| | Event type

4 × 400 metres Relay, Men

Date	9 – 10 August 2012
Status	Olympic
Location	Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park, Stratford, London
Participants	70 from 16 countries

In 1952 Jamaica had won the gold medal in this event, which was the last time anyone besides the United States had won, when they were present at the Olympics (save 1980), and had a team present (in 1972 injuries eliminated the US team). But the USA was not favored in London. Their two best 400 metre runners over the last few years had been Jeremy Wariner (2004 Olympic gold medalist and 2005/07 World Champion) and LaShawn Merritt (2008 Olympic gold medalist and 2009 World Champion). But Wariner had not made the US Olympic team, and Merritt withdrew in the first round of the 400 with an injury was not available. The US 4x400 relay team in London was a patchwork of their back-up runners and some 400 hurdlers, notably Angelo Taylor.

It was not enough. The Bahamas started off with their two best runners, leading off with Chris Brown and Demetrius Pinder, hoping to take the lead and hold on. Brown took the lead on the opener with his 44.8, leading Trinidad & Tobago with the USA third. Pinder opened the lead further with a 43.6 second leg. On the third leg, American Tony McQuay ran the fastest split of the race, recording 43.41, giving the Americans the lead at the final exchange, as he handed the baton to Taylor. Bahamian Ramon Miller pulled up to Taylor’s shoulder at the head of the stretch, and with 50 metres left, he moved into the lead and Taylor could not match him, as the Bahamas won the gold medal, with the United States second. Trinidad & Tobago filled out the podium.

The United States was fortunate to even make the final. In the heats, Manteo Mitchell led off for the Americans and felt a pop in his leg halfway through his leg. It would turn out to be a broken fibula, but he struggled on and finished his lap in 45.9, and the last three runners brought the US home in second in the heat to qualify. In the other heat, South Africa did not finish when they were bumped by Kenyan runners at the first exchange. But after a protest South Africa was advanced to the final which allowed Oscar Pistorius, aka “The Blade Runner”, to run the anchor. They would finish eighth in the final, ahead only of Cuba, which did not finish.

Pos	Number	Competitors	NOC	R1	Final
1	–	The Bahamas	BAH	2:58.87 (1 h2)	2:56.72 (1)	Gold
		Chris Brown • Demetrius Pinder • Michael Mathieu • Ramon Miller
2	–	United States	USA	2:58.87 (2 h2)	2:57.05 (2)	Silver
		Bryshon Nellum • Josh Mance • Tony McQuay • Angelo Taylor • Manteo Mitchell
3	–	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO	3:00.38 (1 h1)	2:59.40 (3)	Bronze
		Lalonde Gordon • Jarrin Solomon • Ade Alleyne-Forte • Deon Lendore
4	–	Great Britain	GBR	3:00.38 (2 h1)	2:59.53 (4)
		Conrad Williams • Jack Green • Dai Greene • Martyn Rooney • Nigel Levine
5	–	Belgium	BEL	3:01.70 (4 h1)	3:01.83 (5)
		Kévin Borlée • Antoine Gillet • Jonathan Borlée • Michael Bultheel • Nils Duerinck
6	–	Venezuela	VEN	3:02.62 (3 h2)	3:02.18 (6)
		Arturo Ramírez • Alberto Aguilar • Alberth Bravo • Omar Longart • José Meléndez
7	–	South Africa	RSA	– (DNF h1)	3:03.46 (7)
		Shaun de Jager • Willie de Beer • L. J. van Zyl • Oscar Pistorius • Ofentse Mogawane
AC r2/2	–	Cuba	CUB	3:00.55 (3 h1)	– (DNF)
		William Collazo • Raidel Acea • Noel Ruiz • Omar Cisneros • Orestes Rodríguez
4 h2 r1/2	–	Australia	AUS	3:03.17 (4 h2)	–
		Steven Solomon • Ben Offereins • Brendan Cole • John Steffensen
5 h1 r1/2	–	Poland	POL	3:02.86 (5 h1)	–
		Piotr Wiaderek • Marcin Marciniszyn • Michał Pietrzak • Kacper Kozłowski
5 h2 r1/2	–	Japan	JPN	3:03.86 (5 h2)	–
		Kei Takase • Yuzo Kanemaru • Yoshihiro Azuma • Hiroyuki Nakano
6 h1 r1/2	–	Germany	GER	3:03.50 (6 h1)	–
		Jonas Plass • Kamghe Gaba • Eric Krüger • Thomas Schneider
DNF	–	Jamaica	JAM	– (DNF h2)	–
		Dane Hyatt • Riker Hylton • Jermaine Gonzales • Errol Nolan
DQ	–	Dominican Republic	DOM	[3:02.35] (DQ h2)	–
		Gustavo Cuesta • Félix Sánchez • Joel Mejía • Luguelín Santos
DQ	–	Kenya	KEN	[3:21.01] (DQ h1)	–
		Bonface Mweresa • Vincent Mumo • Boniface Tumuti • Alphas Leken Kishoyian
DQ	–	Russian Federation	RUS	[3:02.01] (DQ h2)	[3:00.09] (DQ)		1
		Maksim Dyldin 2 • Denis Alekseyev • Vladimir Krasnov • Pavel Trenikhin

