USA Sets Mixed 4x100m American Record At Ultimate Champ
The U.S. Quartet of Ronnie Baker, Anavia Battle, Courtney Lindsey, and Kayla White won the inaugural Ultimate Championship mixed 4x100m in Budapest with an
Team USA opened the Ultimate Championship in Budapest by setting an American Record in the mixed 4x100-meter relay. The quartet of Ronnie Baker, Anavia Battle, Courtney Lindsey, and Kayla White clocked 39.64 seconds on a cool, damp night on September 11.
The time is the second-fastest ever run in the fledgling event, just 0.02 seconds off the world record set by Jamaica in May. The performance earned the team an $80,000 winners' check and the title of inaugural Ultimate champions.
Race Breakdown
Running from lane 9, lead-off runner Ronnie Baker recovered from a slow start to hand off just ahead of Jamaica's Ackeem Blake. Anavia Battle, in her first mixed relay, then maintained a half-meter lead down the back straight against Jamaica's Tina Clayton. A poor baton exchange between Jamaica's third and fourth legs allowed Courtney Lindsey to extend the U.S. Advantage.
Lindsey handed off to anchor Kayla White with a 0.16-second lead. Jamaica's Jonielle Smith closed the gap, but superior baton passing secured the win for the United States. "Better handovers won the day," the source stated.
Team Reactions
Ronnie Baker, the 2015 and 2016 NCAA indoor 60-meter champion, said he was locked in from the warmup. "I knew my job and I felt I got it done really, really well," he was quoted as saying. "Just stay in front and don't let anybody be coming up close to you."
He expressed excitement at winning the first edition of the event. Baker also noted the substantial winner's trophy would need a high shelf in his house due to his children.
Anavia Battle revealed the team's chemistry compensated for a lack of specific practice. "It takes a lot of trust, but it didn't take a lot of practice," she said. "We just put it together and made it work."
Full Results
The source provided a full breakdown of times and splits for all eight competing nations.
| Team | Time | Position | World Rank | Leg 1 (Time) | Leg 2 (Time) | Leg 3 (Time) | Leg 4 (Time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 39.64 | 1 | 2 W | Ronnie Baker (10.44) | Anavia Battle (10.00) | Courtney Lindsey (9.20) | Kayla White (10.00) |
| Jamaica | 39.72 | 2 | 3 W | Ackeem Blake (10.53) | Tina Clayton (9.99) | Kadrian Goldson (9.38) | Jonielle Smith (9.92) |
| Great Britain | 40.26 | 3 | - | Romell Glave (10.55) | Imani-Lara Lansiquot (10.19) | Jeremiah Azu (9.38) | Success Eduan (10.14) |
| Canada | 40.34 | 4 | - | Eliezer Adjibi (10.66) | Audrey Leduc (10.12) | Brendon Rodney (9.47) | Sade McCreath (10.09) |
| Spain | 40.65 | 5 | - | Guillem Crespi (10.72) | Maria Isabel Pérez (10.94) | Andoni Calbano (9.55) | Jael Bestue (10.14) |
| Germany | 40.85 | 6 | - | Kevin Kranz (10.69) | Jolina Ernst (10.36) | Robin Ganter (9.53) | Sina Kammerschmitt (10.27) |
| Hungary | 41.21 | 7 | - | Krisztián Kalics (10.87) | Boglárka Takács (10.12) | Dominik Pázmándi (9.71) | Zita Szentgyörgyi (10.51) |
| Netherlands | 41.31 | 8 | - | Elvis Afrifa (10.82) | Britt De Blaauw (10.63) | Xavi Mo-Ajok (9.42) | Fenna Achterberg (10.44) |
Great Britain finished a distant third in 40.26, just ahead of Canada. There was no physical podium, but each member of the winning team received a trophy.
The report noted that with the challenges of male-to-female baton exchanges in the mixed relay, Team USA may have ridden its luck. Nevertheless, the performance provided a record-breaking start to the new championship meet.
