PHILADELPHIA, PA - Team USA's men's and women's 4x100- meter relays re-established themselves as the world's best while the Jamaican men posted their first win in the history of USA vs. The World at the Penn Relays on Saturday. A world best by the Americans in the women's sprint medley relay, in the first year USA vs. The World has featured the event, and 2005 world leaders in the women's 4x100 and 4x400 relays added to the buzz.

The first stop of USA Track & Field's 2005 Visa championship Series got off to an exciting start Saturday at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field, under breezy, wet skies and temperatures in the low 60s.

Top of "The World"

Team USA made itself the team to beat at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, while also avenging Olympic defeats in the 4x100 relays.

The women's USA Red team led from the gun, with 2005 indoor Visa Champion Angela Daigle getting off to a quick start. She handed off to 2004 Olympic 100m silver medalist Lauryn Williams, who gave the U.S. a gaping lead with a blazing leg. 1996 Olympic relay gold medalist Inger Miller kept the Americans in the game, while 2004 Olympic Trials 100m champion LaTasha Colander easily ran away from the field to win in a world-leading time of 42.68 seconds.

The USA Blue team of Angela Williams, Allyson Felix, Stephanie Durst and Muna Lee was second in 43.15, with Jamaica, the Olympic gold medalists, third in 43.50 (Tayna Lawrence, Juliet Campbell, Aleen Bailey, Moya Thompson).

American Revolution in men's relay

The men's 4x100m relay provided a bit of confusion to the 44,612 fans at Franklin Field when the USA Blue team (Mardy Scales, Jason Smoots, Darvis Patton, J.J. Johnson) took a lead of more than five meters over USA Red (Olympic silver medalist Coby Miller, Leonard Scott, Olympic 200m gold medalist Shawn Crawford, Olympic 100m gold medalist Justin Gatlin) heading into the anchor leg.

A searing second leg by Jason Smoots put USA Blue in the lead, while Darvis Patton used the curve-running technique that made him 2003 world outdoor 200m silver medalist to keep the cushion.

A come-from-behind victory was no sure thing for Gatlin and USA Red, given the size of USA Red's deficit and the fact that USA Blue's J.J. Johnson, who anchored Team USA to a come-from-behind win at the 2003 World Outdoor Championships, is one of the world's best anchor men.

But Gatlin - the Olympic 100m gold medalist, 200m bronze medalist and 4x100m silver medalist - displayed his Olympic-champion form, running down the 6-3, 210-pound Johnson to give USA Red the win in 38.58, the second-fastest time in the world this year. USA Blue was a close second in 38.60, with the Jamaican team of Christopher Williams, Dwight Thomas, Ricardo Williams and Sheldon Morant third in 38.38. Running for the Olympic gold-medal Great Britain, Jason Gardener, Chris Lambert, Tim Abeyie and Mark Lewis-Francis were fourth in 39.59.

Record run in women's sprint medley

The women's USA Red sprint medley relay team crushed the existing world best in the sprint medley relay, posting a time of 3:37.42 to break the University of Tennessee's mark of 3:41.78, set by Tennessee at last year's Penn Relays.

Olympic 200m silver medalist Allyson Felix gave the Red team the lead in the first 200-meter leg, with Canada second and Jamaica in third. That order remained through Kia Davis' second 200m leg and Moushaumi Robinson's 400-meter leg.

Two-time Olympian Hazel Clark took the baton for the 800m anchor leg, covering the first 400 meters in a searing 56 seconds. The quick pace was nearly her downfall in the final meters, but the South Orange, N.J., native held off Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica to take the win. Jamaica was second in 3:37.87 (Juliet Campbell, Novlene Williams, Ronetta Smith, Kenia Sinclair), with Canada third in 3:45.98 (Adrienne Power, Erica Broomfield, Tawa Dortch, Sarah Ali-Kahn). Team USA blue dropped the baton on the first exchange, between Connie Moore and Lauryn Williams.

Men's sprint medley success

Jamaica led after one lap of the men's sprint medley, thanks to quick opening 200m legs by world junior record holder Usain Bolt and Ricardo Williams. But Leo Bookman and 2000 Olympian Kaaron Conwright had kept the Americans in the thick of it, while USA Blue was a close third after 200 legs by Mark Jelks and Rae Edwards.

Mitch Potter took a quick lead in the 400m leg for USA red but paid for his early pace in the final meters, as Jamaica's 400-meter man, Brandon Simpson, had the lead entering the final handoff. Potter of USA Red and USA Blue's Ashton Collins were close behind.

2004 Olympic Khadevis Robinson left no doubt of the outcome of the race when he quickly moved to the lead for USA Red. Robinson crossed the finish line in 3:12.10 for the win, with South Africa moving up for second (3:13.64 - Xandre Strydon, Snyman Pinsloo, Ofentse Mogawane, Werner Botha) and Alan Webb-anchored USA Blue third in 3:14.01.

