Bronze for Australia: Men's 4x400m shatters record in Botswana
Event Summary
At the World Athletics Relays in Botswana, the Australian men's 4x400m relay team won the bronze medal with a time of 2:55.20, setting a new Australian record. The team comprised Luke van Ratingen, Reece Holder, Thomas Reynolds, and Aidan Murphy. The race was won by Botswana, with South Africa taking silver.
Performance Details
- The time of 2:55.20 broke the previous Australian record set in the preliminary round the day before.
- Reece Holder ran the second leg in 43.12 seconds, the third fastest split in the race.
- South Africa's Lythe Pillay recorded the fastest split ever at 42.66 seconds.
- Australia's time would have been gold at all Olympics except Paris 2024.
Background
The result marks a recovery from the 2023 World Championships in Tokyo, where the team was disqualified due to a positioning error by Aidan Murphy.
Qualification
All six Australian relay teams qualified for the 2025 World Championships in Beijing. The men's 4x100m team finished fourth, narrowly missing a medal. The mixed 4x400m team finished seventh in their final. The women's 4x400m team finished second to Poland with a season's best time of 3:26.92.
Stakeholder Statements
- Reece Holder described the atmosphere as "surreal" and "pretty incredible" to win a medal with such a time.