Daily Archives: May 6, 2024

Up until the final discipline on day one at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24, it seemed as though sprints powerhouse USA and Paris 2024 Games hosts France would secure Olympic qualification in all five disciplines. But it all came crashing down for both teams in the mens 4x400m.

USA was disqualified from the first heat for moving out of the assigned order at one of the changeovers, while Frances second-leg runner Thomas Jordier who had contested the mixed relay earlier in the day suffered an injury in the fourth and final heat. Both teams will get a second chance in the Olympic qualification round two on Sunday, but they would have preferred to have got the job done today.

Botswana bolstered by a stunning 43.49 split from world 100m silver medallist Letsile Tebogo on leg two produced the fastest clocking of the day in the mens 4x400m heats, prevailing by 0.03 in a close battle with South Africa, 2:59.73 to 2:59.76.

Tebogo had put Botswana into the lead, then world record-holder Wayde van Niekerk regained pole position for South Africa on leg three. But Bayapo Ndori produced a 43.95 anchor for Botswana to give them victory in one of the closest finishes of the evening.

Botswana wins their 4x400m heat at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 ( Francesca Grana)

World indoor champions Belgium also impressed. Anchored by world indoor 400m champion Alexander Doom, the Belgian quartet won their heat convincingly in 3:00.09 with Nigeria a distant second in 3:01.70.

In the first of the four heats, USA lived up to expectations by crossing the line in first place. But it later emerged that one of the US quartet had intentionally moved out of the set order for one of the changeovers, landing the team with a disqualification.

It meant that Japan, who had initially crossed the line in second place, were declared winners in 3:00.98 from Germany (3:01.25).

The third heat was the slowest but most competitive with five teams still in contention as they approached the final 100 metres of the last leg.

Italys Davide Re eventually pulled ahead to win in 3:01.68, while Britains Lewis Davey found space on the inside to move past Qatar and the Netherlands, claiming the runner-up spot in 3:02.10.

The 23 teams who missed out on Olympic qualification today will have another chance on Sunday of ensuring their place in Paris. The top six teams in the Olympic qualification round two will join the eight automatic qualifiers from Saturday.

Just three minutes and 12.16 seconds after the gun had fired for the first event at the World Relays, a championship record had been broken.

The Dutch quartet featuring Femke Bol and Lieke Klaver, world champions in the womens 4x400m indoors and out took more than two seconds off the championship record that had stood for seven years.

World indoor silver medallist Klaver moved the team from fourth to second with her 49.57 split on leg two. But the Netherlands still trailed The Bahamas, with Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo running a 49.70 split to give the host nation a lead of 0.78 at the half-way point.

Olympic champion Steven Gardiner then doubled The Bahamas lead on leg three, but the Netherlands still had Bol to come on the anchor leg, while The Bahamas had had to draft in teenager Shania Adderley after Anthonique Strachan had experienced shin pains in warm-up.

Adderley acquitted herself well and held the lead until about half-way through her leg before Bol breezed past. The world 400m hurdles champion ran a 49.54 anchor to finish in 3:12.16.

World 400m champion Marileidy Paulino produced a stunning 48.93 split to take the Dominican Republic from fifth to second and into an Olympic qualifying spot.

Just 11 minutes later, the championship record was smashed again, this time by world champions USA. Matthew Boling, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Ryan Willie and Kendall Ellis teamed up to win in 3:11.52, finishing more than two seconds ahead of Nigeria (3:13.79).

The championship record survived for the remaining two heats, but Ireland was rewarded with a national record of 3:12.50 with their surprise win in heat three.

Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley provided the star power, clocking splits of 49.64 and 50.13 on legs two and four respectively. They held off a strong challenge from Belgium, who took second place in 3:13.18 ahead of world silver medallists Great Britain (3:13.52).

In heat four, meanwhile, Olympic champions Poland showed renewed form to win in 3:13.53, helped by a 49.84 anchor leg from world silver medallist Natalia Kaczmarek. Olympic hosts France claimed the runner-up spot and a place at their home Games in 3:14.71.

While the likes of The Bahamas, Great Britain and Jamaica missed out on an automatic Olympic qualifying place today, theyll have a chance of claiming one of the six remaining places on Sunday.

Less than two hours after setting a national record to win their heat and qualify for the Olympics in the mixed 4x400m, Ireland did exactly the same thing in the womens 4x400m thanks, again, to the efforts of Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley.

Running the same legs that they did in the mixed event, Rhasidat went even quicker with a 49.48 clocking, while Mawdsley produced a 50.98 split to hold off the challenge of Britains Lina Nielsen. Ireland crossed the line in a national record of 3:24.38 while Great Britain finished second in 3:24.89.

