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≡ WORLD ATHLETICS RELAYS ≡
It was rainy for the start of the seventh World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou (CHN), in comfortable, 75 F temperatures, with a modest crowd on hand at the 80,012-seat Guangdong Olympic Stadium.
Saturday’s events were strictly qualifying for Sunday’s finals, and while many of the teams did not feature many (any?) of their familiar stars, the racing was still intense.
● Mixed 4×100 m:
This was the debut of the new event, to be run by women on the first two legs and then two men to finish. The slick track didn’t help, bur the U.S. got off well in lane five in heat one of three, with Kennedy Blackmon on the first leg.
Jada Mowatt really took off on the second leg and had a clear lead, but the pass from her left hand to the right hand of Kendal Williams misfired – Williams couldn’t grab the stick – and the U.S. was out of it in yet another of a long history of 4×100 m disasters. Italy won the heat in 41.15, with France a close second (41.28).
Williams did continue and handed to Pjai Austin, who finished in 1:05.77. It was the worst possible start for new USA Track & Field national relays coach Darryl Woodson, but with no qualifying impact.
Jamaica’s Rasheed Foster held off Joe Ferguson (GBR) on the anchor of heat two to win in 41.05, and Canada’s Eliezer Adjibi stormed through the final leg to move from third to first in the final 50 m to win in 40.90, over Australia (41.15).
There was no World Championships qualifying in this event, but it is a new event for the 2028 Olympic Games.
● Mixed 4×400 m:
This is a Worlds qualifying event, run in a man-woman-man-woman format, with the top two in each heat getting a spot in Tokyo in September. Australia had a solid lead on the anchor leg with Alanah Yukich, but Belgium’s Helena Ponette moved up on the backstraight to challenge and zoomed into the lead on the home straight to win in a world-leading 3:11.83, to 3:12.34.
The U.S. was in heat two, with USC’s Johnnie Blockburger starting off well and passing well to Rio 2016 relay gold medalist Courtney Okolo. Poland’s Olympic 400 m bronzer Natalia (Kaczmarek) Bukowiecka had a small lead over Okolo at the exchange, then ex-NCAA 400 m hurdles champ Chris Robinson took over. He took the lead over the final 50 m and passed first to Tokyo 2020 4×400 relay gold medalist Lynna Irby-Jackson.
She took off and grabbed a 15 m lead on the backstraight and rolled to the line in 3:11.37, the world leader in 2025. Ireland’s Sharlene Mawdsley overtook Polish star Justyna Swiety-Ersetic for second in the final 5 m, 3:12.56 to 3:12.70.
Heat three came down to South Africa and Great Britain on the anchor, with USC’s Nicole Yeargin edging ahead on the final straight for the British, winning in 3:13.28, to 3:13.79 over Zeney van der Walt.
● Women’s 4×100 m:
Amy Hunt gave Great Britain the lead on the second leg and anchor Desiree Henry had the lead, but Belgium’s Delphine Nkansa ran her down and got to the line first in lane nine, 42.80 to 42.92.
Jamaica fielded a star-studded team in heat two with Tina Clayton, five-time World 100 m champ Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Olympic 100 m finalist Tia Clayton and two-time World 200 m champ Shericka Jackson. But Spain was even after the second leg and Paula Sevilla took the lead on the final turn and Maria Isabel Perez had no trouble handling Jackson on the anchor, 42.18 to 42.51. This was not expected.
The U.S. had Mikiah Brisco, Caisja Chandler, Kayla White and Olympic relay champ TeeTee Terry starting in lane five in heat three, and White made the difference, taking a clear lead and handing to Terry in front. The final pass was almost a disaster, with White grabbing Terry’s hand and trying to put the baton into it! But Terry finally got the stick and won without further difficulty in 42.86.
Canada’s Audrey Leduc ran hard to move up to second in 43.11, ahead of the Dutch (43.13).
