Jamaica women drop baton in 4x400m final
KINGSTON, Jamaica – A dropped baton on the third leg ruined Jamaica’s hopes of retaining the women’s 4x400m relay gold medal on Sunday’s final day of the World Athletics Indoor Championships at the Glasgow Arena in Scotland.
The team was well set to challenge for a medal when Charokee Young, who ran the third leg stopped running after she lost control of the baton.
The Jamaican coaches had made two changes to the team that had run 3:27.35 seconds in the preliminary rounds earlier in the day as Lanae-Tava Thomas, who ran the lead-off leg, replaced Junelle Bromfield and Stacy Ann Williams, who was due to run the anchor leg, replaced Leah Anderson.
Thomas ran a strong first leg and handed it over to Andrenette Knight before the baton was passed to Young.
The Netherlands won their first-ever gold medal in the event, beating the USA with Great Britain third.
Meanwhile, Tissanna Hickling finished 10th in the women’s long jump with a season’s best 6.43m.
-Paul A Reid