Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 x 400 metres relay

Athletics at the
2004 Summer Olympics
Track events
100 m   men   women
200 m men women
400 m men women
800 m men women
1500 m men women
5000 m men women
10,000 m men women
100 m hurdles women
110 m hurdles men
400 m hurdles men women
3000 m
steeplechase
men
4×100 m relay men women
4×400 m relay men women
Road events
Marathon men women
20 km walk men women
50 km walk men
Field events
Long jump men women
Triple jump men women
High jump men women
Pole vault men women
Shot put men women
Discus throw men women
Javelin throw men women
Hammer throw men women
Combined events
Heptathlon women
Decathlon men

The women's 4×400 metres relay was one of 23 track events of the athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens. It was contested at the Athens Olympic Stadium, from August 27 to August 28, by a total of sixteen national teams comprising 64 athletes.

The sixteen teams competed in a two-heat qualifying round in which the first three teams from each heat, together with the next two fastest teams, were given a place in the final race.

The United States originally won this event in 3:19.01, but were disqualified after Crystal Cox admitted to using anabolic steroids from 2001 to 2004. As a result, she forfeited all of her results from that time period, and agreed to a four-year suspension, until January 2014.[1]

Contents

Medalists

Gold Silver Bronze
 Russia (RUS)
Olesya Krasnomovets
Natalya Nazarova
Olesya Zykina
Natalya Antyukh
Tatyana Firova*
Natalya Ivanova*
 Jamaica (JAM)
Novlene Williams
Michelle Burgher
Nadia Davy
Sandie Richards
Ronetta Smith*
 Great Britain (GBR)
Donna Fraser
Catherine Murphy
Christine Ohuruogu
Lee McConnell
Helen Karagounis*

* Athletes who participated in the heats only and received medals.

Qualification

The Olympic qualification period for the athletics' relay events ran from January 1, 2003 to July 21, 2004. A National Olympic Committee (NOC) could enter a maximum of one qualified relay team per relay event, with a maximum of six qualified athletes. For this event, an NOC would be invited to participate with a relay team if the average of the team's two best times — obtained in IAAF-sanctioned meetings or tournaments — would be among the best sixteen, at the end of this period.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 2004 Summer Olympics.

World Record 3:15.17 Tatyana Ledovskaya
Olga Nazarova
Mariya Pinigina
Olga Bryzgina
Seoul (KOR) October 1, 1988
Olympic Record 3:15.17 Tatyana Ledovskaya
Olga Nazarova
Mariya Pinigina
Olga Bryzgina
Seoul (KOR) October 1, 1988

Results

All times are shown in minutes. The following abbreviations are used:

Heats

Heat 1

  1. Russia (Olesya Krasnomovets, Natalya Ivanova, Tatyana Firova, Olesya Zykina) 3:23.52 Q SB
  2. Jamaica (Ronetta Smith, Michelle Burgher, Nadia Davy, Sandie Richards) 3:24.92 Q SB
  3. Poland (Zuzanna Radecka, Monika Bejnar, Małgorzata Pskit, Grażyna Prokopek) 3:25.05 Q SB
  4. Great Britain (Christine Ohuruogu, Catherine Murphy, Helen Karagounis, Lee McConnell) 3:26.99 q SB
  5. Romania (Angela Morosanu, Alina Rapanu, Maria Rus, Ionela Tirlea-Manolache) 3:27.36 q
  6. Belarus (Natalya Sologub, Irina Khlyustova, Ilona Usovich, Svetlana Usovich) 3:27.38 SB
  7. Cameroon (Mireille Nguimgo, Hortense Bewouda, Carole Kaboud Mebam, Muriel Noah Ahanda) 3:29.93 SB
  8. Nigeria (Ngozi Cynthia Nwokocha, Gloria Amuche Nwosu, Halimat Ismaila, Christy Ekpukhon) 3:30.78 SB

Heat 2

  1. United States (Crystal Cox, Moushaumi Robinson, Monique Henderson, Sanya Richards) 3:23.79 Q
  2. Greece (Hariklia Bouda, Hrisoula Goudenoudi, Dimitra Dova, Fani Halkia) 3:26.70 Q
  3. India (Rajwinder Kaur, K Mathews Beenamol, Chitra K Soman, Manjeet Kaur) 3:26.89 Q NR
  4. Germany (Claudia Hoffman, Claudia Marx, Jana Neubert, Grit Breuer) 3:27.75
  5. Mexico (Liliana Allen, Magali Yanez, Ana Guevara, Mayra González) 3:27.88 NR
  6. Brazil (Maria Laura Almirao, Josiane Tito, Geisa Aparecida Coutinho, Lucimar Teodoro) 3:28.43 SB
  7. Ukraine (Oleksandra Ryzhkova, Oksana Ilyushkina, Antonina Yefremova, Natalya Pygyda) 3:28.62
  8. Senegal (Aida Diop, Mame Tacko Diouf, Aminata Diouf, Fatou Bintou Fall) 3:35.18

Final

  1. Russia (Olesya Krasnomovets, Natalya Nazarova, Olesya Zykina, Natalya Antyukh) 3:20.16 SB
  2. Jamaica (Novlene Williams, Michelle Burgher, Nadia Davy, Sandie Richards) 3:22.00 SB
  3. Great Britain (Donna Fraser, Catherine Murphy, Christine Ohuruogu, Lee McConnell) 3:25.12 SB
  4. Poland (Zuzanna Radecka, Monika Bejnar, Małgorzata Pskit, Grażyna Prokopek) 3:25.22
  5. Romania (Angela Morosanu, Alina Rapanu, Maria Rus, Ionela Tirlea-Manolache) 3:26.81 SB
  6. India (Satti Geetha, K Mathews Beenamol, Chitra K Soman, Rajwinder Kaur) 3:28.51
  7. Greece (Hariklia Bouda, Hrisoula Goudenoudi, Dimitra Dova, Fani Halkia) 3:45.70

DQ: United States (DeeDee Trotter, Monique Henderson, Sanya Richards, Monique Hennagan)

References