Round One

Date	9 August 2012 — 11:35
Format	Top three in each heat and next two fastest advanced to the final.

Pos	Team	NOC	Time (automatic)	Reaction Time
1	The Bahamas	BAH	2:58.87	0.243	Q
2	United States	USA	2:58.87	0.204	Q
3	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO	3:00.38	0.193	Q
4	Great Britain	GBR	3:00.38	0.150	Q
5	Cuba	CUB	3:00.55	0.176	Q
6	Belgium	BEL	3:01.70	0.259	q
7	Venezuela	VEN	3:02.62	0.191	q	3
8	Poland	POL	3:02.86	0.147
9	Australia	AUS	3:03.17	0.138
10	Germany	GER	3:03.50	0.193
11	Japan	JPN	3:03.86	0.237
DNF	South Africa	RSA	–	0.190	ADV	4
DNF	Jamaica	JAM	–	0.173
DQ	Russian Federation	RUS	[3:02.01]	[0.203]	Q	5
DQ	Dominican Republic	DOM	[3:02.35]	[0.158]		6
DQ	Kenya	KEN	[3:21.01]	[0.208]		7

Heat #1

Time	11:35

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Automatic)	Reaction Time	Split	Exchange
1	–	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO	3:00.38	0.193	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-Off	–	Lalonde Gordon		–	–	44.9 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Jarrin Solomon		–	–	44.8 (3)	1:29.77 (1)
3rd Leg	–	Ade Alleyne-Forte		–	–	46.12 (6)	2:15.89 (3)
Anchor	–	Deon Lendore		–	–	44.49 (2)	– (–)
2	–	Great Britain	GBR	3:00.38	0.150	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-Off	1816	Nigel Levine		–	–	45.9 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	1842	Conrad Williams		–	–	45.1 (4)	1:31.12 (3)
3rd Leg	1811	Jack Green		–	–	44.42 (1)	2:15.54 (1)
Anchor	1831	Martyn Rooney		–	–	44.84 (3)	– (–)
3	–	Cuba	CUB	3:00.55	0.176	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-Off	1466	William Collazo		–	–	45.9 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	1462	Raidel Acea		–	–	44.5 (2)	1:30.47 (2)
3rd Leg	1479	Orestes Rodríguez		–	–	45.19 (=2)	2:15.66 (2)
Anchor	1465	Omar Cisneros		–	–	44.89 (4)	– (–)
4	–	Belgium	BEL	3:01.70	0.259	– (–)	– (–)	q
Lead-Off	1137	Nils Duerinck		–	–	47.1 (8)	– (–)
2nd Leg	1132	Jonathan Borlée		–	–	44.1 (1)	1:31.35 (4)
3rd Leg	1139	Antoine Gillet		–	–	46.10 (5)	2:17.45 (5)
Anchor	1133	Kévin Borlée		–	–	44.25 (1)	– (–)
5	–	Poland	POL	3:02.86	0.147	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	2675	Piotr Wiaderek		–	–	46.2 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	2661	Marcin Marciniszyn		–	–	45.3 (5)	1:31.54 (5)
3rd Leg	2668	Michał Pietrzak		–	–	45.19 (=2)	2:16.73 (4)
Anchor	2653	Kacper Kozłowski		–	–	46.13 (6)	– (–)
6	–	Germany	GER	3:03.50	0.193	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	1918	Jonas Plass		–	–	46.3 (6)	– (–)
2nd Leg	1899	Kamghe Gaba		–	–	45.7 (6)	1:32.11 (6)
3rd Leg	1912	Eric Krüger		–	–	45.47 (4)	2:17.58 (6)
Anchor	1923	Thomas Schneider		–	–	45.92 (5)	– (–)
DNF	–	South Africa	RSA	–	0.190	– (–)	– (–)	ADV	8
Lead-Off	2780	Shaun de Jager		–	–	46.7 (7)	– (–)
2nd Leg	2784	Ofentse Mogawane		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
3rd Leg	2790	Oscar Pistorius		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Anchor	2779	Willie de Beer		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
DQ	–	Kenya	KEN	[3:21.01]	[0.208]	– (–)	– (–)		9
Lead-Off	2318	Bonface Mweresa		–	–	[45.9] ([4])	– (–)
2nd Leg	2298	Vincent Mumo		–	–	[59.2] ([7])	[1:45.21] ([7])
3rd Leg	2312	Boniface Tumuti		–	–	[47.79] ([7])	[2:33.00] ([7])
Anchor	2305	Alphas Leken Kishoyian		–	–	[48.01] ([7])	– (–)

