U.S. men run WL time in 4x400m for U20 title
Quincy Wilson, Cameron Tucker, Alexander Osayemi, and Jayden Deleon crossed the finish line in a world-lead time of 3:01.39 ahead of South Africa to claim the men's 4x400m title at the World Athletics U20 Championships.
Video Transcript
Right, the curtain's coming down on a truly fabulous five days of athletics.
Klimentjic will do a brilliant lead leg for the French.
He's broken the national under 20 record multiple times.
Watch for Tello on anchor for them.
Great quartet from Poland, second in the second semifinal.
Forkowiak hoping to anchor them home in a medal-winning position.
They've got such a great history when it comes to this event.
It's Australia The Australians, could they bow out in style?
Kennedy made the semis.
He's on the lead leg.
So too did Chase Grant on anchor.
They got the bronze two years ago and won the second semifinal.
Botswana Botswana, they won the opening semifinal.
What a history they've got with four-by-four relay running.
Fatsema made the semis, one of their key men on the second leg.
Now, they've drafted in the gold and silver medalists.
Wilson got the silver.
Are they gonna fly?
Well, they might do if they get the baton to Jaden de Leon in the lead.
Could they threaten the championship record?
South Africa The South Africans.
Huh.
Romjyn was seventh in the final, Coetzee third in that epic encounter where all three medalists were inside 45 seconds.
Jamaica Then to the Jamaicans.
Watch for Jabari Matheson on the second leg.
He was outstanding in the mixed four-by-four.
He had the quickest legs in the heat and in the final, despite the fact that he didn't win a medal.
Fatiga, a great week for him.
No individual 400-meter medal, but what a performer he is.
Could he anchor the Germans to a medal?
Zimbabwe And then, ha, the Zimbabweans.
Wonderful national record to qualify, edging out the Bahamas.
Mazondo was fabulous on the anchor leg for them.
And look at that, they've got Oregon emblazoned on their vests as well.
Zimbabwe, Germany, Jamaica, South Africa, United States, Botswana, Australia, Poland, and France.
The championship record went to an incredible American quartet, including Carroll Clement and Lashawn Merritt, in Grosseto in Italy 22 years ago.
This American team is good enough to challenge that.
The mark: 3:01.09.
Dare you whisper it, the world under 20 record, just outside three minutes.
That's how good the Americans are.
What a climax in prospect.
The last track event of Oregon '26, men's four-by-four.
Set The final track race explodes into life.
Quincy Wilson, fifth from the left-hand side, right in the center of your picture with that very distinctive leaning style.
Mogosi running well for Botswana.
And right on the outside, what a leg that is from Klimentjic.
He's leading at the moment.
Kennedy, the semifinalist for Australia, coming into the straight and running really well.
But now Wilson beginning to move.
Listen to the roar.
It'll be Wilson, but Klimentjic very, very close behind him.
And now the baton passes to Cameron Tucker.
America and France, but with South Africa right up into the mix, and Botswana in fourth.
So Tucker had the second leg in the first round heat, and he ran very well there.
France had a sensational start, as we know.
And South Africa, we know who will be bringing them home, and they're in third place, Botswana fourth, and then Jamaica fifth.
The USA in a commanding position, Rob.
It's very early in the race, but you'll be looking at that time because they are rolling along.
Alexander Oyesele waiting to take the baton.
What a brilliant leg, end to that leg from Fatsema.
America from France, with South Africa and Botswana.
1:31.6 at the halfway stage.
The championship record might just be on, but what a storming leg this is proving to be from South Africa.
Schumann is blasting it, and he's actually beginning to close the gap on the American.
He spent a lot of petrol doing that, so he's gonna have to try and maintain this momentum up the straight.
He has closed the gap, there's no question.
France remain prominent, Botswana fourth, Jamaica, Australia.
De Leon's about to get the baton.
The South Africans have done well, so it's the big two, Rob, in many ways.
About to get the baton for America and South Africa.
De Leon, with an opportunity to finish with a flourish.
Oh, disaster for the French.
Tello caught the heel of Coetzee.
He's just about recovered his momentum.
Coetzee ran so brilliantly individually for the 400 bronze.
Tello is still right with him.
Botswana, Jamaica, and Australia battling to try and close the gap on the Frenchman, and the Australians running brilliantly.
But De Leon has got daylight between himself and the rest of the field.
Watch the clock.
It's a brilliant team.
Kokamayr though is closing.
De Leon is gonna get there, but what a run from Kokamayr.
The Americans finish with a wonderful performance.
It's silver for South Africa, and Tello just, just manages to out-dip Chase Grant.
The Australians very, very nearly took the bronze medal, but the French hung on by a whisker.
3:01:39.
They've only missed the 22-year-old championship record by a couple of tenths.
The best performance in the world this year from the South Africans.
Brilliant, brilliant.
USA take the title.
The South Africans were magnificent on that last leg.
Kokamayr close, but not enough.
World best time, area best time, national best time.
You couldn't ask any more than that for the finish to a brilliant five days of athletics.
USA with the last gold.
And Rob, there was so much to look at.
There was the Americans and their quest maybe for a championship record, with South Africa actually closing on them late, and then France in some difficulty in that last lap, and Chase Grant almost doing the impossible.
Rosie, it was all happening out there, wasn't it?
It was one of those races where everywhere you looked there was something else going on.
I thought Kokamayr was so good- Oh on that home straight.
You know, you know just how much he wanted that gold in his hand.
Silver is a wonderful reward for his efforts.
You know there's gonna be a little part of him that's still so, so hungry going forwards, and that's not a bad thing.
But he deserves another medal today.
I am a little bit gutted for him that it's not gold, but a silver is, is still spectacular, and the US thoroughly deserved that win.
Oh, they do, and the, for Wilson and De Leon, Rob, it's a double gold medal for them, but well, for De Leon and for Wilson, of course, the silver in the 4x4.
The minute you saw the team, you knew that something disastrous would have to happen for them not to win.
But Klemeorcic ran a brilliant lead leg- Oh, yes for the French to at least ask the question.
But despite Kokamayr's heroics on the last leg, De Leon made it double delight.
What a performance.
He was absolutely gunning for it, the South African, but watch Chase Grant almost out-dipping Tello on the line, the French hanging on by the narrowest of margins.
Tello was tying up, and Grant could sense it, but it was just not quite enough to take that last track bronze space on the podium.
We have another look at it here.
Australia made one change.
Dylan Hall came in for Dylan Rooming in the third leg, and Chase Grant, who's had a very, very good championships, almost pulls off what looked to be impossible.
Jamaica, Botswana behind them, with the Americans up the front.
So those rivalries, you reckon they're born here?
Think about Kokamayr and the Americans now, Rosie.
Every time they go against one another, he will be so desperate, won't he, to turn the tables on them.
Yeah, he really will.
This championship, if nothing else, has lit a fire in the South African's heart, and he'll carry that with him for a very long time.
And how about this?
He ran that last leg in 44.35, even quicker than the individual 400 meter champion, Jaden De Leon.
USA very nearly broke a 22-year-old established championship record.
The South Africans with a magnificent silver, and the French had to break the national under 20 record to hang on for bronze just ahead of Australia.
And here's the breakdown.
Rob mentioned Klemeorcic, how fast he went out in that outside lane.
Tucker got the job done for the USA.
It was a really steady leg by him.
I say Yemi of USA again establishing that lead, and on this last leg, yep, Kokamayr of 44.35.
Look at Chase Grant, 44:85 for him.
That's, that's territory he hasn't been in before, I can tell you, Rob, but, it all adds up to a really special final to conclude what's been a, a remarkable five days of competition
