Us Relay Team Sets Indoor World Record For Title

(AP Photo/Alik Keplicz) Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba leads the field to win the women's 3000m final during the Athletics World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland, Sunday, March 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Sponsored Links The Associated Press SOPOT, Poland Perhaps people know Calvin Smith Jr, and even then likely because his father was a famous runner a generation back. And David Verburg ran on the 4x400 world outdoor gold medal team last year. But Kyle Clemons? Kind Butler III? Like so many on this U.S. team at the world indoor championships which was low on glamor yet deep in talent, they produced beyond expectations on Sunday and now have a 4x400 indoor world record to show for it. When everyone expected the three-day event to peter out without a world record, suddenly this quartet made a name for each and every one on the team. "These are moments you really have to cherish," Butler said. "We are never going to be here again." The four sprinters got the baton around in a time of 3 minutes, 2.13 seconds, slashing .70 off the 15-year-old indoor mark set by another U.S. relay team at the 1999 world indoors. The U.S. beat Britain into silver and Jamaica took bronze. "The combination of these guys is amazing. They brought it out of me," said Clemons, who already took bronze in the individual 400. The record gave the U.S. team eight gold and 12 medals overall, more than double the total of runner-up Russia, which had three gold and five overall. The U.S. team won 10 gold and 18 overall two years ago, but that was such an outsize record performance that no one thought it would be possible again. Yet, when it came to gold, the Americans came pretty close with a slew of little-known names. "We never lose runners, lose people. We just keep reloading," said Clemons of the U.S.
For the original version visit http://www.ajc.com/ap/ap/sports/us-relay-team-sets-indoor-world-record-for-title/nd8nh/?nmredir=true