Birmingham anchored Australia to bronze in the IAAF World Relays men’s distance medley final in the Bahamas on Monday morning (Ballarat time).

The Australian team featured fellow Eureka athlete Ryan Gregson, who also won bronze a day earlier, in the men’s 4x800m final.

Birmingham and Gregson were part of the Australian 4x1500m team that set a national record in the inaugural World Relays last year. The event was changed to a distance medley relay this year.

Australia was locked in a battle with the powerful Team USA and Kenya in the final. The Australians clocked a collective time of nine minutes, 21.62 seconds behind the United States’ world record finish of 9:15.50.

Gregson led out strongly in the opening 1200m leg with a split of 2:53.14 and put Australia in the lead moving into the 400m leg run by Alexander Beck.

Victorian Jordan Williamsz, who won 4x800m bronze with Gregson, ran the 800m leg, with Birmingham running 3:57.17 in the mile.

“I’m just glad to finally get a result at a major championship,” Birmingham said post race. “It’s true you can only race who’s there. 

“On these two days, we’ve been bronze medallists and third-best in the world and no one can really take that away.”

Ballarat’s Sam Baird, selected in an extended 4x400m Australian team, had been subbed into the distance medley for Beck, but in a confusing twist, Beck was subbed back as a late change.

Baird instead made his open-age international athletics debut for Australia in the men’s 4x400m B final.

He teamed with Australian champion Craig Burns, Luke Stevens and Iain Douglas to run a combined time of 3:05.13. 

Australia finished fourth. Baird anchored the Australian team with a time of 46.14 seconds.

Ballarat Project athlete Selma Kajan won bronze in the women’s 4x800m final.

melanie.whelan@fairfaxmedia.com.au