Norway caused one of the biggest upsets of the weekend with victory in the women’s 4x400m relay at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana on Sunday (3).
The Norwegians qualified for the final with a national record of 3:22.78 and an identical team slashed almost two seconds off that time in the final, winning in 3:20.96 ahead of reigning champions Spain who were also rewarded with a national record of 3:21.25, almost three seconds faster than their winning time of 3:24.13 in 2025.
Henriette Jaeger was handed the baton in second place behind Spain’s Blanca Hervas and the European indoor 400m silver medallist hunted down the Spaniard midway down the back straight, powering to a 48.91 leg to anchor Norway to a historic and memorable victory.
It was only two years ago that the Norwegian women’s 4x400m team qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, becoming the first Norwegian team to qualify for an Olympic Games in any relay event since the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp.
Since then, Norway has been moving up the ranks of the women’s 4x400m, finishing an excellent sixth at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last September, the first time a Norwegian team has qualified for a final in a global championships.
And based on this form, the Norwegians will be in contention for their first ever European medal at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham from 10-16 August. They defeated a near all-European field in Gaborone with Canada, the sole non-European quartet to reach the final, taking the bronze medal in 3:22.66.
Great Britain & NI just missed out on the medals in fourth in 3:22.77 with the Netherlands, the reigning European champions from 2024, finishing fifth in 3:23.12. Italy equalled their national record in sixth in 3:23.40.
The Norwegian team was led off by Josefine Tomine Eriksen Aks who clocked a 51.26 first leg before the veteran 400m hurdler Amalie Iuel put Norway into the lead with a second leg of 49.71. The Spaniards moved into the lead on the third leg but Astri Ertzgaard kept Norway in title contention, handing on the baton to Jaeger after a 51.08 split.
"We were all surprised and we knew we could still run faster and we left it all out there. Everyone delivered and really ran well. This is our first time getting a gold medal in the relays and this medal has a special place in our hearts," said Iuel.
Elsewhere, after setting a national record of 37.67 in the heats, Germany won bronze in the men’s 4x100m final in 37.76 which was still faster than their pre-World Athletics Relays national record of 37.97 which was set at the 2022 European Athletics Championships. The United States won the title in 37.43, just ahead of South Africa who set an African record of 37.49.
After winning silver in the women’s 4x100m last year, Spain made the podium again with bronze in 42.31 in a race won by Jamaica who were anchored to victory by Elaine Thompson-Herah in 42.00.
Great Britain also won bronze in the mixed 4x400m in 3:09.84. 2023 European U23 400m champion Yemi Mary John produced a 49.08 anchor leg to overhaul Kenya’s Mercy Oketch to take the Brits onto the podium behind the United States (3:07.47) and Jamaica (3:08.24).