At the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in Nassau, in the Bahamas, the United States was the great dominator of the World Relay Championship, which also qualified for the next Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
The United States won four of the five events that were contested: the mixed and women’s 4x400 and the men’s and women’s 4x100. Meanwhile, Botswana took advantage of the absence of the North American team to win the men’s 4x400.
Led by Noah Lyles, the United States won the 4x100 with a time of 37.40, just two hundredths of the championship record. Kenny Bednarek, Courtney Lindsey and Kyree King completed a post that left Canada and France behind, bronze for the disqualification of Italy for an out-of-zone relay.
Among women, Tamari Davis, Gabrielle Thomas, Celera Barnes and Melissa Jefferson gave the victory to the United States by nailing the clocks to 41.85, a new championship record, surpassing the 41.88 she had achieved 10 years ago on the same track. The podium was completed by France and Great Britain.
In the women’s 4x400, the Americans Quanera Hayes, Gabrielle Thomas, Bailey Lear and Alexis Holmes won with a time of 3:21.70 to leave Poland and Canada behind (3:25.17); meanwhile, in the same distance but between men, Botswana, led by Letsile Tebogo and with Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, Leungo Scotch and Bayapo Ndori, won with 2:59.11 and the podium was completed by South Africa and Belgium.
Finally, United States, made up of Matthew Boling, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Willington Wright and Kendall Ellis, was crowned in the mixed 4x400 with a mark of 3:10.73. The Netherlands (with Femke Bol) was second and Ireland, third.
World Relay Championship: All countries qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics
- Women ‘s 4x100: United States, France, Poland, Canada, Germany, Australia, Great Britain, Netherlands, Italy, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Jamaica, Switzerland and Trinidad and Tobago.
- Men’s 4x100: United States, Japan, Canada, Italy, China, France, Great Britain, Jamaica, South Africa, Ghana, Australia, Germany, Nigeria and Liberia.
- Women’s 4x400: Ireland, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Canada, France, the United States, Norway, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Jamaica and India.
- Men ‘s 4x400: Botswana, South Africa, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Great Britain, United States, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Spain, Poland and India.
- Mixed 4x400: Netherlands, Dominican Republic, United States, Nigeria, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, France, Bahamas, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Jamaica and Ukraine.