● Men’s 4×100 m:
Britain was an easy winner in 38.18, with Eugene Amo-Dadzie flying away from the field on the anchor, with Poland’s Dominik Kopec strong on the anchor for second in 38.43.
Jamaica had Olympic 100 m runner-up Kishane Thompson on the anchor in heat two, but he never got the stick, as veteran star Yohan Blake never got the baton on the third leg from Julian Forte. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Bradley Nkoana ran a brilliant third leg and handed to Olympic finalist Akani Simbine for an easy win in a world-leading 37.84. Germany was second at 38.33.
Japan’s Rai Atago ran a strong second leg and passed smoothly to Towa Uzawa, who ran an excellent third leg and Naoki Inoue brought it home on anchor, equaling the world lead at 37.84. Canada got a powerful anchor from Tokyo 200 m Olympic champ Andre De Grasse to get second in 38.15.
The U.S. was in heat four, with Courtney Lindsey, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Brandon Hicklin on anchor. Bednarek was superb on the second leg and passed perfectly to King, who was well in the lead. But Hicklin left early and barely got the stick in time, but finished first in 37.86, that should have been faster. Italy’s Filippo Tortu came up for second in 38.16.
● Women’s 4×400 m:
The rain was back – hard – for heat one, with Maya Singletary leading off and passing fifth (53.26) to Karimah Davis, who took the lead by the 200 m mark. Davis passed in the lead (50.56) to Paris Peoples, who took off and had a 10 m lead by 200, that closed to about 3 m (51.76) by the final pass to Bailey Lear, a member of the World Indoor 4×400 m winners.
In heavy rain, Lear (50.47) led Canada’s Madeline Price around the turn and crossed first in 3:26.05. France’s Louise Maraval finished in 50.33 to pass everyone else for second (3:26.46).
Spain surprised with a wire-to-wire win in heat two, with Bianca Hervas finishing in 51.51 to hold off Italy’s Alice Mangione (51.17), in 3:26.25 to 3:27.03. South Africa was strong in heat three in a national record 3:28.01, over Germany (3:26.63). Jamaica’s Jodean Williams ran a stunning 56.85 on the first leg and they were never in it, finishing last in 3:40.54.
● Men’s 4×400 m:
South Africa controlled most of the race, with Zakithi Nene running 43.97 on anchor to win at 3:00.00. China’s Haoran Fu ran a 44.65 finale to hold off Spain’s Bernat Erta (45.30) for second in a national record 3:01.87, to 3:02.04.
Botswana, which won the Paris Olympic silver, needed a 44.61 anchor from Leungo Scotch to win in 3:01.23, ahead of Portugal, with a national record 3:01.78, thanks to the 44.45 third leg by Joao Coelho.
Qatar’s 400 m hurdles star Abderrahame Samba had the lead after the first leg (45.23), but Belgium got a great back half from Dylan Borlee (45.74) and 2024 World Indoor winner Alexander Doom (44.60) to win in 3:01.35. Britain’s Charles Dobson (44.66) was out-leaned at the tape and was second (3:01.38).
In heat four, the U.S. had Jevon O’Bryant, Lance Lang, Kennedy Lightner and Tokyo relay Olympian Elija Godwin, with the first three legs part of a then-world-leading 3:02.53 from the Texas Relays as part of a U.S. team-building exercise. O’Bryant (45.72) passed second, but Lang (45.57) was fourth passing to Lightner (45.49). Godwin took the stick in third, well behind France and Kenya.
He moved up (44.45), but couldn’t do better than third in 3:01.23, with France running away in 3:00.30 and Kenya getting a 44.87 final leg from Kevin Kipkorir to grab second in 3:00.88.
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The U.S. qualified four of its teams for the 2025 World Championships, following the embarrassment of the opening Mixed 4×100 m. The surprise was Jamaica, which qualified only its women’s 4×100 m team and will try to recover in the second-round qualifiers on Sunday.
Sunday will have finals in all events and second-round Worlds qualifying for those teams which did not make it in Saturday’s heats.
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