Commonwealth Games: Women's 4x100m relay
The first Commonwealth Games women’s relay was in 1934 in London, although it was formed of a 220-yard leg followed by two of 110 yards. England won with Eileen Hiscock winning her third gold. She missed out on a fourth in a 660 yards medley won by Canada, but won silver.
Using the same format in Sydney in 1938, Australia won both relays with Decima Norman adding two more golds to her three individual titles.
The Commonwealths persisted with the medley event post-war in 1950 in Auckland. Australia won easily again and this time it was double sprint champion Marjorie Jackson who was the star, picking up four golds, though hurdles winner and sprint runner-up Shirley Strickland won five medals in total.
Common sense prevailed in 1954 in Vancouver as they had a standard 4x110 yards. Australia won again but England were only a
tenth back. Jackson, now Nelson, thus won three more golds as she gained another sprint double and came from three metres behind to pip England on the final leg.
In 1958 in Cardiff, Australia were favourites again, especially with double sprint champion Marlene Willard and 200m runner-up Betty Cuthbert in their team, but England thrashed them by eight metres and set a 4x110 yards world record of 45.37 into the bargain. Normal service was resumed in Perth in 1962 as Australia won but it was close as Cuthbert made up four yards on the last leg to pip England for the title. Australia also won the final imperial relay in Kingston in 1966 as they went close to the world mark with 45.3 with England three yards behind in second. Dianne Burge won her third gold of the Games and hurdles winner Pam Kilborn her second.
The order was the same for the first metric relay in Edinburgh in 1970 as Australia had double sprint champion Raelene Boyle and England had 1958 gold medalwinning member Madeline Cobb (formerly Weston). Boyle won three more golds in Christchurch in 1974 as Australia won easily and England just pipped Ghana for second.
Finally after a long run of seconds, England regained top spot in 1978 in Edmonton with 100m champion Sonia Lannaman bringing them home five metres clear of Canada, and Australia, without Boyle who was second in the 100m, were third.
Three quarters of the England team that won in 1978 returned in Brisbane in 1982 and won easily in a Games record 44.16 with Australia out of the medals in fourth.
The 1986 race in Edinburgh saw another fast England win but only Kathy Cook returned from four years earlier. Only five teams started the boycott-affected event and Australia failed to finish, which let in Wales to win their first relay medal. Australia fared better in Auckland in 1990, as they won gold and were led off by 16 year old Cathy Freeman, who became the first ever Australian aboriginal medallist in any event.
The England-Australian dominance finally ended in 1994 in Victoria. Nigeria, anchored by 100m champion Mary Onyali, won easily in a Games record 42.99. Australia, led off by 200m winner Freeman, were second while England edged Jamaica for third.
In Kuala Lumpur in 1998, Australia were back on top as they won by a metre from Jamaica, with England two metres behind in third.
The 2002 race in Manchester was the fastest ever by some margin and Bahamas, with double sprint champion Debbie Ferguson, won in 42.44 from Jamaica. England’s bronze time of 42.84 beat the old Games record. Australia were a distant fourth.
Times were much slower in Melbourne in 2006 and Jamaica won their first gold with England second and then England emphatically won a poor-quality race in Delhi in 2010 as they were the only team inside 45 seconds!
Medley
1934: (211): England 49.4
1934: (2211): Canada 74.4
1938: (211): Australia 49.1
1938 (2211): Australia 75.2
1950: (211): Australia 47.9
1950: (2211): Australia 73.4
4x110yds
1950: Australia 47.9
1954: Australia 46.8
1958: England 45.37
1962: Australia 46.71
1966: Australia 45.3
4x100m
1970: Australia 44.14
1974: Australia 43.51
1978: England 43.70
1982: England 43.15
1986: England 43.39
1990: Australia 43.87
1994: Nigeria 42.99
1998: Australia 43.39
2002: Bahamas 42.44
2006: Jamaica 43.10
2010: England 44.19
Gold: 1934 (440 medley, Eng), 1958 (Eng), 1978 (Eng), 1982 (Eng), 1986 (Eng), 2010 (Eng)
Silver: 1934 (660 medley, Eng), 1938 (660mr, Eng), 1950 (660mr, Eng), 1954 (Eng), 1962 (Eng), 1966 (Eng), 1970 (Eng), 1974 (Eng), 1990 (Eng), 2006 (Eng)
Bronze: 1938 (440mr, Eng), 1950 (440mr, Eng), 1986 (Wal), 1994 (Eng), 1998 (Eng), 2002 (Eng)
Most successful nation and Briton: Australia have won 12 titles in the various relays to England’s seven with Kathy Cook running in three of those gold medal runs.
» Find other event-by-event histories here and an overall history of the Commonwealth Games here
