One of the best early events of the Athletics World Championships in Oregon was the mixed 4x400m relay. It was made even more exciting for the younger audience from Great Britain as Joe Brier and Alex Haydock-Wilson both lined up in the British side.
Unfortunately, the side did not make it through to the finals, but with such a young squad there is certainly hope for better finishes in the future. Finishing sixth in their heat, the quartet of Brier, Zoey Clark, Haydock-Wilson and Laviai Nielsen nevertheless ran very well against stiff competition.
The absence of Great British star Matthew Hudson-Smith was unfortunate, but not necessarily surprising, as his focus was primarily on the individual 400m event. This also meant that Brier could take a space in the team, gaining vital championship experience against the world’s best athletes.
Haydock-Wilson would perhaps be the more disappointed of the two, as his split of 47.09 seconds was one of his slower times this year. On a better note, though, he was able to make it through the heats of the individual 400m just a day later.
Brier, on the other hand, ran a fantastic leg. Clocking in at 45.48 seconds, he put the squad in a great position after the first leg. The Cardiff Met student has a personal best of 45.56 seconds, run in Geneva earlier this year, meaning that this run was a great performance on the international stage. Furthermore, running the first leg in a 4x400m can even make the times slightly slower than usual, proving Brier’s class.
Overall, Haydock-Wilson and Brier were exemplary athletes in this competition, and brought the Great British quartet within half a second of making it into the World Championship final. The future seems bright for these two, and Haydock-Wilson has another opportunity to prove himself in the 400m semi-finals.