For years, Team USA has had one competition in the World Athletics championship: Kenya. The African team trails the States in both most gold medals and most medals overall. But for one event Kenya has been on a quest to move up the leaderboard– the mixed 4×400. 2025 seemed to have been their year to make it a reality until one mistake pulled a stop. 

The last 13 months ensured one certainty entering the Championships relays: the top dogs were coming for their crown. Over the said duration, 6 fastest nations had recorded their best in the mixed 4×400. As far as the event’s All-time record book goes, Kenya wasn’t one among them. But tonight, they defied the logic. 

The quartet of Brian Tinega, Mercy Adongo Oketch, Allan Kipyego and Mary Moraa finished second in Heat 2, setting an African/National Record of 3:10.73. South Africa’s 3:11.16 in Heat 1 had proven to be no match.  But due to lane infringement (stepping over the line) that record was as good as a no show. The team was to be disqualified. 

“We don’t know what to say,” Oketch offered as the team broke down. They had outrun second and fifth best record holders, Netherlands and Poland respectively to celebrate a moment of history. 

Only a couple of months ago, in Guangzhou, China, for the World Athletics Relays, Team Kenya had come home with three national records, qualifying all three teams for the 2025 World Athletics Championships. The mixed 4×400 team had secured a Bronze behind Team USA and Australia with a time of 03:13.10. It was only the nation’s second-ever medal in the event. They were moving up the ladder, until one step cost them. 

The team was expected to appeal, but coach Julius Kirwa admitted it was an ‘unfortunate mistake’.  But they weren’t the only ones that felt a jolt in their hearts. 

Team USA keeping battling a common fumble

In  yet another thrilling race down at Japan National Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday morning. The world record (3:07.41) holders, Team USA, had their own little scare with a less-than-ideal banton hand off from Bryce Deadmon. Lynna Irby-Jackson, who would go on to deliver a commanding second leg regardless, knew the consequences all too well. In this very stadium, during the 2021 Olympics, that mistake had handed them a disqualification. Tears had welled up. But the decision was soon overturned. We, however, cannot say the same for men’s 4×400. 

Track & Field Gazette recently took to X to comment on the baton handoff between Trayvon Bromell and Ronnie Baker. While the exchange initially seemed seamless, a closer review showed Bromell having difficulty transferring the baton cleanly to

Baker. Although it wasn’t a major issue during practice, it underscored the ongoing fragility of the U.S. relay team, a challenge that has persisted for years now. The team often assembles top individual sprinters who rarely practice together enough to sync their strides perfectly. 

Their brutal baton exchange at the Paris Olympics between Christian Coleman and Kenneth Bednarek, which occurred outside the takeover zone, led to disqualification, extending the U.S. men’s Olympic medal drought. Months later, at Guangzhou, the men’s 4x100m squad—featuring Kenny Bednarek, Courtney Lindsey, Kyree King, and Brandon Hicklin- fell short again, finishing behind South Africa. 

Team team better watch out, because if Team Kenya can trail with 171 medals, and pen consecutive relay records, then this won’t be difficult to catch up to.