Drama in the relay with Aussies promoted

4x400m Women's Relay

The running relays lived up to their reputation for drama this evening when Australia’s 4x400m women’s team, spearheaded by Jana Pittman and Tamsyn Lewis, were promoted to gold after a late disqualification.

Following the exciting women’s final, Australia’s Olympic silver medal-winning men’s 4x400m team secured a comfortable victory to the delight of an 83,000-strong MCG crowd.

Those roars would only increase in fervor when it was announced moments later that Australia’s women had been elevated to first place after England was disqualified for running outside of their lane during the first leg. India also moved up to second place with Nigeria taking the bronze.

It capped an absorbing race in which the fancied Jamaican quartet blew their chances with a shocking error on the second changeover. Shellene Williams failed to handle the baton from 400m bronze medallist Novlene Williams and the Caribbean nation would never full recover, finishing fifth (upgraded to fourth).

Pittman gave the Australians the perfect start, handing Caitlin Willis a significant lead entering the second leg. However, Willis was soon passed by England’s Nicola Sanders, as well as Williams, before the Jamaican debacle enabled Lewis to jump up to second position.

But neither the popular Lewis nor anchor runner Rosemary Hayward could make any headway on England in the final 800m, and it was left to the judges to give Australia a controversial gold.

“It was pretty exciting. I’m not complaining about the way we won. Relays have rules and rules are the rules. The girls ran so well, in front of a home crowd makes it so special,” Lewis said.

While pleased with the effort of the team, Pittman had a somewhat different opinion.

“I’m so proud of these girls. They left nothing on the track, we’re a young team and we’re really strong. But we’re getting gold by default. The night goes to John Steffensen and the guys,” she said.

The men’s relay was a more straightforward affair, with the host nation taking control during Christopher Troode’s second leg. 400m hero John Steffensen gave the Aussies a solid start and a marginal lead, but it was Troode who separated Australia from the rest of the pack with a brilliant run that pushed the favourites 20 metres into the clear.

Presented with a considerable head start, Mark Ormrod and Clinton Hill maintained the buffer all the way, bringing the athletics competition to a close the same way it started- with an Australian triumph.

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