Host nation creates history after finishing with medal tally of 33, while Britain also land another podium spot

A completely dominant performance from the USA’s women’s 4x400m relay team ensured the host nation finished the World Championships in Oregon on an historic winning note.

A rejigged quartet of Talitha Diggs, Abby Steiner, Britton Wilson and Sydney McLaughlin led from start to finish, the 400m hurdles world record-holder throwing in a fastest leg of 47.91 for good measure to help her team clock a winning time of 3:17.79, the fastest in the world this year. Jamaica (3:20.74) won the battle for silver, with Great Britain (3:22.64) picking up their seventh medal of the championships.

The final USA tally stands at 33 – the most ever achieved by one nation at a single World Champoionships – and the majority of the Hayward Field crowd went home very happy indeed.

Diggs’ opening leg of 50.50 had given her side an early advantage, with Jamaica’s Candice McLeod (50.76) and British champion Victoria Ohuruogu (50.59) in hot pursuit. The order remained the same on leg two as Abby Steiner’s 49.99 created further daylight at the front, with Janieve Russell running 49.90 to Nicole Yeargin’s 50.19.

The Americans got faster still through Britton Wilson’s 49.39 as Stephenie Ann McPherson could not make a dent with her run of 49.95 and Jessie Knight’s 51.26 maintained Britain’s position.

McLaughlin turned on the boosters as the final lap became a procession and while Laviai Nielsen did her best to pull Britain into second spot, it was Charokee Young (50.13) who secured silver for Jamaica.

This was the USA’s 10^th 4x400m relay gold medal at the World Championships and the 22-year-old McLaughlin said: “We had such a young team. All these girls are from teams out of college. It was put together at the last minute and to see them all come together after such a long collegiate season, I am so grateful to be part of it.

“I am the oldest on the team. I am so proud. This is the next generation of team USA stepping up to the plate. There’s no better way to end the meet.”

Of the British challenge, Nielsen said: “The rest of the team set out the relay very well so they left me a very easy job. I could not think to lose the position they worked so hard for so I just had to maintain my position and when I saw Jamaicans in front of us, I was like: Maybe it is possible to chase them but I was just too big gap. We came here as a very confident team so we very excited at the possibility of a medal today and we are just glad that we got the job finished.”