Over the weekend, history was made at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha for its inclusion of the gender-mixed 4×400-meter relay.
As noted by The Telegraph, nations pack their teams with two male and two female runners each. Nearly all participating nations ordered their runners male-female-female-male, strategically placing their two fastest runners to start and end the race.
Poland, however, stacked their two male runners first and second, leaving their two female runners, Iga Baumgart-Witan and Justyna Swiety-Ersetic, to close out the relay.
While Poland gained an advantage off the bat with their male runners, the last leg showcased a top-notch female athlete with a 30-meter lead competing against top-notch male athletes — and the difference was stark.
Here’s the short version of what it’s like for female athletes to compete against biological males. pic.twitter.com/ll0ukegwYT
— Wings Over Scotland (@WingsScotland) September 29, 2019
The female runner was blown out by Michael Cherry, who represented the United States, in the last leg of the relay. All the other male runners, despite being disadvantaged by Swiety-Ersetic’s head start, also beat out the Polish runner. – READ MORE