Team USA’s 4x400 Mixed Relay Team Had Ridiculous Lead During World Record Heat

Team USA’s 4x400 mixed relay team had a comically large win in a heat on Friday.

Paris 2024 is the second Olympic games in history to feature the 4x400-meter mixed relay. Poland won the inaugural competition in 2021 and set the first Olympic Record which was 3:09:87. That record didn't even last four full years as Team USA smashed it during a preliminary heat on Friday.

Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon and Kaylyn Brown set the new Olympic record as well as a new world record of 3:07.41 and no one else in their heat was close. Brown ran the anchor leg of the race and it's unclear if any other country had runners close enough to still see her when she crossed the finish line. It was downright Ledecky-esque.

Kaylyn Brown seals the deal for the United States and sets a NEW WORLD RECORD in the mixed 4x400m relay! 🇺🇸 #ParisOlympics

📺 NBC, E! and Peacock pic.twitter.com/ulflh5oZxF

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 2, 2024

France came in second and Beligum third. Both countries will advance to Saturday's final with Team USA.

USA TRACK & FIELD SMASHED THE WORLD RECORD IN THE MIXED 4X400M RELAY HEATS 🔥🇺🇸

Previous record: 3:08.30
New record: 3:07.41 🤯 pic.twitter.com/sRrQIRwkYP

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 2, 2024

Team USA set the previous world record of 3:08:80 at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. The only question is how long will this new record stand?

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Team USA’s 4x400 Mixed Relay Team Had Ridiculous Lead During World Record Heat.