Nicole lands bronze with GB and NI 4x400m Relay final

Monday 25th July 2022

Photos from British Athletics/Getty Images

Nicole Yeargin played her part to help Britain to their seventh and final medal Oregon.

The Pitreavie AAC athlete teamed up with Victoria Ohuruogu, Jessie Knight and Laviai Nielsen to take third in the final at Haywayrd Field overnight.

GB and NI clocked 3:22.64 as American landed the golds and Jamaica took the silvers.

Nicole, whose mum is from Dunfermline, first represented GB and NI at the Olympics last summer. Her split of 50.2 on the second leg is her best-ever.

Many congratulations to Nicole, her family and coach Boogie Johnson.

The British team were bidding to put to bed the fact that they missed out on a medal for the first time in eight editions last time out in Doha in 2019.

Ohuruogu, who’s sister Christine featured in six of those seven World Championship medal-winning performances, got the team off to a strong start before handing over to Yeargin who tucked nicely into third and would create distance from fourth in her leg.

Knight immediately moved into second after receiving the baton from Yeargin and, despite being passed by Jamaican Stephenie-Ann McPherson before the bend, she had lengthened the gap from fourth leaving Nielsen to take it home on anchor.

Nielsen, who was part of that team from three years ago in Doha that cruelly finished fourth, stopped the clock at 3:22.64 for bronze and a seventh medal for the British team in Oregon, the same number won at the 2015 and 2013 World Championships.

?? Bronze today and surely more medals in the future too.?

Victoria Ohuruogu, Nicole Yeargin, Jessie Knight & Laviai Nielsen are all smiles after their World Champs success in the 4x400m in Eugene.? #Oregon2022 pic.twitter.com/vGlIPk4iLh

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) July 25, 2022

Ohuruogu said: ‘I can’t lie, I felt a bit rusty [in the heats]. I’m the kind of athlete that needs a run out first. I did feel really good in warm up, I didn’t think I was going to be as fast as 50.5 but I am just glad I led them off to a good start because I knew it was going to be tough with USA and Jamaica.’

Yeargin said: ‘I knew we could do it and we were right in the pack. I can’t wait for next year.’

Nielsen said: ‘It was exciting. I kept thinking ‘I can’t believe we’re in bronze, I can’t believe we’re in bronze’.

‘We knew we could do it. I also want to say thank you to Ama Pipi [replaced by Knight for the final], this medal is as much hers as it is ours and Zoey Clark who has been a fantastic team member.

‘Matthew Hudson-Smith, who is a medallist in his own right and has been helping us in the warm-up area, grabbing water and ice towels for us and Martyn Rooney who has gone from being an athlete to team staff at these championships – we couldn’t have done it without them.’

+++

Great Britain and Northern Ireland Medal tally: (7)

Gold: Jake Wightman – 1500m

Silver: Keely Hodgkinson – 800m

Bronze: Laura Muir – 1500m

Bronze: Dina Asher-Smith – 200m

Bronze: Matt Hudson-Smith – 400m

Bronze: Men – 4x100m relay

Bronze: Women – 4x400m Relay

+++