2023 World Athletics Championships – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay

The men's 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2023 World Athletics Championships was held at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on 25 and 26 August 2023. It was the 19th edition of this relay at the World Athletics Championships since 1983.

Summary
After procedure modifications, the fastest qualifiers were assigned outside lanes, thus more favorable, wider turns. With one of the fastest starters in history, 2019 100m champion Christian Coleman out of the blocks, USA was making up the stagger on Japan, the only team to its outside. A couple of lanes inside, Jamaica's Ackeem Blake was gaining on South Africa between them. USA clearly passed first to 2022 100m champion Fred Kerley, Jamaica passed late in the zone to Oblique Seville but the same time as GBR passed to Zharnel Hughes. USA made the second pass from Kerley to Brandon Carnes ahead, but they were slowed by two attempts to transfer the baton. Jamaica to Ryiem Forde and GBR to Adam Gemili passed about even, and Italy's quick pass from Olympic Champion Marcell Jacobs to Lorenzo Patta put them into contention. Through the turn, Jamaica and Italy gained ground. Jamaica passed to their surprise National Champion Rohan Watson less than a metre behind USA. But USA had the double sprint winner Noah Lyles on anchor. Lyles opened up a 4 metre gap on his leg for a clear American victory. Italy passed to Filippo Tortu a metre down to Jamaica, but Tortu reversed that and gained a couple of metres for a clear second. Watson was able to hold off GBR's Eugene Amo-Dadzie and Japan's fast closing Abdul Hakim Sani Brown to retain bronze. It was Jamaica's first 4x100 medal since the retirement of Usain Bolt. Upon crossing the finish line, Lyles held up 3 fingers for the cameras to celebrate his third gold medal at these championships.

Records
Before the competition, records were as follows:

Qualification system
After the postponement for COVID-19 pandemic reasons of the 2023 World Relays to 2024 Nassau, the modified system to qualify automatically is to have finished in the first eight (finalists) at 2022 World Championships, in Eugene, completed by eight more 2022-2023 top lists' teams.

Participating teams

 * 🇨🇦 (1st)
 * 🇺🇸 (2nd)
 * (3rd)
 * 🇯🇲 (4th)
 * 🇬🇭 (5th)
 * (6th)
 * 🇧🇷 (7th)

Top list before the 30 July 2023:

2022 Top list
The qualification period has started on 31 July 2022 and closes on 30 July 2023. Here are the marks made before the starting of the qualification period.


 * 1) 37.99	🇩🇪	1f1	NR	Universitätsstadion am Biopark, Regensburg (GER) 3 June 2022
 * 2) 38.09	Adidas team	(USA) 	1f1	Percy Beard Track, Gainesville, FL (USA)	16 April 2022
 * 3) 38.31	🇨🇦 1		Alexander Stadium, Birmingham (GBR)	21 May 2022
 * 4) 38.35	 1	Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City (NGR)	25 June 2022
 * 5) 38.41	🇫🇷	2		Alexander Stadium, Birmingham (GBR)	21 May 2022
 * 6) 38.43		1	Mestský Stadion, Ostrava (CZE)	31 May 2022
 * 7) 38.56	🇹🇭 	1	NR	Yecheon (KOR)	4 June 2022
 * 8) 38.63	 	1	National Stadium, Gaborone (BOT)	30 April 2022
 * 9) 38.70	 	1	Olympiastadion, Stockholm (SWE)	30 June 2022
 * 10) 38.72	🇺🇸	1f3		Hilmer Lodge Stadium, Walnut, CA (USA)	16 April 2022
 * 11) 38.76	🇱🇷 1		Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain (TTO)	26 June 2022
 * 12) 38.89	Racers Track Club (JAM) 	1f1		National Stadium, Kingston (JAM)	26 February 2022
 * 13) 38.89	🇨🇿	2f1		Centre sportif du Bout-du-Monde, Geneva (SUI)	11 June 2022
 * 14) 38.90	SESI - SP	(BRA)	1f3		Rio de Janeiro (BRA)	23 June 2022
 * 15) 38.95	🇮🇹	1		Stade Complexe Olympique, Oran (ALG)	1 July 2022
 * 16) 38.97	🇪🇸	1		Estadio Iberoamericano (Huelva), Huelva (ESP)	25 May 2022
 * 17) 38.98	🇹🇷	2		Stade Complexe Olympique, Oran (ALG)	1 July 2022

2022 Qualification period top list
The qualification period has started on 31 July 2022 and closes on 30 July 2023.


 * 1) 37.67Q	 1		Olympiastadion, Munich (GER)	21 August 2022
 * 2) 37.94Q	🇫🇷	2		Olympiastadion, Munich (GER)	21 August 2022
 * 3) 37.97 🇩🇪	1h2		Olympiastadion, Munich (GER)	19 August 2022
 * 4) 38.15 🇵🇱	3		Olympiastadion, Munich (GER)	21 August 2022
 * 5) 38.25		4		Olympiastadion, Munich (GER)	21 August 2022
 * 6) 38.36 	5		Olympiastadion, Munich (GER)	21 August 2022
 * 7) 38.70		2		Alexander Stadium, Birmingham (GBR)	7 August 2022

2023 Top List
(updated on 6 June 2023)


 * 1) 37.80Q	🇨🇦	1	Percy Beard Track, Gainesville, FL (USA)	1 April 2023
 * 2) 37.93Q	"Florida" (USA) 2f2	LSU Bernie Moore Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA (USA)	13 May 2023
 * 3) 38.26	NR 🇰🇪 1	National Stadium, Gaborone (BOT) 29 April 2023
 * 4) 38.38	🇮🇹 1	Stadio Luigi Ridolfi, Florence (ITA) 7 May 2023
 * 5) 38.50	🇦🇺	1	SOPAC, Sydney (AUS)	11 March 2023
 * 6) 38.61Q	"Empire Athletics" (JAM) 3	Percy Beard Track, Gainesville, FL (USA) 1 April 2023
 * 7) 38.79	🇩🇪 1f1		Universitätsstadion am Biopark, Regensburg (GER) 3 June 2023
 * 8) 38.83Q	🇫🇷 1f1		Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, AZ (USA)	29 April 2023
 * 9) 38.97	Fujian (CHN) 1	Zhaoqing Sports Center, Zhaoqing (CHN)	23 April 2023
 * 10) 39.04	🇨🇴	2f2		Estadio iberoamericano (Huelva), Huelva (ESP)	6 June 2023
 * 11) 39.10	🇩🇴 	1	La Vicentina, Quito (ECU)	4 March 2023
 * 12) 39.11	 	1	Morodok Techo National Stadium, Phnom Penh (CAM) 10 May 2023
 * 13) 39.12Q	 	1	Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadion, Hengelo (NED)	4 June 2023

(teams not qualified):
 * Next best 2022–23
 * 🇧🇪 38.73 - Olympiastadion, Munich (GER) - 19 August 2022
 * 🇹🇷 38.74 - Athletics Stadium, Konya (TUR) - 12 August 2022
 * 38.81 - Alexander Stadium, Birmingham (GBR) - 07 August 2022
 * 🇨🇿 38.93 - Stadion Śląski, Chorzów (POL) - 4 June 2023

Heats
The first three in each heat (Q) and the next two fastest (q) qualified for the final.

Final
The final was started on 26 August at 21:42.