Fastest Relay Ever? Watch This Epic Race!

In a race destined for the history books, four fearless women lined up under the Bahamian lights for one goal, destroy the world record. What followed was pure distance running domination. From tactical surprises to blistering solo laps, this wasn't just a relay, it was a masterclass. But the United States really can just hang on, because I think that's going to be the case, whether they can hang on, give a challenge for as long as possible is the question, I think. It's a little bit windy, so that might hinder fast front running. But here's the start list, Australia, United States, Kenya, and on the outside, Romania, just four teams in this four by 1500 meters, 15 laps of the track. For these women though, they're starting in a very unusual place for 1500 meters, they're starting at the start line, and we're going to have obviously different start places around the track for this event, unlike the other sprint relays. So the athletes will have to get used to getting their mind around the fact that they're going to lap at different places. The creatures of habit middle distance runners, so this might be difficult for some of these. We're just waiting slowly now for them to get down to the start line, and here they go. The women's four by 1500 meters, and at the moment it looks like the Americas in the shape of Heather Camp, the US mile champion, just easing ahead, just behind her is Toronto. Well, Toronto isn't going off as we expected, but maybe this is just a casual start before she starts maybe putting the pressure down on the second or third lap. Well, it's a different tactic to the one the Kenyans employed at altitude in Nairobi when they broke the world record. Maybe they were listening to Ronald McIntosh, maybe they want to keep it tight and break it only by one or two seconds, but of course it's a race, it's not necessarily a procession, but this is definitely a change of tactic here from Mercy Chirono. She's quite happy to let Camp do all the hard work here. Camp ran 4.07 in April, but Chirono is not interested in setting the pace. No, this is, well, this is totally unexpected, not only for us, but for the other athletes in the race. They must be thinking, well, this is not what we expected. Camp now is leading and looking up at the scoreboard, looking to see where Chirono is, and Chirono is quite happy just to linger there in third place, just behind the Australian Zoe Butman. Zoe Butman, three times Australian champion and semi-finalist at the last Olympics, so she's a very, very good runner too. The Australians, I think, were hoping maybe to get third place, but if this race develops like this, they may even get a little bit higher in the placings. It's not that slow though, Steve, just under 68 seconds for the first lap, still fairly respectable. Yeah, I think it is, but what I think we thought we were going to see, Peter, is a charge from the Kenyans from the word go, but they're actually using their heads to a certain extent by not taking up too hard and maybe allowing the others to use them as a pacemaker for the other legs of the relay. Exactly, Steve, because it's going to be unfamiliar territory in context of this race for Camp and Butman because they're the ones trying to hang on to the coattails of the Kenyans. That's what the conventional wisdom suggested, but Chirono has turned that completely on its head and she's the one hanging on the shoulder as if this were an individual 1500 meter race. And just looking at the timings as they go through, just around about 2.17, just to give you the numbers there, 2.16 would be on course if all of them were to run 4.15 for the world record, so they are still on world record pace. What's fascinating, Steve, over there, will be to see at what stage, as she surely will, at what stage Mercy Chirono will hit the front and say, right, now I'm getting serious. Well, it looks like she just heard you, really, because as you said that, she's come through and moving ahead and as Peter said, this might be the right way to do it, you know, just take it easy, just keep the rhythm going, just do enough to get close to that record and really she's starting to move very, very well now out in front, Zoe Butman, the Australian, just tagging her as best she can, just behind her, Kan Fu led for the first couple of laps of this race, now just finding herself losing a little bit of ground to these two in front. Butman really is running well, she's decided not to go back and rest on the heels of the Kenyan, but to move up and maybe just give herself a bit of a chance at the changeover of giving the Australians the lead for the first time in this race. 64 seconds that lap of definite speeding up. You can see that, look at Tirono, her arms are working hard, her legs are pushing hard, but Butman though, semi, as I say, semi-finalist at the Olympics, is no mean performer, although her style looks totally different, she is still keeping up there. And just beginning to suffer a little bit now, perhaps as Tirono tries to pull it on, but she's hanging tough, remaining right in contention with Tirono and on the shoulder perhaps threatening to pass. Well, now we're coming up to one of the strange changeovers, it's just at the beginning of the home straight. Tirono is working hard, she can see her teammate just in front of her now, and the banners are going to be changed over, obviously with Kenya in front, Australia second and America third. But look at the time, 4.6, the record's going to be annihilated. Absolutely nothing in it between the first change and picking up the running for Kenya is face Kip Yeagon, right on her heels for Australia is Brydie Delaney. We mentioned or pondered whether changeovers would be something of a problem, and the USA lost significant time as Katie Mackie