By David Woods

david.woods@indystar.com

Former Indiana University sprinter Kind Butler III was on a U.S. team that won a gold medal and set a world record Sunday in the 1,600-meter relay in the World Indoor Track and Field Championships at Sopot, Poland.

Kyle Clemons, David Verburg, Butler and Calvin Smith Jr. clocked a time of 3 minutes, 2.13 seconds. That broke the record of 3:02.83 set by another U.S. team in the 1999 indoor worlds at Maebashi, Japan.

Butler ran the third leg in 45.41, with Smith anchoring in 45.12.

The four sprinters will divide a prize of $90,000 -- $40,000 for a gold medal and a $50,000 bonus for the world record.

Great Britain won the silver medal in 3:03.49 and Jamaica the bronze in 3:03.69.

"I was running for my life. I couldn't let these guys down," Butler said in a statement distributed by USA Track & Field. "David gave it to me in such a good place. I kind of blacked out in the race, I think. I told these guys before we raced that I was giving them my heart."

Butler, 24, is a Lawrence Central High School graduate and former Big Ten sprint champion.

His world record is the first by an IU track athlete since a Hoosier foursome set a world indoor record of 16:34.8 in the four-mile relay at Bloomington on Feb. 19, 1974. It is the first by an IU athlete in a standard event since Milt Campbell set world records in the indoor 60-yard and outdoor 120-yard hurdles in 1957.

"Kind is a great talent and worked hard at Indiana and since he left to get to where he is today," Indiana coach Ron Helmer said in a statement released by the university.

Call Star reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195.

World records set by athletes from IU

June 11, 1904, at St. Louis: Thad Shideler, 120-yard high hurdles, 15.0

June 2, 1906, at Evanston, Ill.: LeRoy Samse, pole vault, 12-4 7/8

Aug. 6-7, 1932, at Los Angeles: Ivan Fuqua, 1,600-meter relay, 3:11.8 and 3:08.2

June 17, 1933, at Chicago: Charles Hornbostel, 880 yards, 1:50.9 (tie)

Feb. 1, 1936, at New York: Charles Hornbostel, indoor 600 yards, 1:11.3

June 19, 1936, at Princeton, N.J.: Don Lash, two-mile, 8:58.4

Aug. 15, 1936, at London: Charles Hornbostel, two-mile and four-mile relays, 7:35.8 and 17:17.2

April 24, 1937, at Philadelphia: Indiana, four-mile relay 17:16.2

April 25, 1942, at Des Moines, Iowa: Roy Cochran, 440-yard hurdles, 52.2

Feb. 9, 1957, at New York: Milt Campbell, indoor 70-yard hurdles, 7.0

May 31, 1957, at Compton, Calif.: Milt Campbell, 120-yard hurdles, 13.4

Feb. 19, 1974, at Bloomington, Ind.: Dan Hayes, Pat Mandera, Phil Wysong, Steve Heidenreich, indoor four-mile relay, 16:34.8