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Great Britain win World Athletics Championships silver in mixed 4x400m relay after Netherlands drop baton

Great Britain win silver medal in mixed 4x400m relay at World Athletics Championships in Budapest; Netherlands drop baton after looking poised for gold; GB's Zharnel Hughes and Katarina Johnson-Thompson pushing for medals in 100m and heptathlon respectively on Sunday

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There was huge drama at the World Athletics Championships as Sifan Hassan fell in the closing metres of the women's 10,000m before Femke Bol did the same in the mixed 4x400 relay to help GB take silver

Great Britain claimed silver in the mixed 4x400m relay at the World Athletics Championships after Netherlands' Femke Bol stumbled shortly before the finishing line.

The British quartet of Lewis Davey, Laviai Nelson, Rio Mitcham and Yemi Mary John set a new national record of 3:11.06 to come second behind USA, who won in a world-record 3:08.80 in Budapest.

Netherlands were on course for victory only for Bol to lose her footing and drop the baton, with the Dutch team's elimination seeing Czech Republic take third in a time of 3:11.98.

Rio Mitcham, Yemi Mary John, Lavial Nielsen and Lewis Davey in silver in mixed relay at World Athletics Championship (Associated Press)
Image: Great Britain's Rio Mitcham, Yemi Mary John, Laviai Nielsen and Lewis Davey won silver in the mixed 4x400m relay at the World Athletics Championships

Mitcham said of his team's silver medal: "It means everything.

"Laviai gave us a really good pep talk in the call room on how a medal can change your life and that's why I can't stop smiling."

Femke Bol falls over in World Athletics Championship (Associated Press)
Image: Netherlands' Femke Bol fell over and dropped the baton with her side primed for gold in Budapest

Britain will hope for more medals in Hungary on Sunday with sprinter Zharnel Hughes - the fastest man in the world this year - a contender in the 100m.

Hughes, who ran 9.83 in New York in June, won his heat in 10 seconds flat and will be joined in the semi-finals by fellow Brits Eugene Amo-Dadzie and Reece Prescod.

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The semi-finals take place on Sunday afternoon with the final then held at 6.10pm UK time.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Associated Press)
Image: Katarina Johnson-Thompson is second in the heptathlon with three events remaining

The heptathlon also concludes with Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson leading after six of the seven events as she looks to win a second World Championships gold, after triumphing in Doha in 2019.

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