USA Track & Field has unveiled its 2026 Relay Program, aimed at building team chemistry for upcoming international competitions. The initiative expands the organization's "One Team" philosophy to prepare athletes for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. USATF targets six gold medals in relay events at the LA28 Olympics.
On March 11, 2026, in Indianapolis, USA Track & Field (USATF) announced the structure and competition schedule for its 2026 Relay Program. The program leverages domestic and international events to foster rapport among athletes competing on Team USATF's relays. It aligns with USATF's 2025-2028 High Performance Plan, which sets a goal of winning six gold medals in the six relay events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Wallace Spearmon, Jr., General Manager of International Teams at USATF and a 2007 World Champion in the men's 4x100m relay, emphasized the importance of preparation beyond the race itself. "Relays are not won solely in the final 100 meters," Spearmon said. "They are won in the warm-up areas, in the exchange zones, and through the trust built between teammates. Our goal is to ensure the United States remains the most cohesive and prepared relay program in the world, to give us the best opportunity at six gold medals in the relays in 2028."
The 2026 schedule includes key events: the World Indoor Championships on March 20, featuring the mixed 4x400m, women's 4x400m, and men's 4x400m relays; the Florida Relays on April 4 with the mixed 4x100m; the Tom Jones Memorial on April 18 with the mixed 4x100m; the World Relays on May 2-3, covering mixed 4x100m, mixed 4x400m, and men's and women's 4x100m; the World Athletics U20 Championships from August 5-9, with men's, women's, and mixed 4x100m and 4x400m; and the World Athletics Ultimate Championships on September 11, featuring mixed 4x100m and mixed 4x400m.
Team rosters will be selected by USATF's High Performance Directors, with input from relays coach Darryl Woodson, based on recent performance, international experience, and availability. Each event will include mandatory practice sessions beforehand. USATF will cover travel and accommodations, and provide access to its Sport Science initiative, including wearable sensors and motion capture for performance analysis.
Additionally, USATF introduced an Equal Share Prize Money Model, ensuring that all named relay squad members—whether in preliminaries, finals, or alternates—receive equal shares of team earnings. This recognizes the collective effort in relay success.
The program builds on recent achievements: at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Team USATF won gold in the women's 4x100m, women's 4x400m, and men's 4x400m relays, and silver in the mixed 4x400m. At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, they secured gold in all relays except silver in the men's 4x400m.
