Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay prize money
United States won the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2026 World Athletics Relays in 3:07.47 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 | United States | Bryce Deadmon, Paris Peoples, Jenoah McKiver, Bailey Lear | 3:07.47 | $40,000 |
| 2 | Jamaica | Deandre Watkin, Shana Kaye Anderson, Antonio Watson, Rushell Clayton | 3:08.24 | $20,000 |
| 3 | Great Britain | Alex Haydock-Wilson, Lina Nielsen, Jake Minshull, Yemi Mary John | 3:09.84 | $10,000 |
| 4 | Kenya | George Mutinda, Mercy Chebet, Kelvin Tonui, Mercy Oketch | 3:09.93 | $8,000 |
| 5 | Italy | Lorenzo Benati, Anna Polinari, Vladimir Aceti, Eloisa Coiro | 3:10.52 | $6,000 |
| 6 | Spain | David García, Eva Santidrián, Julio Arenas, Carmen Avilés | 3:13.05 | $4,000 |
| 7 | Australia | Cooper Sherman, Mia Gross, Matthew Hunt, Alexia Loizou | 3:13.07 | $3,000 |
| — | Poland | Marcin Karolewski, Alicja Wrona-Kutrzepa, Karolina Łozowska | DNF | — |
| 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 | United States | Chris Robinson, Courtney Okolo, Johnnie Blockburger, Lynna Irby-Jackson | 3:09.54 | $40,000 |
| 2 | Australia | Luke van Ratingen, Ellie Beer, Terrell Thorne, Carla Bull | 3:12.20 | $20,000 |
| 3 | Kenya | David Kapirante, Mercy Chebet, Brian Onyari Tinega, Mercy Oketch | 3:13.10 | $10,000 |
| 4 | Great Britain | Sam Lunt, Poppy Malik, Bailey Swift, Hannah Kelly | 3:14.74 | $8,000 |
| 5 | South Africa | Mthi Mthimkulu, Jada van Staden, Tumisang Shezi, Hannah van Niekerk | 3:16.29 | $6,000 |
| 6 | Belgium | Julien Watrin, Ilana Hanssens, Florent Mabille, Manon de Marez | 3:16.45 | $4,000 |
| 7 | Poland | Michal Kijewski, Weronika Bartnowska, Daniel Sołtysiak, Karolina Łozowska | 3:16.48 | $3,000 |
| 8 | Ireland | Jack Raftery, Phil Healy, Aaron Keane, Lauren Cadden | 3:19.64 | $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 | United States | United States |
| 2nd | $20,000 | Jamaica | Australia |
| 3rd | $10,000 | Great Britain | Kenya |
| 4th | $8,000 | Kenya | Great Britain |
| 5th | $6,000 | Italy | South Africa |
| 6th | $4,000 | Spain | Belgium |
| 7th | $3,000 | Australia | Poland |
| 8th | $2,000 | nobody finished 8th | Ireland |
| 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 | United States | 2 | 2 | 1st in 2026 | $80,000 |
| 2 | Australia | 0 | 2 | 2nd in 2025 | $23,000 |
| 3 | Jamaica | 0 | 1 | 2nd in 2026 | $20,000 |
| 4 | Great Britain | 0 | 2 | 3rd in 2026 | $18,000 |
| 5 | Kenya | 0 | 2 | 3rd in 2025 | $18,000 |
| 6 | Italy | 0 | 1 | 5th in 2026 | $6,000 |
| 7 | South Africa | 0 | 1 | 5th in 2025 | $6,000 |
| 8 | Belgium | 0 | 1 | 6th in 2025 | $4,000 |
| 9 | Spain | 0 | 1 | 6th in 2026 | $4,000 |
| 10 | Poland | 0 | 1 | 7th in 2025 | $3,000 |
| 11 | Ireland | 0 | 1 | 8th in 2025 | $2,000 |
| 11 | countries paid | 2 | 15 | two finals | $184,000 |
The United States has taken $80,000 of the $184,000 this event has paid out, 43.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Peoples | 2 | 1 | Women's 4 × 400 metres relay | $3,000 | $60,000 |
| Bailey Lear | 2 | 1 | Women's 4 × 400 metres relay | — | $60,000 |
| Eva Santidrián | 2 | 1 | Women's 4 × 400 metres relay | — | $44,000 |
| Luke van Ratingen | 2 | 0 | Men's 4 × 400 metres relay | — | $30,000 |
| Mthi Mthimkulu | 2 | 0 | Men's 4 × 400 metres relay | $2,500 | $26,000 |
| Carla Bull | 2 | 0 | Mixed 4 × 100 metres relay | — | $25,000 |
| Poppy Malik | 2 | 0 | Women's 4 × 400 metres relay | — | $16,000 |
| Kelvin Tonui | 2 | 0 | Men's 4 × 400 metres relay | — | $14,000 |
| Anna Polinari | 2 | 0 | Women's 4 × 400 metres relay | $1,000 | $12,000 |
| Julien Watrin | 2 | 0 | Men's 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 mixed 4 × 400 metres relay
All 60 of them, across the two finals
- Bryce Deadmon
- Paris Peoples
- Jenoah McKiver
- Bailey Lear
- Deandre Watkin
- Shana Kaye Anderson
- Antonio Watson
- Rushell Clayton
- Alex Haydock-Wilson
- Lina Nielsen
- Jake Minshull
- Yemi Mary John
- George Mutinda
- Mercy Chebet
- Kelvin Tonui
- Mercy Oketch
- Lorenzo Benati
- Anna Polinari
- Vladimir Aceti
- Eloisa Coiro
- David García
- Eva Santidrián
- Julio Arenas
- Carmen Avilés
- Cooper Sherman
- Mia Gross
- Matthew Hunt
- Alexia Loizou
- Marcin Karolewski
- Alicja Wrona-Kutrzepa
- Karolina Łozowska
- Chris Robinson
- Courtney Okolo
- Johnnie Blockburger
- Lynna Irby-Jackson
- Luke van Ratingen
- Ellie Beer
- Terrell Thorne
- Carla Bull
- David Kapirante
- Brian Onyari Tinega
- Sam Lunt
- Poppy Malik
- Bailey Swift
- Hannah Kelly
- Mthi Mthimkulu
- Jada van Staden
- Tumisang Shezi
- Hannah van Niekerk
- Julien Watrin
- Ilana Hanssens
- Florent Mabille
- Manon de Marez
- Michal Kijewski
- Weronika Bartnowska
- Daniel Sołtysiak
- Jack Raftery
- Phil Healy
- Aaron Keane
- Lauren Cadden
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 mixed 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 mixed 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2026 World Athletics Relays?
United States, in 3:07.47 (Bryce Deadmon, Paris Peoples, Jenoah McKiver, Bailey Lear), 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 mixed 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 mixed 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 mixed 4 × 400 metres relay?
The United States, on $80,000 from two paid finals and two titles. 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 mixed 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.
Has any country won the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay at both championships?
the United States won it in 2025 and 2026, which is $80,000 from two finals.
Did anyone in this event run on another paid relay team?
Paris Peoples has run on teams paid $60,000, Bailey Lear has run on teams paid $60,000, Eva Santidrián has run on teams paid $44,000, Luke van Ratingen has run on teams paid $30,000, Mthi Mthimkulu has run on teams paid $26,000, Carla Bull has run on teams paid $25,000, among 10 in this event who ran another paid final. 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.