Team USA celebrate winning the mixed 4x400m relay world title. Photo: World Athletics

The Americans had no equals in the mixed 4x400m relay final as they grabbed the world title ahead of the Netherlands and Belgium.

Team USA grabbed their first gold medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships when they won the Mixed 4x400m relay in the final event on day 1 in Tokyo on Saturday.

The United States had a team of Bryce Deadmon, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Jenoah McKiver and Alexis Holmes and they fended off the challenge of the Netherlands and Belgium to grab the world title.

The American quartet had a great baton exchange in the first three laps with Deadmon handing it to Lynna Irby-Jackson after a great start before he passed it over to Jenoah McKiver.

Holmes then anchored the team and there was no stopping her as she stormed home with a massive gap to claim gold in 3:08.80.

The Netherlands, led by Ugandan-Dutch Eugene Omalla, won silver after the sprinter passed the baton to Lieke Claver with Jonas Phijffers receiving it before passing it to world 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol.

Bol showed her tenacity to finish behind the Americans in a time of 3:09.96, a season’s best, with the bronze medal going to Team Belgium of Daylan Borlee, Imke Vervaet, Alexander Doom and Hellena Ponette, who stopped the clock at 3:10.61.

It is a race that Team Kenya watched from the sidelines despite their athletes sealing a place in the final earlier in the day only to see them disqualified over lane infringement.

The Kenyan quartet of Brian Tinega, Mercy Adongo, Allan Kipyego, and Mary Moraa had clocked an African record of 3:10.73 for second place in their heat but they were kicked out over the violation.