Men's 4 × 400 metres relay prize money
Botswana won the men's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2026 World Athletics Relays in 2:54.47 and took $40,000. Second was worth $20,000 and third $10,000, and the money ran eight deep, so the final paid $91,000 in all. Every dollar of it went to a federation: there is no individual prize at this meeting.
Eight teams ran the final in Gaborone. One of them did not finish, so 8th place paid nobody. The event carries $93,000, which is what every event on the Gaborone programme carries, and the championships put up $558,000 in all. The two finals below are the Guangzhou 2025 and Gaborone 2026 championships.
The 2026 final
Gaborone, 2 and 3 May 2026
| POS | COUNTRY | THE TEAM | TIME | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Botswana | Lee Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori, Collen Kebinatshipi | 2:54.47 | $40,000 |
| 2 | South Africa | Mthi Mthimkulu, Lythe Pillay, Leendert Koekemoer, Zakithi Nene | 2:55.07 | $20,000 |
| 3 | Australia | Luke van Ratingen, Reece Holder, Tom Reynolds, Aidan Murphy | 2:55.20 | $10,000 |
| 4 | Portugal | Pedro Afonso, Ericsson Tavares, João Coelho, Omar Elkhatib | 2:59.75 | $8,000 |
| 5 | Zimbabwe | Dennis Bradley Hove, Zuze Leeford, Gerren Muwishi, Thandazani Ndhlovu | 2:59.79 | $6,000 |
| 6 | Netherlands | Keenan Blake, Eugene Omalla, Tony van Diepen, Jonas Phijffers | 3:00.13 | $4,000 |
| 7 | Belgium | Julien Watrin, Robin Vanderbemden, Dylan Borlée, Alexander Doom | 3:00.69 | $3,000 |
| — | Qatar | Ammar Ibrahim, Bassem Hemeida, Samir Moussa Hassan, Ashraf Osman | DQ | — |
| 8 | teams | 7 finished | — | $91,000 |
The seven paid places came to $91,000, short of the $93,000 the event carried that year because nobody was placed 8th. One of the eight teams carries a dash: a relay that drops a baton is not placed, and an unplaced team is paid nothing.
The 2025 final
Guangzhou, 10 and 11 May 2025
| POS | COUNTRY | THE TEAM | TIME | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | Gardeo Isaacs, Udeme Okon, Leendert Koekemoer, Zakithi Nene | 2:57.50 | $40,000 |
| 2 | Belgium | Jonathan Sacoor, Robin Vanderbemden, Daniel Segers, Alexander Doom | 2:58.19 | $20,000 |
| 3 | Botswana | Lee Eppie, Justice Oratile, Kabo Rankgwe, Leungo Scotch | 2:58.27 | $10,000 |
| 4 | France | Adrien Coulibaly, Loïc Prévot, David Sombé, Jimy Soudril | 2:58.80 | $8,000 |
| 5 | Kenya | Kelvin Tonui, Zablon Ekwam, Boniface Onyari Mweresa, Kevin Kipkorir | 2:59.29 | $6,000 |
| 6 | Great Britain | Toby Harries, Efekemo Okoro, Joshua Faulds, Rio Mitcham | 3:03.46 | $4,000 |
| 7 | Portugal | Ericsson Tavares, Ricardo dos Santos, Omar Elkhatib, André Franco | 3:04.52 | $3,000 |
| 8 | China | Bao Chengzhe, Yu Dexiang, Zheng Chiyu, Li Yiqing | 3:06.33 | $2,000 |
| 8 | teams | 8 finished | — | $93,000 |
The eight paid places came to $93,000.
What each place is worth
The ladder, and the country that took each rung of it
| PLACE | PAYS | GABORONE 2026 | GUANGZHOU 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $40,000 | Botswana | South Africa |
| 2nd | $20,000 | South Africa | Belgium |
| 3rd | $10,000 | Australia | Botswana |
| 4th | $8,000 | Portugal | France |
| 5th | $6,000 | Zimbabwe | Kenya |
| 6th | $4,000 | Netherlands | Great Britain |
| 7th | $3,000 | Belgium | Portugal |
| 8th | $2,000 | nobody finished 8th | China |
| The event | $93,000 | $91,000 paid | $93,000 paid |
The winner takes 43% of what the event pays out and the other seven places share the rest, which is the same shape in every event on the relays programme.
What each country took from this event
$184,000 across the two finals
| # | COUNTRY | TITLES | PAID FINALS | BEST FINISH | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 1 | 2 | 1st in 2025 | $60,000 |
| 2 | Botswana | 1 | 2 | 1st in 2026 | $50,000 |
| 3 | Belgium | 0 | 2 | 2nd in 2025 | $23,000 |
| 4 | Portugal | 0 | 2 | 4th in 2026 | $11,000 |
| 5 | Australia | 0 | 1 | 3rd in 2026 | $10,000 |
| 6 | France | 0 | 1 | 4th in 2025 | $8,000 |
| 7 | Kenya | 0 | 1 | 5th in 2025 | $6,000 |
| 8 | Zimbabwe | 0 | 1 | 5th in 2026 | $6,000 |
| 9 | Great Britain | 0 | 1 | 6th in 2025 | $4,000 |
| 10 | Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 6th in 2026 | $4,000 |
| 11 | China | 0 | 1 | 8th in 2025 | $2,000 |
| 11 | countries paid | 2 | 15 | two finals | $184,000 |
South Africa has taken $60,000 of the $184,000 this event has paid out, 32.6% of it. Four countries were paid in both finals of this event. A total here is built by reaching the final rather than by winning it: 2nd place is worth $20,000 against the winner's $40,000, and 8th is worth $2,000, so a country that qualifies twice leaves with something twice.
