Relay success depends on far more than the individual sprinting ability of the four team members, according to a new study conducted during the 4x100m finals at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. The research examined the key determinants of exchange performance and how teams adapt their baton-passing strategies under the pressure of major championship competitions. It found that the amount of time lost during baton exchanges varied substantially between teams and was large enough to influence the outcome of a race.
The most effective exchanges maintained the velocity of the baton by minimising the incoming runner’s loss of speed while allowing the outgoing runner to accelerate sufficiently before receiving it. The study was led by Takeo Matsubayashi, a research scientist at the Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, in collaboration with the World Athletics Health and Science department. Seven manually operated high-speed cameras were positioned around the track to capture the athletes continuously from the start to the finish of each race.
The footage was then used to reconstruct the athletes’ positions in three dimensions. Researchers analysed a range of performance measures, including the time spent in the takeover zone, the minimum velocity of the baton during the exchange, the position at which the baton was passed and the duration of the exchange. These measures were then compared with each team’s finishing time.
The study found that rankings based on the average of the four runners’ 100m season’s bests did not correspond with the actual race results. This indicates that relay performance cannot be explained by individual sprinting ability alone and highlights the importance of relay-specific factors, particularly baton exchange performance. “A central finding of this study is the importance of maintaining baton velocity throughout the exchange,” said Matsubayashi.
“This depends not only on a smooth handover, but also on how well the incoming runner maintains speed and how effectively the outgoing runner accelerates before receiving the baton. These insights offer practical guidance for coaches and athletes, supporting more informed decision-making in both training and competition.” Sakie Nobuoka, short sprints head coach for Japan, said: “This study provides objective support for what many coaches have intuitively understood: baton exchange is…
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