French Men Set a World Record in 400-Meter Relay

The French national team broke the world record in the men’s 400-meter relay, and East German sprinter Katrin Krabbe became a triple gold medalist at the European Track and Field Championships Saturday.

The French team of Max Moriniere, Daniel Sangouma, Jean Charles Trouabal and Bruno Marie Rose was timed in 37.79 seconds, breaking the record of 37.83 set by the United States at the 1984 Olympics.

Krabbe was the only triple gold medalist of the championships. After winning the 100 and 200, she ran the second leg on the 400-meter relay, which was timed in 41.68.

The East German women also won the 1,600-meter relay in 3:21.02, with the Soviet Union second in 3:23.34 and Britain third in 3:24.78.

In the 5,000 meters, Salvatore Antibo of Italy, winner of the 10,000 meters Monday, collided with Marcus O’Sullivan of Ireland at the start and fell.

It took Antibo several laps to make up the 40 meters he lost in the mishap. The crowd cheered Antibo as he continually closed the gap and began pulling away. When he came around the final bend sprinting to victory, the crowd gave him a standing ovation.