The runners who were on a second paid team
The same athletes in another final at the same meeting
| ATHLETE | PAID FINALS | TITLES | ALSO RAN | DIAMOND LEAGUE | THEIR TEAMS TOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke van Ratingen | 2 | 0 | Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay | — | $30,000 |
| Mthi Mthimkulu | 2 | 0 | Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay | $2,500 | $26,000 |
| Kelvin Tonui | 2 | 0 | Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay | — | $14,000 |
| Julien Watrin | 2 | 0 | Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay | $7,250 | $7,000 |
The short relay and the long relay run on different days of the same weekend, and the mixed events pull from both, so a sprinter can be named on more than one team at a single championships. The right-hand column adds up what those teams were paid, and that money is the federation's rather than theirs. The Diamond League column is where the same names are paid in their own right, meeting by meeting, all summer.
Everyone who ran the men's 4 × 400 metres relay
All 57 of them, across the two finals
- Lee Eppie
- Letsile Tebogo
- Bayapo Ndori
- Collen Kebinatshipi
- Mthi Mthimkulu
- Lythe Pillay
- Leendert Koekemoer
- Zakithi Nene
- Luke van Ratingen
- Reece Holder
- Tom Reynolds
- Aidan Murphy
- Pedro Afonso
- Ericsson Tavares
- João Coelho
- Omar Elkhatib
- Dennis Bradley Hove
- Zuze Leeford
- Gerren Muwishi
- Thandazani Ndhlovu
- Keenan Blake
- Eugene Omalla
- Tony van Diepen
- Jonas Phijffers
- Julien Watrin
- Robin Vanderbemden
- Dylan Borlée
- Alexander Doom
- Ammar Ibrahim
- Bassem Hemeida
- Samir Moussa Hassan
- Ashraf Osman
- Gardeo Isaacs
- Udeme Okon
- Jonathan Sacoor
- Daniel Segers
- Justice Oratile
- Kabo Rankgwe
- Leungo Scotch
- Adrien Coulibaly
- Loïc Prévot
- David Sombé
- Jimy Soudril
- Kelvin Tonui
- Zablon Ekwam
- Boniface Onyari Mweresa
- Kevin Kipkorir
- Toby Harries
- Efekemo Okoro
- Joshua Faulds
- Rio Mitcham
- Ricardo dos Santos
- André Franco
- Bao Chengzhe
- Yu Dexiang
- Zheng Chiyu
- Li Yiqing
A team is named on the result table in running order, and every name here ran a leg of a final. Not one of them was paid in their own name: the purse is a single payment to the federation at every rung from $40,000 for the win down to $2,000 for 8th.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the men's 4 × 400 metres relay pay at the World Athletics Relays?
The event carries $93,000, split eight ways: $40,000 to the winning country, $20,000 for second and $10,000 for third, down to $2,000 for 8th. In Gaborone that came to $91,000, because nobody was placed 8th.
Who won the men's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2026 World Athletics Relays?
Botswana, in 2:54.47 (Lee Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori, Collen Kebinatshipi), for $40,000 to the federation. Eight teams ran the final in Gaborone. One of them did not finish, so 8th place paid nobody.
Do the four runners in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay split the prize money?
Not in any way that is published. The $40,000 goes to the country as one payment, and how a federation divides it between the four who ran the final, and the reserves who ran the heats, is its own business. Every event at this meeting works the same way, which is what makes the World Relays the only World Athletics championship where no athlete is paid in their own name.
How many places does the men's 4 × 400 metres relay pay?
Eight, which is every team in the final. The ladder runs $40,000, $20,000, $10,000, $8,000, $6,000, $4,000, $3,000, $2,000, so a team that qualifies for the final has already earned something before it runs. What it cannot survive is a dropped baton: a team that does not finish is not placed and is paid nothing.
Which country has won the most from the men's 4 × 400 metres relay?
South Africa, on $60,000 from two paid finals and one title. 11 countries have been paid in this event across the two championships, $184,000 between them.
Is there a bonus for a world record in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay?
No. The card at the World Relays is the ladder and nothing else, so a world record is worth the place it won and not a dollar more. At the World Championships a world record adds a bonus on top of the place money; here there is none to add.
Did anyone in this event run on another paid relay team?
Luke van Ratingen has run on teams paid $30,000, Mthi Mthimkulu has run on teams paid $26,000, Kelvin Tonui has run on teams paid $14,000, Julien Watrin has run on teams paid $7,000. The short relay and the long relay are two days apart at this meeting, so a sprinter can be on two paid teams in a weekend.
Where to next
The rest of the championships
World Relays prize money holds all 12 finals, the 23 countries that were paid and the $1,087,000 that was put up. World Championships prize money is where these runners are paid in their own names, $70,000 for a title, and Indoor Championships prize money is the one card where a relay team and a single athlete take the same figure. Diamond League prize money is the series most of this field races all summer.