Host nation beat the all-conquering Jamaicans at World Champs in Eugene as Britain wind up sixth after star sprinter pulls up mid-race

Who would have thought the Jamaican women’s sprint relay team would lose after their athletes swept the medals in the individual 100m and finished one-two in the 200m.

Their team in the 4x100m on Saturday (July 23) at the World Championships in Eugene consisted of the frighteningly strong quartet of Shericka Jackson on the anchor, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson and Kemba Nelson.

Roared on by their home crowd, though, the US quartet of Melissa Jefferson on the opening leg, Abby Steiner down the back straight, Jenna Prandini on the final bend and Twanisha Terry in the home straight proved good enough to win as they clocked 41.14 – the second fastest ever at the world championships and the fifth best time in history – ahead of Jamaica’s 41.18 with Germany taking bronze with 42.03 and Nigeria fourth in an African record of 42.22.

For almost three quarters of the race Great Britain were in contention for a medal but Dina Asher-Smith suddenly pulled up around the final bend and, after losing ground on her rivals, she handed to Daryll Neita, who pulled the team back into sixth place with a phenomenal official split of 9.57 – faster than Usain Bolt’s world record, albeit Neita did it from a rolling start.

“The race was electrifying,” said Terry, who ran a 9.88 split herself. “You heard the stadium. It went crazy. We just brought it home.”

“Of course, we wanted to win,” said Thompson-Herah. “But we are glad for the silver tonight and we cannot complain.”

There were instant concerns that Asher-Smith’s injury might be serious enough for her to miss the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next month. But she did not rush to get medical help and walked off the track without limping. Soon after in the media interview area she suggested it did not feel serious but she was reluctant to identify which part of her body caused her to slow down.

Asha Philip ran a strong first leg before handing to Imani-Lara Lansiquot, who flew down the back straight. Asher-Smith looked great during the first half of her leg but then pulled up dramatically.

“I’m a bit shocked,” she said. “I will have to go and have a check with my physio and everything but I just feel a bit confused because I felt fine coming in, went around the bend and my legs just stopped corresponding with me.

“I hope it’s nothing serious because I have got a lot more races to do this year. I feel awful. I felt good, we were running well.”

Neita described it as a “freak” incident and Lansiquot added: “We are a team, we win together, we lose together. Our immediate thought collectively was ‘is Dina okay?’

“I can’t believe she exchanged the baton, that shows the commitment we have as a team. The priority is making sure she’s good. We’re a team.”