Heat #2

Time	11:45

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Automatic)	Reaction Time	Split	Exchange
1	–	The Bahamas	BAH	2:58.87	0.243	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-Off	1105	Ramon Miller		–	–	45.7 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	1108	Demetrius Pinder		–	–	43.7 (1)	1:29.51 (1)
3rd Leg	1104	Michael Mathieu		–	–	44.78 (2)	2:14.29 (1)
Anchor	1100	Chris Brown		–	–	44.58 (3)	– (–)
2	–	United States	USA	2:58.87	0.204	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-Off	3239	Manteo Mitchell		–	–	46.1 (6)	– (–)
2nd Leg	3233	Josh Mance		–	–	44.6 (2)	1:30.85 (2)
3rd Leg	3235	Tony McQuay		–	–	43.65 (1)	2:14.50 (2)
Anchor	3241	Bryshon Nellum		–	–	44.37 (2)	– (–)
3	–	Venezuela	VEN	3:02.62	0.191	– (–)	– (–)	q	10
Lead-Off	3350	Arturo Ramírez		–	–	45.8 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	3344	Alberto Aguilar		–	–	45.7 (7)	1:31.57 (6)
3rd Leg	3345	Alberth Bravo		–	–	45.59 (5)	2:17.16 (4)
Anchor	3347	José Meléndez		–	–	45.46 (5)	– (–)
4	–	Australia	AUS	3:03.17	0.138	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	1060	Steven Solomon		–	–	45.6 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	1055	Ben Offereins		–	–	46.3 (8)	1:32.02 (8)
3rd Leg	1039	Brendan Cole		–	–	45.48 (4)	2:17.50 (5)
Anchor	1062	John Steffensen		–	–	45.67 (6)	– (–)
5	–	Japan	JPN	3:03.86	0.237	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	2237	Kei Takase		–	–	46.4 (7)	– (–)
2nd Leg	2224	Yuzo Kanemaru		–	–	45.1 (=4)	1:31.59 (7)
3rd Leg	2218	Yoshihiro Azuma		–	–	46.54 (6)	2:18.13 (6)
Anchor	2232	Hiroyuki Nakano		–	–	45.73 (7)	– (–)
DNF	–	Jamaica	JAM	–	0.173	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	2177	Dane Hyatt		–	–	46.1 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	2178	Riker Hylton		–	–	45.1 (=4)	1:31.27 (3)
3rd Leg	2175	Jermaine Gonzales		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Anchor	2181	Errol Nolan		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
DQ	–	Dominican Republic	DOM	[3:02.35]	[0.158]	– (–)	– (–)		11
Lead-Off	1558	Gustavo Cuesta		–	–	[46.4] ([8])	– (–)
2nd Leg	1563	Félix Sánchez		–	–	[44.8] ([3])	[1:31.28] ([4])
3rd Leg	1561	Joel Mejía		–	–	[46.88] ([7])	[2:18.16] ([7])
Anchor	1564	Luguelín Santos		–	–	[44.19] ([1])	– (–)
DQ	–	Russian Federation	RUS	[3:02.01]	[0.203]	– (–)	– (–)	Q	12
Lead-Off	2806	Maksim Dyldin		–	–	[46.1] ([4])	– (–)		13
2nd Leg	2799	Denis Alekseyev		–	–	[45.3] ([6])	[1:31.46] ([5])
3rd Leg	2812	Vladimir Krasnov		–	–	[45.38] ([3])	[2:16.84] ([3])
Anchor	2835	Pavel Trenikhin		–	–	[45.17] ([4])	– (–)

