NASSAU, Bahamas – Noah Lyles anchored the United States 4x100m men to World Athletics Relays glory and Gabby Thomas bagged a quick-fire double as the American team won four of the five golds on offer in Nassau on May 5.
Lyles took the baton from Kyree King and accelerated through the line in 37.40 seconds after slick early handovers by Courtney Lindsey and Kenneth Bednarek.
Canada took silver in 37.89sec thanks to a late charge by Olympic 200m champion Andre de Grasse.
“Business is easy! It smells like Paris,” beamed Lyles, who won three golds at the 2023 world championships in Budapest.
Reigning Olympic 100m gold medallist Marcell Jacobs ran the second leg for the Italians, the defending world relay and Olympic champions, but was powerless after a devastating first leg by Lindsey gave the Americans a huge gap.
Italy were initially credited with bronze, but were later disqualified, third place instead going to France (38.44sec).
Olympic 200m bronze medallist Thomas then claimed two golds in 20 heady minutes, first as part of the women’s 4x100m relay team including Tamari Davis, Celera Barnes and Melissa Jefferson.
They scorched home in a championship record of 41.85sec, with France taking silver in 42.75sec and Britain claiming bronze in 42.80sec.
Thomas was almost immediately back on track, helping a US quartet comprising Quanera Hayes, Bailey Lear and Alexis Holmes to victory in the women’s 4x400m relay in 3:21.70. Poland (3:24.71) and Canada (3:25.17) rounded out the podium.
“It’s been a great preparation. At the end of the day, I knew the girls would have it regardless because they have a great 4x400m relay squad,” said Thomas.
“It’s a testament to how we came to World Relays, we came prepared with the mentality to get the job done and we were committed to that.”
Not to be outdone, the US team of Matthew Boling, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Willington Wright and Kendall Ellis also set a championship record in winning the mixed 4x400m relay in 3:10.73 at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
The Netherlands’ Femke Bol, the recently crowned world indoor 400m champion and reigning world 400m hurdles gold medallist, ran a superb last lap of 49.63sec. But the deficit proved just too much and the Dutch had to settle for silver in 3:11.45. Ireland (3:11.53) took bronze.
The sole event not to be won by the Americans was the men’s 4x400m relay – Botswana star Letsile Tebogo running a sensational 43.72sec split to help them to victory in 2:59.11. South Africa finished second in 3:00.75, with Belgium taking bronze in 3:01.16.
The US quartet held it together to safely negotiate their way to Paris through the repechage.
Jamaica’s women’s 4x100m relay team, without world and Olympic gold medallists Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah, also secured their place in Paris, having struggled in their opening heat and needing a second bite of the cherry through repechage. AFP