Four-lap drama

The Jamaican men took their first race in the history of USA vs. The World in one of the most dramatic races ever. With Chris Brown toting the baton, Bahamas held the lead at the cut-in point 100 meters into the second leg of the relay. Relay world record holder Tyree Washington gave chase for USA Red, followed by Sanjay Ayre of Jamaica.

Coming into the final straight, Washington moved to the outside to start to gain ground on Brown, but got tangled with the Bahamian's legs. Washington tumbled to the track while Bahamas maintained the lead.

At the second handoff, Jamaica was in second, followed by the Dominican Republic (who had just benefited from the efforts of Olympic 400m hurdles gold medalist Felix Sanchez) and USA Blue, who were in fourth after legs by Mitch Potter and Olympic 400m silver medalist Otis Harris.

The remaining USA Red team of teen phenom LaShawn Merritt and USA indoor champion Bershawn Jackson could only watch as the rest of the race unfolded.

Jamaica's Jermaine Gonzales took the lead on the third leg, followed by the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, USA Blue's James Carter, and Canada bringing up the rear. The anchor leg was dramatic from start to finish as Leonard Byrd quickly moved up to the pack for USA Blue. But Jamaica's Davian Clarke was not to be deterred, taking the win in 3:02.63 over USA Blue's 3:03.08 (Mitch Potter, Otis Harris, James Carter,Leonard Byrd). Bahamas were third in 3:03.11 (Avard Moncur, Chris Brown, Alexis Roberts, Tim Munnings).

Another world leader for U.S. women

USA Red faced no such obstacles in easily winning the women's 4x400. Three of the four relay gold medalists from Athens took the track for USA Red, and the results spoke for themselves.

Dee Dee Trotter, Lashinda Demus, Sanya Richards and Monique Hennagan easily out-distanced the Russian team of Svetlana Pospelova, Yulia Pechonkina, Olga Kotlyarova and Oleysia Zykina, 3:22.93 to 3:25.64. An Olympian in the 400-meter hurdles, Demus joined the Olympic relay trio of Trotter, Richards and Hennagan to post the fastest time in the world in 2005. The Caribbean All-Stars (Debbie Ann Paris, Aliann Pompey, Neisha Bernard-Thomas, Hazel Ann Regis) were third in 3:28.77, followed by USA Blue (Kia Davis, Demetria Washington, Allyson Felix, Moushaumi Robinson) in fourth in 3:29.14.

End of perfection for Team USA

Prior to Saturday, Team USA's men had never lost a relay at USA vs. The World since the event began at the Penn Relays in 2000. Jamaica is the only team to unseat the American women, winning the 4x100 relay in 2002 and 4x200m relay in 2001.

Bad weather? No problem!

Despite the dark, wet and chilly weather, 44,612 fans turned out for the final day of Penn Relays competition on Saturday, bringing the three- day attendance total to 108,809, the third-highest attendance for the meet since 1990.

Collegiate Record for Michigan

In other relay action at Penn on Saturday, the University of Michigan set men's collegiate, Penn Relays and Franklin Field records in the 4 x mile Championship of America. The team of Andrew Ellerton, Mike Woods, Nick Willis and Nate Brannen ran 16:04.54 to break the old record of 16:07.96, set by Arkansas at the 1999 Penn Relays.

Athlete quotes, USA vs. The World

Women's 4x100m - USA Red 42.68 seconds, 2005 World Leader

Angela Daigle, 1st leg: My leg [first leg] felt pretty good. It was kind of cold out there, but I felt really strong coming out of the turn. Lauryn took it from there. ... [After winning the U.S. indoor title and the Visa Championship this winter] My confidence grows with every race I run. Each is a building point."

Lauryn Williams, 2nd leg: I was really excited coming out here today. When I got the baton, it wasn't quite the way I expected it to go down, but I just ran as fast as I could... I definitely was really excited when I looked at the clock. It's pretty near what we were running last year. We put [the Olympics] behind us and are looking forward to great things.

Inger Miller, 3rd leg: I think this is my ninth Penn Relays, and it's always exciting. The hype going down is just exciting. This is my third relay of the season, and each week is getting better for me. This is my best leg so far, but my worst handoff.

LaTasha Colander, anchor leg: We have an awesome relay here. We were really hyped, and the crowd was phenomenal. We should have more meets like this in the U.S. The Penn Relays has been a boost to the U.S. ... I feel really good about this relay. This is a boost for our confidence. Angela Daigle ran such a good first leg, and Superwoman [Williams] did her thing.

Men's 4x100m, USA Blue, 38.58 seconds

Coby Miller, 1st leg: It was my first time popping [leading] off. I was excited to see the USA girls win. My goal was to get the stick to Leonard as fast as I could. Leonard did his thing, Shawn ran a great curve and Justin definitely did his thing.

Leonard Scott, 2nd leg: For me, the experience within itself of running with some of the greatest to ever do it was terrific. ... We wanted to move the stick and get it around. This is a great start for all of us. When we step on the track, we want to win. You represent the USA and the USA is all about winning. That's what we want to do.

Shawn Crawford, 3rd leg: I felt like the handoff was good, but I wasn't too pleased with my run. I didn't hear Leonard call "stick" the first time, so I was slow getting out. [On his pink spikes]: They asked me what color I wanted and I said, 'give me some pink panthers.' They work the same as the blue ones or the silver ones.

