10-5-1) at the World Championships in her farewell competition?  
• Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson have 28 medals combined from the World Championships
• Can we see the first ever sub-41 second performance in the 4x100m at the World Championships?
• United States qualified fastest with a 41.60 world lead ahead of Jamaica (41.80) and Germany (41.86)