QUANTIFYING PERFORMANCE EFFICIENCY IN OLYMPIC 4×100 M RELAYS: A STATISTICAL MODELLING FRAMEWORK

The 4×100 m relay is one of the most technically demanding events in athletics, where success depends on both individual sprinting capacity and the efficiency of baton exchanges and team coordination. This study analyses men’s and women’s Olympic finals from 1996 to 2024, introducing a modelling framework that integrates segmental sprint data with event-specific constraints. Two models were applied: an exponential function for the initial 30 m acceleration and a quadratic formulation for velocity decline beyond 100 m, with adjustments for baton exchanges, flying starts, and curve running. From these models, potential relay times were estimated and compared with official results to derive an efficiency index. Analyses revealed a progressive improvement in absolute performances – especially among men – alongside a consistently high yet submaximal efficiency in both genders. The proposed framework offers a quantitative interpretation of Olympic relay dynamics, highlighting the interplay between individual capacity and collective execution in elite sprinting.