The United States won the women’s 4x100m championship, breaking the record for the first time in 10 years. World Athletics Relay Bahamas 24before his teammates threatened the men’s 4x100m record and secured yet another victory in Nassau on Sunday (5th).
After helping her country win their heat and qualify for the Olympics on Saturday, Gabby Thomas vowed to go even faster in the final. She wasn’t wrong.
The women’s 4x100m championship record of 41.88 seconds was set at the first World Athletics Relay in Nassau in 2014. Ten years later, another American quartet made history in the Bahamas’ capital as Tamari Davis, Thomas, Selella Burns and Melissa Jefferson combined for a time of 41.85 seconds. Put a cap on campaign success.
They won by almost a second, but France secured the runner-up spot with a time of 42.75 seconds, proving they will be a force at home at the Olympics later this year. Third place went to Great Britain and NI with 42.80 points.
Similar to the previous day’s heat, Davis started the race for the United States and ran a strong first leg to lead his country. Thomas, an Olympic and world 200m medalist who joined Davis on the U.S. team that won the world title in Budapest last year, was ready to take over and held the advantage before passing the baton to Burns.
They put Jefferson in great position and victory was never in doubt as the two-time world relay gold medalist raced up the home straight. The battle for second place was won by Mallory Lecomte, who was racing in lane 1, over Britain’s Aleya Sibbons. Germany finished in 4th place and Australia in 5th place.
While his teammates took photos, Thomas left the course less than 20 minutes later to prepare for the 4x400m final, which was also won by the United States.
Although records remain for men,
The men’s 4x100m championship record of 37.38 seconds was also set by the United States at the 2015 Nassau Games. The record still stands, but only just, as Courtney Lindsay, Kenny Bednarek, Kylie King and Noah Lyles teamed up to score a world-leading 37.40 points.
Noah Lyles heads to the men’s 4x100m final at the WRE Bahamas 24 (© Sergio Mateo)
The same American quartet won their heat with a score of 37.49, and were equally dominant in the final, winning by nearly half a second over 2022 world champion Canada.
Olympic 200m champion Andre de Grasse pushed Canada to second place in 37.89 seconds. Olympic champion Italy crossed the line next, but the team was subsequently disqualified for a substitution that occurred outside the zone. As a result, France secured third place with a time of 38.44 seconds, just 0.01 seconds ahead of Japan and Great Britain, who both clocked 38.45 seconds, and the difference was only one thousandth of a second.
“After the race, we were talking about what else we could do,” said Lyles, who ran the anchor leg after winning the 100 and 200 meters individually at the U.S. world title race in Budapest. “Me and Kyrie can get more out of that exchange zone, and Kenny and Kyrie can do the same. We were faster today, but it’s still the zone that matters.”
The team certainly looked in the zone. Lindsay ran the first race, facing Canada’s Aaron Brown. Bednarek then replaced Lindsey in the second leg with athletes including Italian Olympic 100m champion Marcel Jacobs.
Bednarek handed the baton to King, then Lyles powered home to seal the victory, followed by de Grasse, France’s Aymeric Pulliam and Japan’s Sota Miwa.
12 more teams qualify for Paris
The team, which missed out on qualifying for Paris on the first day, had another chance to secure an Olympic spot in the second round of racing ahead of Sunday’s final. Competition was fierce, with the top two finishers in each of the three heats automatically qualifying for the Olympics.
Italy, the 2021 world relay champions, advanced to the first 4x100m Paris meet of the night, winning the women’s heat for the first time in 42.60 seconds. Although they weren’t able to defend their title in Nassau, it was clear that they were serious as they set a time that was more than a second faster than their winning time three years ago. Ivory Coast missed out on automatic qualification on the first day by just 3,000 seconds, but multiple world medalist Marie-Josée Ta Roux-Smith is determined her team will not be denied a place again. Was. Although she picked up the baton late to Italy and Spain, she stormed past María Isabel Perez and almost caught Ariana de Masi, securing her second place with a score of 42.63. .
Italy and Ivory Coast secure 4x100m slots in Paris (© Francesca Grana)
Jamaica qualified for Paris in their second attempt and will defend their Olympic title. After finishing fifth in the first round, the team was a clear winner on the second day, with world U20 women’s 200m bronze medalist Alana Reid crossing the finish line in 42.74 seconds. She was more than half a second behind and was caught up by Trinidad and Tobago’s Lia Bertrand, who took second place in 43.54 seconds.
Nigeria and Switzerland were far behind in the third and final heat, with Nigeria winning by a narrow margin of 42.71 to 42.75, but both teams earned a place in Paris.
In the first men’s 4x100m race of the night, Germany won with Yannick Wolff holding on for victory in a time of 38.57 seconds. But the real drama was happening behind his back. Liberia was in 4th place at the final change, but Joseph Fernbulle’s anchor leg shined, overtaking Brazil and Switzerland by 5/1000ths of a second and earning a spot in the Olympics. Liberia and Switzerland both clocked 38.65 seconds, breaking the former’s national record, followed by Brazil in fourth place.
Ghana and Nigeria ran away in the second heat, clocking 38.29 and 38.57 seconds respectively, putting Olympic qualification in doubt. In the third and final heat, Akani Simbane served as a strong anchor for South Africa, who achieved further success. After a final leg time of 8.92 seconds, he crossed the finish line in 38.08 seconds, sealing his team’s place in Paris.
This team will be joined by Australia, and the quartet were 0.04 seconds faster than the first day, taking second place with a score of 38.46, moving them into second place in the first round by just four-thousandths of a second.
Jess Whittington of World Athletics
