2013 end-of-year reviews – relays

Statisticians A Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava look back on the best relay performances of the year with Julin covering the men’s events and Jalava the women’s.

Men’s 4x100m

Traditionally this event has been the property of the USA who had such an advantage in pure running speed that they only lost the championship gold when they failed to get the baton around. But with the emergence in 2008 of “Super-Bolt” the 4x100m landscape was completely changed.

At the five past global championships Jamaica has monopolised first place, winning by between 0.20 and 1.16 seconds, and in the process running five of the six fastest times ever. It is the most impressive winning streak ever in an event where costly mistakes are common – as illustrated by the USA during that same period, missing out completely on three occasions.