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BEIJING - In a dramatic anchor leg finish, LaShawn Merritt brought Team USA into its sixth consecutive gold medal for the men’s 4x400m relay. The 400m World silver medalist has been a member of all six teams to bring home gold, and passes nine-time Olympic Champion Carl Lewis as the most successful American male at a World Championship.

The men’s 4x400m relay started off with a lead-off from David Verburg who split 45.2 and handed off to Tony McQuay who closed his leg in 44.2. Bryshon Nellum turned on an extra gear in the third leg to hand off in 45.62, just barely ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Deon Lendore. Merritt, Team USA’s anchor leg took off with the baton only to see an explosive move from Jamaica’s Javon Francis. The move was no match for the 2008 Olympic Champion who closed in 44.18 to take down Jamaica along with Trinidad and Tobago (silver) and Great Britain (bronze) in a world-leading time of 2:57.82.



The women’s 4x400m line-up did not prove to be successful as the Team USA women got out-kicked by Jamaica in the final meters of the race.

The race began with a strong lead-off leg from 2012 Olympic Champion Sanya Richards-Ross who closed in 51.5 and handed off to Natasha Hastings who remained in second behind Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson. It wasn’t until 400m World Champion Allyson Felix received the baton that Team USA jumped to the lead as Felix blasted her third leg in 47.72. The performance was by far the fastest women’s relay split of the championship. Anchor leg Francena McCorory grabbed the baton with the lead ahead of Jamaica’s Novlene Williams-Mills. McCorory held off the Jamaican until the final homestretch when Williams-Mills unleashed a kick to take down McCorory for gold.

Jamaica defended their World Championship title with a world-leading time of 3:19.13 while the United States closed in 3:19.44 and Great Britain claimed bronze in 3:23.62.



The performances concluded Team USA's medal count tally to six gold, six silver and six bronze for 18 total World Championship medals in Beijing.