picked up the baton from camp. So just a little bit further back than they were previously, but it is Kip Yeagon, the Commonwealth record holder, two-time world junior cross-country champion, leading at the moment, and right on her heels for Australia is Brydie Delaney, second place in the Australian 1500m championships back in 2012. Delaney's doing well, she's looking up at the scoreboard all the time, checking where she is, she's only run about 4.10 for the 1500m, that's her personal best, so she's really running out of limit here, but she's keeping up now, and that's the most important thing, because there's a little bit of pressure on the Kenyans. This is a really, really great effort from the Australians, Delaney was fifth in the world juniors a few years ago, so she has got some pedigree, and she's got her compatriot Buckman to thank for getting her in the mix, it's great to see the Australian quartet not intimidated, as they could have been by reputation, by what the Kenyans are clearly capable of. So still in control, but with Australia for company, is Kip Yeagon for Kenya, Delaney in close order, further behind than they were at the change, courtesy perhaps of a rather sloppy change, is Katie Mackie of the United States, ninth in the U.S. Olympic trials. Kip Yeagon though, starting now to just slightly increase the pressure, and you can see the stride behind them of her in Brittany Delaney, starting to bounce just a little bit more, she's really trying to push hard to keep up. Well as Peter was saying, they are on course to smash this world record, but let's not forget the athletes still to come, Irene Djelagat, fourth in the world indoors in Sopot, and then Helena Beery, who's in cracking form, she will anchor the Kenyans home. Well, Bridie Delaney hanging tough, just beginning to grow a little bit now, as Kip Yeagon puts the hammer down, and she is looking incredibly comfortable, it's a really brave run this from Bridie Delaney, 4.10.32, 4.10.32 is her best, though she's running right on the edge of her abilities, and she is hung tough to give Australia a good lead ahead of the USA in second place, in pursuit of what we assume will be second place on the podium, and it could well be an area record for the Aussies, if they can continue with this type of form. Well now the race takes on a slightly different dynamic, Steve Obet, because it now becomes a time trial, and we know the quality of the Kenyans, but it might not necessarily be as easy as being able to run the time, they're now on their own, isolated, and their last two athletes are going to have to run a time trial. Yeah, but you've got the caliber of something like a Beery running in the next couple of legs, I think as Peter said, there's no question about they're going to get this world record, because these women now I think are determined to make a show of it here, after taking that first leg so casually, but even so they were still under the world record pace, and now they're starting to push it on. Well, the athletes getting ready for the changeover from second to third, it's just around the 200 meter start, so again an unusual position, an unfamiliar territory for these athletes to be in, and there's stride really shortening on Delaney now, but pushing on unabated, clear of the traffic, here's the Kenyan striding away ahead of this change to second to third, let's take a look at the clock, as jogging in anticipation is Jella Gatz, and she has the baton and is away and clear for the third leg, Delaney really feeling it now, but fighting for all she's worth, as McGowan picks it up for the green and gold. Well, well in schedule for the record, 8.14.95 shown there on the clock, so what a 4.09 second for 1500 meters by Keppia Gong, who ran so smoothly, now we've got Jella Gatz out on her own, this is Kenya against the clock, Australia an isolated second, perhaps the Americans just gathering a little bit of ground on them, but the athletes, four nations here, spread what, over 100 meters now from first to last, the one shame here really is that there only are four nations, there could have been other nations like Russia and Britain and Ethiopia, who could well have got very substantially into the money here, so it's a pity that they've been deprived of their chance, and which would have made it an even more competitive race, if not for the first, at least for those other positions, and indeed the American is now just out of shot, gaining on the Australia, now it's a question of Irene Jelliga, well her best is 4.02.59, she's the African Games champion, she's been fifth and fourth in World Indoor Championship, so a very experienced runner, and yeah, definitely the Americans are gathering now, Katie Grace running for the United States, and McGowan for Australia, the Americans of course will have Brenda Martinez on the last leg, so it looks very much as if the Americans will get second place overall, at the moment they're just coming up to the Australian, here it is now, six laps to go overall, in this four by 1500 meters, there is the battle on for second, with the American Grace now passing the youngster McGowan of Australia, well there's a lot of money at stake, $30,000 for second, $20,000 for third, so quite significant prize money in this event, but they are now well over 100 meters down on the leader, Irene Jelliga of Kenya. Beautiful rhythm though from the Kenyans, just getting out there, drifting through, making it look oh so easy, and it's not, it is a bit of running up to what you would classify almost as a world record finalist pace on their own, how much more difficult is it to run those times Steve, even though we're in a stadium, and you know there's a title at stake in the world record, how much harder is it to do that entirely on your own, well they've had practice, I mean