The 4x400 meter relay is has been included as a men's event in all Olympic Games since 1908, and as a women's event since 1972. The United States has dominated both events throughout Olympic history, with men's teams taking 18 out of 25 gold medals, and women's teams have won eight out of 13 golds. The men's Olympic and world records were set by teams from the United States; the Olympic record was set in 2008, with a time of 2 minutes and 55.39 seconds, while the world record was set in 1993 with a time of 2 minutes and 54.29 seconds. The women's Olympic and world records were set in the 1988 Olympics, when the Soviet Union's women's team won with a time of 3 minutes and 15.17 seconds.
Allyson Felix of the United States is the most successful athlete in this event, winning consecutive golds in all four races between 2008 and 2020. Additionally, Felix has won two golds in the women's 4x100m relay, one gold and two silvers in the 200m, and one silver and bronze each in the 400m; making her one of the most dominant sprinters in recent decades.
Gold medal winning times in the Men's and Women's 4x400m relay at the Summer Olympics from 1908 to 2020
(in seconds)
This data was collected using the official Olympic.org site, as well as a spreadsheet from the Guardian that includes data from 1896-2008 (available here), 2012 and 2016 data was compared with that from Encyclopaedia Britannica, and several news outlets were used to update the table when medals were reassigned (i.e. for doping offenses).
The winning teams (male listed first) are as follows:
1908 - United States
1912 - United States
1920 - Great Britain
1924 - United States
1928 - United States
1932 - United States
1936 - Great Britain
1948 - United States
1952 - Jamaica
1956 - United States
1960 - United States
1964 - United States
1968 - United States
1972 - Kenya & East Germany
1976 - United States & East Germany
1980 - Soviet Union & Soviet Union
1984 - United States & United States
1988 - United States & Soviet Union
1992 - United States & Unified Team
1996 - United States & United States
2000 - Nigeria & United States
2004 - United States & United States
2008 - United States & United States
2012 - Bahamas & United States
2016 - United States & United States
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olympic.org, & The Guardian. (August 10, 2021). Gold medal winning times in the Men's and Women's 4x400m relay at the Summer Olympics from 1908 to 2020 (in seconds) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1101224/olympics-4x100m-gold-medal-times-since-1908/
olympic.org, und The Guardian. "Gold medal winning times in the Men's and Women's 4x400m relay at the Summer Olympics from 1908 to 2020 (in seconds)." Chart. August 10, 2021. Statista. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1101224/olympics-4x100m-gold-medal-times-since-1908/
olympic.org, The Guardian. (2021). Gold medal winning times in the Men's and Women's 4x400m relay at the Summer Olympics from 1908 to 2020 (in seconds). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1101224/olympics-4x100m-gold-medal-times-since-1908/
olympic.org, and The Guardian. "Gold Medal Winning times in The Men's and Women's 4x400m Relay at The Summer Olympics from 1908 to 2020 (in Seconds)." Statista, Statista Inc., 10 Aug 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1101224/olympics-4x100m-gold-medal-times-since-1908/
olympic.org & The Guardian, Gold medal winning times in the Men's and Women's 4x400m relay at the Summer Olympics from 1908 to 2020 (in seconds) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1101224/olympics-4x100m-gold-medal-times-since-1908/ (last visited November 21, 2024)
Gold medal winning times in the Men's and Women's 4x400m relay at the Summer Olympics from 1908 to 2020 (in seconds) [Graph], olympic.org, & The Guardian, August 10, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1101224/olympics-4x100m-gold-medal-times-since-1908/