# Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay

The men's 4 × 100 metre relay event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 21 and 22 August at the Beijing National Stadium.
There were 16 NOCs competing at this event. These 16 NOCs were selected by the average of the two best marks at the qualifying period. Australia was 14th but withdrew and the Netherlands was invited instead. The final was won by Jamaica in the new world-record time 37.10.
On 25 January 2017, the Jamaican team was stripped of the gold medal place due to Nesta Carter testing positive for the prohibited substance methylhexaneamine. The IOC requested that the IAAF modify the results, and, after CAS dismissed the appeal of the Jamaican team, the medals were redistributed accordingly. Trinidad and Tobago team was advanced to gold, Japan to silver, and Brazil to bronze.

## Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record | United States Michael Marsh Leroy Burrell Dennis Mitchell Carl Lewis United States Jon Drummond Andre Cason Dennis Mitchell Leroy Burrell | 37.40 s | Barcelona Stuttgart | 8 August 1992 21 August 1993 |
| Olympic record | United States (USA) Michael Marsh Leroy Burrell Dennis Mitchell Carl Lewis | 37.40 s | Barcelona | 8 August 1992 |

## Qualification summary

| Pos | NOC | 2 races | 2 races | 1 | 2 |
| Pos | NOC | Total | Average | 1 | 2 |
| 1 | United States | 75.88 | 37.94 | 37.78 | 38.10 |
| 2 | Jamaica | 75.91 | 37.96 | 37.89 | 38.02 |
| 3 | Great Britain | 76.20 | 38.10 | 37.90 | 38.30 |
| 4 | Japan | 76.24 | 38.12 | 38.03 | 38.21 |
| 5 | Brazil | 76.26 | 38.13 | 37.99 | 38.27 |
| 6 | Germany | 77.12 | 38.56 | 38.56 | 38.56 |
| 7 | France | 77.18 | 38.59 | 38.40 | 38.78 |
| 8 | Poland | 77.23 | 38.62 | 38.61 | 38.62 |
| 9 | Nigeria | 77.34 | 38.67 | 38.43 | 38.91 |
| 10 | Canada | 77.53 | 38.77 | 38.72 | 38.81 |
| 11 | Italy | 77.56 | 38.78 | 38.54 | 39.02 |
| 12 | Trinidad and Tobago | 77.56 | 38.78 | 38.54 | 39.02 |
| 13 | South Africa | 77.80 | 38.90 | 38.75 | 39.05 |
| | Australia | 77.82 | 38.91 | 38.73 | 39.09 |
| 14 | China | 77.85 | 38.93 | 38.81 | 39.04 |
| 15 | Thailand | 77.89 | 38.95 | 38.94 | 38.95 |
| 16 | Netherlands | 77.95 | 38.98 | 38.92 | 39.03 |
| Reserves ||||||
| 17 | Switzerland | 78.01 | 39.01 | 38.99 | 39.02 |
| 18 | Ghana | 78.08 | 39.04 | 38.91 | 39.17 |
| 19 | Russia | 78.45 | 39.23 | 39.08 | 39.37 |

## Results

All times shown are in seconds.
* Q denotes automatic qualification.
* q denotes fastest losers.
* DNS denotes did not start.
* DNF denotes did not finish.
* DSQ denotes disqualified
* AR denotes area record.
* NR denotes national record.
* PB denotes personal best.
* SB denotes season's best.

### Heats

First 3 in each heat(Q) and the next 2 fastest(q) advance to the Final.
Heat 1
| Lane | Nation | Competitors | Time | Notes |
| 8 | Trinidad and Tobago | Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Aaron Armstrong, Richard Thompson | 38.26 | Q |
| 4 | Japan | Naoki Tsukahara, Shingo Suetsugu, Shinji Takahira, Nobuharu Asahara | 38.52 | Q, SB |
| 3 | Netherlands | Maarten Heisen, Guus Hoogmoed, Patrick van Luijk, Caimin Douglas | 38.87 | Q, SB |
| 2 | Brazil | José Carlos Moreira, Bruno de Barros, Vicente de Lima, Sandro Viana | 39.01 | q |
| 6 | Nigeria | Onyeabor Ngwogu, Obinna Metu, Chinedu Oriala, Uchenna Emedolu | DNF | |
| 9 | Poland | Marcin Nowak, Łukasz Chyła, Marcin Jędrusiński, Dariusz Kuć | DNF | |
| 5 | South Africa | Hannes Dreyer, Leigh Julius, Ishmael Kumbane, Thuso Mpuang | DNF | |
| 7 | United States | Rodney Martin, Travis Padgett, Darvis Patton, Tyson Gay | DNF | |
Heat 2
| Lane | Nation | Competitors | Time | Notes |
| 6 | Jamaica | Dwight Thomas, Michael Frater, Nesta Carter, Asafa Powell | 38.31 | Disqualified |
| 2 | Canada | Hank Palmer, Anson Henry, Jared Connaughton, Pierre Browne | 38.77 | Q |
| 3 | Germany | Tobias Unger, Till Helmke, Alexander Kosenkow, Martin Keller | 38.93 | Q |
| 9 | China | Wen Yongyi, Zhang Peimeng, Lu Bin, Hu Kai | 39.13 | q |
| 7 | Thailand | Apinan Sukaphai, Siriroj Darasuriyong, Sompote Suqannarangsri, Sittichai Suwonprateep | 39.40 | |
| 4 | France | Yannick Lesourd, Martial Mbandjock, Manuel Reynaert, Samuel Coco-Viloin | 39.53 | |
| 5 | Great Britain | Simeon Williamson, Tyrone Edgar, Marlon Devonish, Craig Pickering | DSQ | |
| 8 | Italy | Fabio Cerutti, Simone Collio, Emanuele Di Gregorio, Jacques Riparelli | DSQ | |

### Final

| Rank | Lane | Nation | Competitors | Time | Notes |
| | 4 | Trinidad and Tobago | Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender, Richard Thompson, Aaron Armstrong* | 38.06 | |
| | 7 | Japan | Naoki Tsukahara, Shingo Suetsugu, Shinji Takahira, Nobuharu Asahara | 38.15 | SB |
| | 3 | Brazil | Vicente de Lima, Sandro Viana, Bruno de Barros, José Carlos Moreira | 38.24 | SB |
| 4 | 9 | Germany | Tobias Unger, Till Helmke, Alexander Kosenkow, Martin Keller | 38.58 | |
| 5 | 6 | Canada | Hank Palmer, Anson Henry, Jared Connaughton, Pierre Browne | 38.66 | SB |
| | 8 | Netherlands | Maarten Heisen, Guus Hoogmoed, Patrick van Luijk, Caimin Douglas | DSQ 45.81 | |
| | 5 | Jamaica | Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell | DSQ 37.10 | Disqualified (doping) |
| | 2 | China | Wen Yongyi, Zhang Peimeng, Lu Bin, Hu Kai | DSQ | |
* Note: * Indicates athletes who ran in heats and also received medals.