Ireland wins their heat in the women's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 ( Francesca Grana)

World silver medallist Natalia Kaczmarek was another athlete on double duty. She anchored the Polish team to victory in the third heat in 3:27.11, while an inspired French team claimed the second Olympic qualifying spot in 3:28.06 ahead of Jamaica (3:29.03).

Olympic champions USA ensured theyll be in Paris to defend their title, taking the fourth and final heat in 3:24.76 to finish more than two seconds ahead of their nearest opponents. Norways Henriette Jaeger ran a 49.94 split to cross the line in second place in a national record of 3:26.89, finishing 0.3 ahead of the more favoured Belgian quartet.

In the first of four heats, Italy pulled off a surprise victory over Canada. A 50.56 split from Alice Mangione gave the Italians the lead, finishing in 3:26.28 to Canadas 3:27.17. World champions Netherlands with a team that did not feature Femke Bol or Lieke Klaver placed third in 3:28.10.

Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Read the rest here:

Mixed fortunes for USA and France in 4x400m heats at WRE Bahamas 24 | News | Bahamas 24 - World Athletics

At the pre-event press conference for the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24, 10 of the worlds best sprinters spoke of their ambitions to secure Olympic relay qualification this weekend when they compete at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium in Nassau.

Noah Lyles the world 100m, 200m and 4x100m champion will be aiming to secure USAs place at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the mens 4x100m. Hell also be using this weekends event as a stepping stone towards a potential tilt at winning four medals at the Games, where he intends to compete in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m.

He wont, however, be contesting the longer event in Nassau.

I wont be running the 4x400m here when I did it at the World Indoors, lets just say it caused a lot of controversy, said Lyles, who ran third leg for the USA in the 4x400m at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, where he claimed silver. This year I will be training specifically for the 100m and 200m, but also to be in good shape for the 400m so that I can be part of the 4x400m at the Paris Olympics. Im in the best shape of my life, and I know Ive been saying that for two years, but its very true.

Marcell Jacobs, the defending Olympic 100m and 4x100m champion and defending World Relays 4x100m winner, will be doing all he can to prevent Lyles reaching the top of the podium in Nassau and Paris.

There has been a lot of change in my life since Budapest, said the Italian. Ive moved to the US and changed coaches. Im really happy the work weve been doing in training is really good. Now Im here with my teammates; were the defending World Relays champions and the Olympic champions and hopefully well win again here.

Seven years on from forming part of the victorious Bahamian mixed 4x400m team in Nassau, two-time Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo will race on home soil again as she continues her comeback following the birth of her son Maicel in April last year.

Training has been going really well. Were back at it full time now and just getting things ready for the Olympic Games, she said.

Reflecting on the 2017 World Relays, she added: Thats a memory that really stuck with us. Being able to compete at home, and on top of that to bring home the gold in the first mixed relay, it was awesome. We heard the crowd going crazy and we ran with it from there. Were definitely going to come out here and put on a show for the crowd.

World 200m finalist Anthonique Strachan also formed part of that winning mixed relay squad seven years ago and after being convinced by her teammates Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner, shes stepping up again.

Im just helping out the quarter-milers this weekend, she laughed. They need an extra little fast leg, Im going to try to be that. Im not a quarter-miler, thats not my event. Shaunae had to beg me Shaunae and Stevie, they sort of cornered me!

Steven Gardiner, the Olympic 400m champion, has great faith in Strachan and his other teammates.

Many people here were involved in putting together our mixed relay team, he said. Anthonique did an amazing job in 2017, so why not have her on the team again? I know what shes capable of doing shes a fighter, so I know shell bring the stick around. She just talks, but she will do it.

Alonzo Russell, Olympic bronze medallist in the mens 4x400m in 2016, will be making his mixed relay debut this weekend and cannot wait to join three of the victorious athletes from 2017.

Its my first time on a mixed relay, said Russell, who last competed at the World Relays back in 2015, also in Nassau. Im excited to put in a strong performance in front of a home crowd and get the team to Paris.

World indoor 60m hurdles champion Devynne Charlton is no stranger to a relay, but this will be her first time competing at the global event.

Im a hurdler that can sprint. Its a little different, it takes me back to high school and college because I was doing double duties there. Im excited to be in a team environment again.

It also gives her the opportunity to race back on home soil, where she received a celebratory homecoming after her success in Glasgow in March.

It was a big deal when I came home, the reception was amazing, she said. I almost wasnt able to walk the streets because people were stopping to get a picture with me. It was overwhelming but amazing to see the pride that Bahamian people felt for something that I did.

