Anchor leg

The anchor leg is the final position in a relay race. Typically, the anchor leg of a relay is given to the fastest or most experienced competitor on a team. The athlete completing the anchor leg of a relay is responsible for making up ground on the race-leader or preserving the lead already secured by their teammates. An anchor leg is typically part of a running relay, but may also be part of swimming, skiing or skating relays.

Famous anchor leg runners

"Bullet" Bob Hayes ran anchor leg for the United States 4×100 metres relay team in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Receiving the baton in fifth place, Hayes pulled ahead of four runners to win the race. A French rival, Jocelyn Delecour, remarked to the American lead-off runner Paul Drayton "You haven't got anything except Hayes", and Drayton responded "That's all we need, pal".

Carl Lewis never lost a race when he anchored the American 4×100 m relay team. He regularly ran under 9 seconds for his anchor legs and helped the team break the world record in the 4×100 m relay five times. The record set by the U.S. at the 1992 Summer Olympics of 37.40 seconds stood for 16 years.