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Four of the five GB teams at the World Athletics Relays on Saturday secured their places at this summer’s Olympics with all the teams having a further chance on Sunday
British relay teams enjoyed an almost perfect night when it came to qualifying for the Olympics as four out of their five teams secured places at the Paris Games thanks to good results at the World Relays in The Bahamas.
The men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m teams all earned qualification for Paris with only the mixed relay team missing out, although they will have a further chance during the second day of the action on Sunday (May 5) in Nassau.
Olympic hosts France and the United States also qualified four teams for Paris at the end of the first day. On Sunday the leading teams will compete for prize money and Olympic lane seeding positions at this summer’s Games, whereas all other teams will race in the additional round where the top two teams in each of the heats will also qualify for Olympics.
The mixed relay on Saturday saw the event record broken multiple times with the United States emerging as quickest with 3:11.52. Led by Femke Bol, the Netherlands were the second quickest on the night with 3:12.16 whereas Ireland clocked a national record of 3:12.50 with Cillin Greene, Rhasidat Adekele, Thomas Barr and Sharlene Mawdsley excelling.
In the same heat as Ireland, the GB team of Brodie Young, Ama Pipi, Charlie Dobson and Laviai Nielsen were third in 3:13.52 with Dobson running a reported 43.63 split.
Nielsen said: “This is a lot of our season openers. It’s really hard to judge your pace and your race plan. We’ll watch it back and have a good debrief with Martyn Rooney our coach and try to do much better than that.”
GB 4x100m qualifiers (Francesca Grana / World Athletics)
The women’s 4x100m saw the United States lead the way with 42.21 but the GB team of Asha Philip, Imani Lansiquot, Bianca Williams and Amy Hunt won their heat with the second fastest time overall of 42.33.
“That was incredible it was my first time with these three girls,” said Hunt, “and they’ve been so absolutely amazing in trusting me and mentoring me and making sure I am on it!”
Noah Lyles (Francesca Grana / World Athletics)
Anchored by world 100m, 200m and 4x100m champion Noah Lyles, the United States were quickest in the men’s 4x100m too with 37.49 as they comfortably beat Olympic champions Italy in their heat. Britain – with Eugene Amo-Dadzie, Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake – were seventh quickest overall but crucially runner-up in their heat to France in 38.36.
“For years I was sat on my sofa watching GB teams smash it in the relay,” said Amo-Dadzie, “it was always one of those things I would think ‘oh wow how amazing that would be’ and now I am in the situation where I have helped GB get to that stage.”
Ireland led the way in the women’s 4x400m as they continued their great (and busy) night. Their quartet of Phil Healy, Mawdsley, Sophie Becker and Adeleke (with 49.48) clocked 3:24.38 as the United States had the second best time overall with 3:24.76 and Great Britain next best with 3:24.89 as they finished runners up to Ireland in their heat with Hannah Kelly, Victoria Ohuruogu, Nicole Yeargin and Lina Nielsen on duty.
Sharlene Mawdsley (Francesca Grana / World Athletics)
There was a shock in the men’s 4x400m as the United States were disqualified for moving out of the assigned order at one of the changeovers, although they will have a second attempt at qualification for Paris on Sunday. It meant a Botswana quartet that included Letsile Tebogo (with a 43.49 split) and Isaac Makwala were fastest overall with 2:59.73 followed by a South African team with world record-holder Wayde van Niekerk clocking 2:59.76.
The British team of Matt Hudson-Smith, Toby Harries, Lee Thompson and Lewis Davey were second in their heat behind Italy with 3:02.10.
USA 4x100m winners (Francesca Grana / World Athletics)
Teams qualified for Paris on Saturday (May 5)
Women’s 4x100m
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain & NI, Netherlands, Poland, United States
Men’s 4x100m
Canada, China, France, Great Britain & NI, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, United States
Women’s 4x400m
Canada, France, Great Britain & NI, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, United States
Men’s 4x400m
Belgium, Botswana, Germany, Great Britain & NI, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, South Africa
Mixed 4x400m
Belgium, Dominican Republic, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, United States
Femke Bol (Francesca Grana / World Athletics)
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