Another global gold medallist in action is Lieke Klaver, who formed part of the triumphant Dutch womens 4x400m teams at the World Championships in Budapest and World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

The main goal is to qualify all five teams for the Olympics. Thats what we came for, she said.

Sharing insight into her mindset when on the track with her teammates, she added: I always try to keep my heartbeat as low as possible, not to get too much of the environment inside of me. I focus on the girls I know its just four of us and that makes me so calm. I like to be on the first leg because then I can pass on the baton and let the girls do the rest and not look! But the second leg, I love it. Theres so much speed.

After running a recent 11.02 100m, just 0.03 off her PB, Olympic and world relay medallist Imani Lansiquot also has Paris qualification ambitions for her Great Britain 4x100m team.

Weve been training really hard. All eyes are on Paris and I feel like Im in fantastic shape, she said. This is my first World Relays. It fit perfectly with my preparations for the year and I feel like Im going to do a really good job for my team.

Few athletes will be feeling the pressure this weekend as much as Teo Andant and his French teammates.

The mens 4x400m quartet provided France with their only medal at last years World Championships, so expectations are high as they approach an Olympic Games on home soil.

Ive done a round-the-world trip Ive been to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa just to be ready for the Olympics, he said. Were all very ready and were very determined. Its the year of our lives for us French athletes a home Olympics comes around just once in 100 years, so weve got to get this one right.

Read more from the original source:

Olympic qualification the main goal for global stars in Nassau | News | Bahamas 24 - World Athletics

South Africa will have a fighting chance to challenge for a medal now that Van Niekerk has committed to the relay team joining rising stars Zakithi Nene and Lythe Pillay.

Pillay recently became the second-fastest South African in the 400m behind Van Niekerk winning the national championships in a new personal best of 44.31 seconds. All three men are expected to feature in the one-lap sprint at Paris 2024 after setting Olympic qualifying times.

Forming the chore of the South African 4x400m team, the trio will be looking to add another chapter to the countrys successes in the relay on the global stage.

Former national record holder Arnaud Malherbe, Jopie van Oudtshoorn, Hendrik Mokganyetsi, and Adriaan Botha earned an upgrade from fourth place to a bronze medal from the 1999 World Championships in Seville. The foursome received a retrospective bronze medal 10 years later when the United States was disqualified. Antonio Pettigrew admitted to doping during that period.

A South African quartet which included former world 400m hurdles bronze medallist LJ van Zyl won the silver medal at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Republic of Korea.

The World Relays also serves as a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 where the finalists in each event will obtain Olympic quotas. The top two teams in each heat on the opening day will advance to the final on day two.

Men's 4x100 metres relay - Clarence Munyai, Bradley Botshelo Nkoana, Benjamin Richardson, Rivaldo Roberts, Akani Simbine, Tshepo Jason Tyantini, Bayanda Walaza.

Men's 4x400 metres relay - Gardeo Isaacs, Wiaan Martin, Mthi Mthimkulu, Zakithi Nene, Antonie Matthys Nortje, Lythe Pillay, Tumisang Shezi, Wayde van Niekerk.

Mixed 4x400 metres relay - Zeny Geldenhuys (W), Rogail Joseph (W), Mthi Mthimkulu (M), Amy Naude (W), Shirley Nekhubui (W), Antonie Matthys Nortje (M).

View original post here:

How to watch Wayde van Niekerk live on 4-5 May at the World Athletics Relays 2024 in Nassau, Bahamas - Olympics

In the latest episode of the World Athletics Inside Track Podcast, released today (4 May), Sanya Richards-Ross, Richard Kilty and Kelly Sotherton are in The Bahamas for the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24, and they preview an exciting weekend of competition together with World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and CEO Jon Ridgeon.

Coe and Ridgeon paired up with Richards-Ross and Sotherton respectively to give their predictions for the mens and womens 4x100m and 4x400m as well as the mixed relay. Ridgeon and Sotherton had a bold prediction for the mens 4x400m, giving a podium place to India, who theyve identified as a rising powerhouse in athletics.

But the highlight of the chat for Richards-Ross and Sotherton was the announcement by Ridgeon of an intention to test the viability of a mixed 4x100m event.

The whole mixed relay thing is actually a really interesting concept, and, in many ways, we think that mixed athletics could be the future, said Ridgeon. For example, we are this year looking into testing a concept of a mixed 4x100m relay. Were not saying its going to work; were not saying that it will be an event, but it is one of the things that we are going to be testing. We are starting with an open mind and were starting with all various variations.

