A secret algorithm and a coach obsessed with numbers are behind Italy's recent relay success

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — He’s the Billy Beane of Olympic relays, using math and a massive database to win like the hero of “Moneyball.”

One of the biggest reasons why Italy has been able to contend with the much faster Americans and the more talented Jamaicans on a consistent basis lately is the relay maestro Filippo Di Mulo, who has broken down baton-exchanges to a science and keeps it all meticulously recorded in a nearly 25-year-old database.

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