A remarkable finish at the 4×100 relay at the Diamond League in Zurich, Switzerland went viral this week, with a Dutch runner overtaking a Swiss one essentially at the last possible moment.
Switzerland’s Melissa Gutschmidt appeared to be perfectly positioned to bring it home for her country, but a late surge by Dutch runner Tasa Jiya led to a neck-and-neck finish. The Netherlands ultimately claimed victory in controversial fashion, with Gutschmidt tripping just before she crossed the finish line.
https://twitter.com/NBCSports/status/1697625609654944239
Ultimately, the Dutch won by .08 seconds in the final results.
#ZurichDL 🇨🇭 – 🏃♀️ 4X100M
1. PAYS-BAS 🇳🇱 42.86
(Seedo, van Hunenstijn, Samuel, Jiya)
2. SUISSE 🇨🇭 42.94
3. AUSTRALIE 🇦🇺 43.21 #Athlétisme— MR.CARTER (@NelsonCarterJr) August 31, 2023
The finish was not without controversy, as it certainly appeared that Jiya was dangerously close to being in Gutschmidt’s lane. However, that ultimately did not change the final outcome.
Regardless, this is one of the closer finishes you will ever see in a track and field event. Maybe the United States men’s relay team can take some inspiration from it.