Richards-Ross and Sotherton lit up with the suggestion, and volunteered themselves to be part of the testing phase. Richards-Ross then offered suggestions on the formation of teams: What if there is a draw to determine who runs which leg right before the start of the event. How interesting would that be to spice it up even more.

Kilty, who is part of Great Britains mens 4x100m squad in Nassau, joined Sotherton and Richards-Ross in making predictions, while they also provided clarification on the qualification process for relay teams to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

This is the first in a series of World Athletics Inside Track Podcast episodes from Nassau, all available via the usual podcast platforms including on Apple Podcasts,Spotifyandthe Sport Social Podcast Network while fans can also watch the show on the World Athletics website.

With an evolving presenter line-up, the podcast will return later in the year, as an all-star cast will provide a preview to the events at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Find it all on Inside Track.

See the original post here:

World Athletics Inside Track Podcast back in The Bahamas | News | Bahamas 24 - World Athletics

All eyes on Noah Lyles, Marcell Jacobs in the 4x100m

Triple world champion Lyles, who anchored the 4x100m relay team U.S. to gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, returns to the World Relays seeking his first title after two silvers from past editions.

He was part of the silver-winning teams, both in the 4x100m in 2019 and the 4x200m when he made his debut at the World Relays two years prior.

With a treble in sight at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the 26-year-olds target in the Bahamas will be to lead Team USA to the 4x100m gold.

Lyles will be joined by fellow Tokyo 2020 medallist, Kenny Bednarek, along with Courtney Lindsey, the fastest man at 200m this year.

It will also be exciting to see how the Olympic and European champion Jacobs performs in the Bahamas. He hasnt competed in a relay since winning silver behind the Lyles-led Team USA in Budapest in the 4x100m.

The Italian quartet should remain unchanged from the lineup at the last World championships, featuring Roberto Rigali, and Olympic champs Lorenzo Patta and Filippo Tortu.

World indoor bronze medallist Ackeem Blake has been included in Jamaica's team, which notably lacks world and Olympic gold medallists Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, Shericka Jackson, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and even reigning 400m gold medallist Antonio Watson.

The sprint firepower of Kenya and South Africa is also expected to be on display at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

African 100m record holder Omanyala leads his Kenyan teams Olympic chase, while Simbine knows what he wants to achieve for South Africa after experiencing several individual setbacks at the world and Olympic level.

I want South Africa to win, Akani whos just come off winning his seventh 100m title told World Athletics.

Weve had the worst luck when it comes to relays. We either dont make the zone or drop it. Its been very frustrating.

Read more from the original source:

World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24: Preview, schedule, track stars to watch and how to follow the event live - Olympics

NASSAU, Bahamas A pair of Arkansas alums Chris Bailey and Paris Peoples will be part of Team USA this weekend, May 4-5, during the 2024 World Relays as the top 14 teams seek qualification to the Paris Olympics this summer.

There will be five relay events at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium mens and womens 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relays as well as a mixed 4 x 400m relay.

Bailey is part of the mens 4 x 400m relay pool while Peoples is part of the womens 4 x 400m relay pool along with Alexis Holmes, who trains in Fayetteville.

Coverage of the meet will be available through NBC on Peacock at 6 p.m. CT each day.

The top 14 teams in each event of the World Relays will automatically qualify for places at the Paris Olympic Games this summer. The two remaining places in each discipline will be awards based on top lists during the qualification period, which is from December 31, 2022 to June 30, 2024.

Prize money awards during the World Relays will have $40,000 for first place, followed by $20,000, $10,000, $8,000, $6,000, $4,000, $3,000, and $2,000 for places second through eighth.

If a team breaks a world record, a price of $50,000 will be awarded, subject to ratification.

Bailey ran on the United States 4 x 400m relay during the 2023 World Championships prelims last August. Team USA claimed gold in the final. Then in March of this year, Bailey ran the anchor leg as the United States finished as the silver medalist in the World Indoor Championships.

Holmes anchored the United States mixed relay to a world record victory in Budapest, Hungary, last summer at the 2023 World Championships. In March, at the World Indoors, Holmes ran anchor leg on a silver medal finish for the United States 4 x 400m relay. Individually, Holmes claimed a bronze medal in the 400m.

This will be Peoples first time as a member of Team USA. After turning 24 this May, Peoples will be hoping her first name and age coincide with her competing in the Paris 24 Olympic Games this summer.

World Relays 2024 | Schedule (CT)

Saturday | May 4

Sunday | May 5

See the original post here:

World Relays in Bahamas includes Bailey, Peoples, and Holmes - Razorbacks Arkansas