Final Round

Date	10 August 2012 — 21:20

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Automatic)	Reaction Time	Split	Exchange
1	–	The Bahamas	BAH	2:56.72	0.163	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	1100	Chris Brown		–	–	44.9 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	1108	Demetrius Pinder		–	–	43.5 (=1)	1:28.46 (1)
3rd Leg	1104	Michael Mathieu		–	–	44.25 (2)	2:12.71 (2)
Anchor	1105	Ramon Miller		–	–	44.01 (1)	– (–)
2	–	United States	USA	2:57.05	0.181	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	3241	Bryshon Nellum		–	–	45.2 (4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	3233	Josh Mance		–	–	43.5 (=1)	1:28.79 (2)
3rd Leg	3235	Tony McQuay		–	–	43.41 (1)	2:12.20 (1)
Anchor	3255	Angelo Taylor		–	–	44.85 (5)	– (–)
3	–	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO	2:59.40	0.231	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	3044	Lalonde Gordon		–	–	45.1 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	3048	Jarrin Solomon		–	–	43.9 (3)	1:29.16 (3)
3rd Leg	3037	Ade Alleyne-Forte		–	–	45.51 (6)	2:14.67 (3)
Anchor	3046	Deon Lendore		–	–	44.73 (3)	– (–)
4	–	Great Britain	GBR	2:59.53	0.167	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	1842	Conrad Williams		–	–	45.2 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	1811	Jack Green		–	–	44.6 (5)	1:29.91 (5)
3rd Leg	1812	Dai Greene		–	–	45.53 (7)	2:15.44 (5)
Anchor	1831	Martyn Rooney		–	–	44.09 (2)	– (–)
5	–	Belgium	BEL	3:01.83	0.165	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	1133	Kévin Borlée		–	–	45.4 (6)	– (–)
2nd Leg	1139	Antoine Gillet		–	–	45.5 (9)	1:30.97 (7)
3rd Leg	1132	Jonathan Borlée		–	–	44.55 (3)	2:15.52 (6)
Anchor	1135	Michael Bultheel		–	–	46.31 (8)	– (–)
6	–	Venezuela	VEN	3:02.18	0.174	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	3350	Arturo Ramírez		–	–	46.1 (8)	– (–)
2nd Leg	3344	Alberto Aguilar		–	–	45.1 (=6)	1:31.31 (8)
3rd Leg	3345	Alberth Bravo		–	–	45.11 (5)	2:16.42 (7)
Anchor	3346	Omar Longart		–	–	45.76 (7)	– (–)
7	–	South Africa	RSA	3:03.46	0.185	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	2780	Shaun de Jager		–	–	46.2 (9)	– (–)
2nd Leg	2779	Willie de Beer		–	–	45.2 (8)	1:31.50 (9)
3rd Leg	2791	L. J. van Zyl		–	–	46.27 (8)	2:17.77 (8)
Anchor	2790	Oscar Pistorius		–	–	45.69 (6)	– (–)
DNF	–	Cuba	CUB	–	0.163	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	1466	William Collazo		–	–	45.3 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	1462	Raidel Acea		–	–	44.3 (4)	1:29.74 (4)
3rd Leg	1480	Noel Ruiz		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Anchor	1465	Omar Cisneros		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
DQ	–	Russian Federation	RUS	[3:00.09]	[0.191]	– (–)	– (–)	14
Lead-Off	2806	Maksim Dyldin		–	–	[45.4] ([7])	– (–)	15
2nd Leg	2799	Denis Alekseyev		–	–	[45.1] ([=6])	[1:30.57] ([6])
3rd Leg	2812	Vladimir Krasnov		–	–	[44.69] ([4])	[2:15.26] ([4])
Anchor	2835	Pavel Trenikhin		–	–	[44.83] ([4])	– (–)