The USA Men’s 4x400m relay team concluded Budapest 2023 in a commanding manner, leading from start to finish with a time of 2:57.31.
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Quincy Hall, Vernon Norwood, Justin Robinson, and Rai Benjamin, in that order, ensured the USA’s 4x400m World Championship streak remained unbroken.
Vernon Norwood remarked, “We dominated the first two legs to get us out in the open. Given the recent chaos in the relays, our focus was on clean exchanges and dominating the race.”
France secured second place with a national record time of 2:58.45, while Great Britain, missing Matthew Hudson-Smith, took bronze in 2:58.71.
In other developments, the final day of the World Athletics Championships maintained its flair for dramatic finals.
Athing Mu’s Undefeated Streak Ends at Budapest 2023
In the Women’s 800m, reigning champion and American Record holder Athing Mu was overtaken in the final stretch by Kenyan Mary Moraa (1:56.03) and British athlete Keely Hodgkinson (1:56.34). Mu finished third with a time of 1:56.61.
Reflecting on her strategy, Mu said, “The semifinals shook me up a bit, so I wanted to ensure a strong start.” Although she led from the outset, her lead was consistently challenged and eventually overtaken, ending her undefeated 800m streak.
“I’m proud of how I performed up to the 750m mark, but then fatigue set in,” Mu admitted. “Considering my fast start, I believe it was a commendable race.”
This championship marked only Mu’s sixth race of the season and just her fourth 800m. Interestingly, there were speculations a fortnight before the World Championships about whether Mu and her coaching team might skip the event to focus more on the upcoming Olympics.
Acknowledging that she hasn’t felt at her peak this year, Mu revealed her plans to start her off-season post-Budapest. “This year wasn’t my favorite, but the future holds promise,” she told NBC. “Now, I can finally enjoy a vacation and take a break from track and field.”
Mu’s teammates, Raveynn Rodgers and Nia Akins, finished in fourth (1:57.45) and sixth (1:57.73) places, respectively.
