Anchor leg
The anchor leg is the final position in a relay race. Typically, the anchor leg of a relay is given to the fastest or most experienced competitor on a team. The athlete completing the anchor leg of a relay is responsible for making up ground on the race-leader or preserving the lead already secured by their teammates.[1][2][3]
Notable track examples
[edit]"Bullet" Bob Hayes ran anchor leg for the United States 4 × 100 metres relay team in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Receiving the baton in fifth place, Hayes pulled ahead of four runners to win the race. A French rival, Jocelyn Delecour, remarked to the American lead-off runner Paul Drayton "You haven't got anything except Hayes", and Drayton responded "That's all we need, pal."[4]
Carl Lewis never lost a race when he anchored the American 4 × 100 m relay team.[citation needed] He regularly ran under 9 seconds for his anchor legs and helped the team break the world record in the 4 × 100 m relay five times.[5] The record set by the U.S. at the 1992 Summer Olympics of 37.40 seconds stood for 16 years.[6]
Anchoring the U.S. sprint relay team at the 1984 Summer Olympics, Evelyn Ashford ran a reported 9.77 seconds, the fastest time ever for a woman over 100 m.[citation needed] The U.S. team of Alice Brown (first leg), Jeanette Bolden (second leg) and Chandra Cheeseborough (third leg) won by the biggest margin in the event's history.[citation needed]
Usain Bolt anchored the 2012 Jamaican 4 × 100 m relay and helped set a new world record with a time 36.84 seconds.[7]
After she placed eighth individually in the 100 m, Pam Marshall ran the anchor leg for the American 4 × 100 m team at the 1987 World Athletics Championships in Rome and beat Marlies Göhr in the final with an anchor leg timed at 10.11 s to Göhr's 10.41 s.[citation needed]
In some cases, athletes who are not top performers in individual events excel when given the responsibility of anchoring a relay. Phil Brown, a U.K. 400 m runner, won Olympic, World and European championship medals as the anchor leg runner for his national 4 × 400 m relay team[8] despite never having won a medal and rarely having advanced beyond the preliminary rounds individually.[citation needed]
British hurdling specialist Kriss Akabusi swapped places with normal Great Britain anchor, Olympic 400 metre silver medalist Roger Black, in a race where he caught and passed 400 metre world champion Antonio Pettigrew to win Great Britain the World Championship gold in Tokyo.[9] Due to the final legs of 4 × 400 m relay being run without lanes, the anchor may require some of the techniques normally associated with a middle distance runner, including tactical awareness, overtaking technique and physical strength to hold off other athletes, as well as basic speed.[citation needed]
Fastest anchors of all time
[edit]| Rank | Time | Athlete | Country | Date | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8.65 | Usain Bolt |  Jamaica
|
2 May 2015 | Nassau | [10] |
| 2 | 8.68 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica
|
22 August 2008 | Beijing | |
| 3 | 8.78 | Akani Simbine |  South Africa
|
10 August 2024 | Paris | [11] |
| Zharnel Hughes |  Great Britain
|
10 August 2024 | Paris | [12] | ||
| 5 | 8.79 | Fred Kerley |  United States
|
10 August 2024 | Paris | [13] |
| 6 | 8.80 | Richard Thompson |  Trinidad and Tobago
|
3 May 2014 | Nassau | |
| 7 | 8.83 | Ryan Bailey | United States
|
2 May 2015 | Nassau | |
| 8 | 8.85 | Carl Lewis | United States
|
8 August 1992 | Barcelona | |
| Filippo Tortu |  Italy
|
6 August 2021 | Tokyo | |||
| 10 | 8.89 | Andre De Grasse |  Canada
|
10 August 2024 | Paris | [14] |
Bob Hayes' anchor time in 1964 has been the stuff of legend for decades, but its hand clocking of 8.5 s is not the official time. With modern video reviews, it has been estimated at 9.00 s.
Swimming
[edit]At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Jason Lezak was the oldest male on the U.S. swim team. He anchored the U.S. 4 × 100 m freestyle relay team that won the gold medal and set a new world record.[15]
At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Michael Phelps swam the anchor leg of the 4 × 200 m relay becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time with his 15th gold medal and 19th overall.[16] He returned in 2016 to again anchor the 4 ×200 m freestyle relay, claiming his 21st gold and 25th medal.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ Ask the Coaches: Relay Strategy Archived 2014-05-23 at the Wayback Machine. Running Times (2002-07-02). Retrieved on 2014-05-23.
- ^ Anchor Leg Archived 2014-05-23 at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2014-05-23.
- ^ Missy Franklin's Unreal Anchor Leg Secures 800 Free Relay Victory for California Archived May 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Swimming World (2014-03-21). Retrieved on 2014-05-23.
- ^ Litsky, Frank (2002-09-20). Bob Hayes, Stellar Sprinter and Receiver, Is Dead at 59 Archived 2017-08-11 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2014-05-23.
- ^ "Carl LEWIS". Olympic Channel. Archived from the original on 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ "USA Men's 4x100m - Olympic News". International Olympic Committee. 2017-03-17. Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ "USA Track & Field | Ashford's 100m record earns her USATF Throwback Athlete of the Week honors". usatf.org. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ "Local Olympian to start 17th Great Midlands Fun Run". Great Midlands Fun Run. 2019-06-01. Archived from the original on 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
- ^ "Kriss Akabusi on the Olympic medal that changed his life". International Olympic Committee. 2019-03-05. Archived from the original on 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
- ^ "Usain Bolt Ran History's Fastest Anchor Leg at World Relays - Athletics Live Streaming, videos, news, results - Watch Athletics". Archived from the original on 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
- ^ "Men's 4×100m Relay Final Results" (PDF). olympics.com. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Men's 4×100m Relay Final Results" (PDF). olympics.com. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Men's 4×100m Relay Final Results" (PDF). olympics.com. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Men's 4×100m Relay Final Results" (PDF). olympics.com. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "12th Anniversary of Jason Lezak's Epic Anchor Leg at Beijing Games (Video)". Swimming World News. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
- ^ "U.S. wins 4x200 freestyle relay gold, Michael Phelps sets career Olympic medal record". www.cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-29. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
- ^ Auerbach, Nicole. "With Michael Phelps as anchor, U.S. 4x200 free relay wins gold". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2020-08-27.