they've done it twice haven't they, to break the world record back in Kenya at altitude, but having said that, it is a tough ask, it really is, because the mental discipline of running into pain is never easy, and when you're running 1500 meters, every stride that you take is very, very hard at this sort of rhythm, so Steve when you're in this type of position, and it's you against the clock, and you're out on your own by such a large distance, where do you place your focus of attention, how do you retain that focus to keep up that metronomic type of pace at such a high level, I've got no idea, I've never been in that position, to be absolutely honest, I would never want to be in that position, but these women are doing it very, very comfortably, this is true running, it really is at its best, Delegate working hard now, her teammate's just behind her, you can see in the background, they know that she's on for world record pace, they've done the job, well an isolated second for Kate Grace now of the United States, fourth in the US championships last year, she's an athlete making a fair bit of progress now towards the top ranks in the states at the age of 25, now it's Delegate coming up to four laps to go, so she'll hand over on the last leg, the Kenyans have got the formidable figure of Helen O'Biery, I think Delegate may have just slowed a little bit off the temper, but they're way, way inside world record schedule, we'll take a check on that as she comes in for this final handover, what about 70 meters to go, she'll find O'Biery at the traditional 1500 meters start effectively, and the time clocking up to 12.26 or thereabouts, well they're online for something about 16.30. They are going to annihilate this world record and look at the speed with which Helen O'Biery has set off on this last leg, the Americans out of shots, it's been a good effort by Kate Grace, Brenda Martinez, the 800 meter specialist, now just taking on the pattern, she will hope to stay away and clear from the Australians in second place, but O'Biery is absolutely sensational, she's flying around, this is just the first lap, she's running almost like an 800 meter runner at this stage, look at the arm movement, look at the leg movement compared to this woman here, Martinez, much more relaxed, much more rhythmic, but you can see O'Biery is charging down this first lap, interesting to see Peter, what sort of rhythm she's going to run in that, well that is the one danger for her I suppose, isn't it, she does go a little bit too crazy, but she's far to experience surely, just going past what the 1500 meters start again now, 13.24, wow, that's under a minute, under a minute, yes, so she's running at four minute mile pace for women here on her own, which is totally ridiculous, absolutely incredible, but we do have to bear in mind that she did storm to a new African and Commonwealth record over 3000 meters in Doha, Martinez, lovely runner to watch, light on her feet, a great bronze last year, that was the American women's first bronze medal in the 800 meters, but Martinez is in a different race at a different pace, because it's all about Helena O'Biery out front and the clock, and she's focusing on the big screen, which will show her her own reflection, and surely she is going to tire in the closing stages, the Junkanoo band are still pounding out the tunes, and I just hope the crowd respond here as she comes down towards the finish, because we are witnessing, Steve Obert, something very very special, well let's just see what she goes through this 800 meters in, because she's still keeping this rhythm going, and I reckon that's about a 2-2-2-3 800 meters she's just run there, yeah she settled down a little bit, that was probably a 65 second lap, but still very quick, Martinez going well in second place, she's quite a way clear from Melissa Duncan, Duncan's not a bad athlete, around 4.08 earlier this month for a new PB, fourth in the world youth a few years ago, there is the Australian, miles clear of the Romanians in third, and in fact talking about the Romanians, it's not inconceivable that they will in fact be lapped, because here comes O'Biery, and you can just see Simovic, just she's just out of shot at the moment, but this is an incredible piece of middle distance running from Helena O'Biery, bronze medalist in the 1500 meters last year, sensational, now the bell then, the final lap, in the women's 4x1500 meters, it's not a question of if there's a world record, it's a question of by how much, the Kenyan quartet have stormed their way round, Helena O'Biery, bronze medalist in the 1500 meters last year, is tiring a little bit, but she's drawing huge inspiration from the crowd, from her teammates, here in the Bahamas, we are going to witness something very special, the world record is outside 17 minutes, Helena O'Biery I think is going to lap Simovic of Romania, for motivation, this crowd are more used to watching sprinting, but they are responding to the excellence that they've witnessed here tonight, an incredible performance, a new world record, it's not just been beaten, it's been obliterated, four Kenyan queens have lit up this balmy Bahamian night in the Thomas Robinson stadium, we have witnessed magic here, and there you have it, Kenya didn't just win, they rewrote the record books with a jaw-dropping world record in the women's 4x1500 meters, meanwhile, Australia delivered a heroic performance of their own, walking away with a new area record and well-earned silver, the United States fought fiercely to claim bronze, capping off an unforgettable night, if this kind of thrilling distance racing gives you goosebumps, smash that subscribe button and join us here at 90 plus Legends for more epic moments in track and field, like, share and don't miss the next race, we're just getting started.