USA 4x400M mixed relay team sets world record on first day of track and field at Olympics
The event's finals are on Saturday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On the very first day of Olympic track and field in Paris, a world record was shattered.
The U.S. mixed 4x400m relay team won their heat by a wide margin, and put themselves in the history books.
Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon and Kaylyn Brown ran the race in 3:07.41, topping the previous record by 1.38 seconds.
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The U.S.' Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon and Kaylyn Brown pose with their world record time after the 4x400m relay mixed round 1 during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games at Stade de France, north of Paris, on Friday. (Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports)
The men, Norwood and Deadmon, ran the first and third legs, while Little and Brown were responsible for the second and anchors, respectively.
The second-place team didn't cross the finish line until nearly three seconds later.
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Justin Robinson, Rosey Effiong, Matthew Boling and Alexis Holmes set the previous record at the world championships in Budapest last year.
Shamier Little (USA) hands off to Bryce Deadmon (USA) in the 4x400m relay mixed round 1 during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games at Stade de France, north of Paris, on Friday. (James Lang-USA TODAY Sports)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}All four runners have ties to SEC schools — Little and Deadmon both attended Texas A&M, while Norwood is an LSU alum and the anchor, Brown, at just 19 years old, attends Arkansas.
Deadmon was a part of the gold medal-winning men's 4400m relay in Tokyo, alongside Michael Cherry, Michael Norman and Rai Benjamin; Norwood competed in the heats in Tokyo, thus earning a gold as part of the entire seven-man team. The Paris Games mark Little and Brown's Olympic debuts.
The mixed team earned bronze in 2021 — Norwood ran in that final, while Deadmon competed in the heats.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kaylyn Brown (USA) competes in the 4x400m relay mixed round 1 during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France, north of Paris, on Friday. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
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The new mark came in just the very first heat of the event, so there may be plenty more where that came from. The event's finals will be held on Saturday afternoon.
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