America Stands Strong as 4×4 Mixed Relay Team Defends Title With Record Time at World Championships

The 2025 World Championships in Tokyo kicked off with a lot of excitement, and Team USA wasted no time flexing their might with an amazing performance in the mixed 4x400m relay. In the buzzing vibe of the Japan National Stadium, the American team showed what they’re made of, putting on an impressive display in relay racing that highlighted their skills, smart tactics, and consistent top-notch performance on the world stage.

This win didn’t just result in an early gold medal for the United States; it also reinforced their reputation as the team to watch in one of track and field’s most exciting and unpredictable events. This achievement comes down to the amazing performance by Bryce Deadmon, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Jenoah McKiver, and Alexis Holmes.

Citius Mag pointed out on X that these athletes nailed both the preliminaries and finals, showing off some impressive consistency and teamwork. Deadmon, a veteran relay specialist with Olympic medals under his belt, kicked things off with a solid opening leg, handling the early pressure from South Africa’s Gardeo Isaacs, who had fired off a 44.57 split. Irby-Jackson, who snagged an Olympic gold medal in that same Tokyo stadium four years ago, then pulled ahead with an impressive 49.18-second lap.

McKiver, the third leg, brought the heat with what could be the race’s standout moment: a blazing 43.91-second split that left the competition in the dust, forcing the Netherlands, Belgium, and others to scramble for silver. Anchor Alexis Holmes, a dependable closer, kept her cool and finished strong with a time of 3:08.80, matching the championship record from 2023 and making up for the U.S. loss to the Netherlands at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

This win stood out because of its story of redemption. In 2022, the U.S. ended up with a bronze medal on home turf in Eugene, so these back-to-back World Championship titles show they’ve taken back their top spot. The Dutch team, with Femke Bol running a strong 50.06 anchor leg, grabbed silver with a time of 3:09.96. They just couldn’t quite match their Olympic victory, while Belgium took home bronze with a time of 3:10.61. However, for Team USA the story was quite different a few months ago.

Opposite of what happened at the 2025 World Championships

Team USA faced a tough moment during the relay at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou on May 9, 2025. This incident adds to a series of baton exchange mishaps that have been happening on the international scene. The team of Kennedy Blackmon, Jada Mowatt, Kendal Williams, and Pjai Austin was competing in a new mixed 4x100m format when their hopes took a hit during the second exchange.

Mowatt was trying to pass the baton to Williams when it slipped out of their hands and fell onto the wet track. This mishap cost them valuable time, leading to a surprising fourth-place finish at 1:05.77—more than 25 seconds behind the heat winners, Italy, who clocked in at 41.15, along with the qualifying teams, France and Switzerland.

After the disqualification, sprinter Kendal Williams opened up about the incident, honestly sharing with the media that he wasn’t quite sure what caused it: “What happened… I saw it, I really can’t tell you to be honest.” He pointed out the difficulties of getting used to the new format, saying, “We’re hoping everything lines up how it does in practice, but sometimes that’s not always the case. You take the good with the bad. You learn and fight another day. It’s our first time doing something like that — a lot of trial and error involved.”

It seems like the fans might finally be ready to forgive Team USA after their recent win at the World Championships, even though the mixed relays team and the format were a bit different this time around.