Justin Gatlin, anchor leg: The crowd was hooting and hollering before the girls even got into the blocks. It really motivated me. [On coming from behind]: They told me I was between five and seven meters behind. Somebody like J.J. [Johnson, USA Blue anchor] and his stride pattern, if you see what he did in 2003 [when he came from behind to anchor Team USA to gold at the World Championships], I had my work cut out for me. I had confidence in my team and confidence in myself. I was just proud to win. This is my first race on the track this year. I think I gt the tone set and a piece of confidence in my pocket. [On the cheers for Jamaica, and displaying his USA jersey after the win]: I'm proud to be an American. I felt like of in the den of the enemy out there.

Women's Sprint Medley Relay - 3:37.42 WORLD BEST [fastest ever run]

Allyson Felix, 1st leg (200m): It was a busy day [Felix ran the sprint medley for USA red and 4x400 for USA Blue]. The Penn Relays is an event you can come to and have a lot of fun. It was cool. The sprint medley is not an event you get to run much.

Kia Davis, 2nd leg (200m): As soon as I finished my 200, I had to get ready for the 4x400 [on USA Blue]. But it feels good. The stick was wet - everything was wet.

Hazel Clark, anchor (800m): I got in a little bit of trouble with my coach, my brother [J.J. Clark] because I went out way too fast, in 56 seconds. I shouldn't have been able to finish. [On holding off Jamaica to win]: It took guts - just pride in my country and pride in my team. I told myself to dig and stay cool. I knew they were coming. But I still ran a really good split [2:00] even though I went out too hard. I was excited. I went out kind of crazy and paid for it. ... It is so, so exciting to get a world record. They are hard to come by. It was a really great experience because I'm from close to here [South Orange, N.J.] and my family and friends were here. The fans were helping me out. They woke me up a little bit.

Men's Sprint Medley Relay - 3:12.10

Leo Bookman, 1st leg (200m): The handoff was a little shaky. The baton was wet. It feels so good have my first win at an international meet.

Kaaron Conwright, 2nd leg (200m): We weren't able to practice our handoffs yesterday, so we were going on blind faith.

Khadevis Robinson, anchor, (800m): I'm really proud to be able to run so well. Everybody gave their hearts out. It was wet in all eight lanes. ... We're professionals and we had a job we knew that to be done. The difference between the Penn Relays and something like the World Championships is that I heard "USA! USA! USA!" the entire race, both laps. Every time I was getting tired, I heard "USA" and kept going. You could certainly feel the vibe and the positive energy. ... This year, I'm trying to focus on being more fearless. I knew I wanted to push the pace, because guys don't want to have to go out hard in the wet and cold. I really wanted a Penn Relays watch. I'm very excited to be able to go out and do it with the USA guys. I'm gonna wear it [the watch] even if the time is wrong.

Women's 4x400m, 3:22.93, 2005 World Leader

Dee Dee Trotter, 1st leg: Today was an interesting day. I was looking to go out hard. It was a pretty decent race - I was in a decent position. It felt great to run together again.

LaShinda Demus, 2nd leg: I didn't get too excited. I was running to stay in position and it helped me run stronger. Running with the gold medal relay team was exciting. I was running for a spot [on Team USA's 4x400m relay in Helsinki].

Sanya Richards, 3rd leg: The conditions weren't great. I knew I'd have to run well to give Monique a comfortable lead. I think it's phenomenal how we get together and run so well. The Russians have strong individuals but we always come together and run well as a team.

Monique Hennagan, anchor: They did their job, which made my job easier. I knew they gave me a good lead, and I was strong enough to hold anybody off.

Men's 4x400m, JAM 3:02.63

Michael Blackwood, 1st leg: I tried to get out at a good pace the first 200 meters. I get pumped up just before the race. I appreciate the support we get from the crowd.

Sanjay Ayre, 2nd leg: I was going out to try to pass Tyree and got spiked when he fell. We've been trying to beat the U.S. for a long time. I'm just glad to be a part of it. If Tyree didn't fall, it would have been a very interesting race. It's very unfortunate he went down.

Davian Clarke, anchor: It was a great atmosphere this weekend. The warmth we felt from the crowd motivated us. ... This is a first for me. I've been coming here ever since I was in high school in 1991, and this is my first win, first watch. I'm really excited. ... A lot of people in the stands are old track guys who used to run back in the day. And in New York, up north, they've got lots of immigrants who come down for Penn. To see Jamaica run in the U.S. is a great privilege. It's the only chance they get to see us in the U.S. The Penn Relays is a big competition. The biggest competition in Jamaica is the boys and girls high school championships.

Leonard Byrd, anchor, USA Blue (2nd, 3:03.08): When I got the stick, I was almost next-to-last. My main focus was to win the race, to go out hard and catch up to the group. I had to go on the outside on the curve so I had to run farther.

On Tyree Washington falling: I was kind of shocked. Once I saw it, I had to try to hold it together.