NASSAU, Bahamas – World sprint champion Noah Lyles and reigning Olympic 100m gold medallist Marcell Jacobs on May 4 helped the United States and Italy respectively qualify for the 4x100m relays at the Paris Olympics.
Drawn in the same heat at the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas, Lyles anchored the US quartet consisting of Courtney Lindsey, Kenneth Bednarek and Kyree King to victory in 37.49 seconds.
Jacobs ran the second leg for the Italians, the defending world relay and Olympic champions coming in 0.65sec behind the Americans in a high-octane session featuring a galaxy of track stars at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
Also qualifying for Paris and a place in the final on May 5 were Olympic 200m champion Andre de Grasse’s Canada, Japan, China, France, Britain and Jamaica.
“In Oregon (in 2022 when the US won world silver), I was on the second leg, that’s what I did in high school a lot. It was all right, but it’s nowhere near as fun as running across the line and putting the USA front and centre,” Lyles said.
“I can’t wait until the night for the moment when we cross the line first,” he added in response to the Italian team saying they had a good chance to have the edge on the Americans in Paris.
Jacobs was left more than pleased with his leg.
“I got the baton and had the Liberian in front of me, he was my point and I passed him,” said the 29-year-old.
“The second exchange was very quick and good. We wanted to get into first two without too much drama, and we did it. We’re confirming the strength of our squad.”
Olympic 200m bronze medallist Gabby Thomas led the US women’s quartet to a solid victory in 42.21sec in their 4x100m heat.
“We came together and made it happen in such a short time. Tomorrow, I believe we will do better and can be faster,” she said.
Jamaica, without world and Olympic gold medallists Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah, had a disaster, coming in only fifth in their heat won by Poland.
Booking their spots in Paris were the US, Britain, Germany, Poland, Australia, the Netherlands, Canada and France.
The first of two evenings of action kicked off in perfect style as Olympic 400m champions and local heroes Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner took to the track in the opening heat in the mixed 4x400m relay.
However, the Netherlands’ Femke Bol, the recently crowned world indoor 400m champion and reigning world 400m hurdles gold medallist, spoilt the home party as she powered through for a Dutch victory in 3:12.16.
“We knew we had to be strong, we had the Bahamas in the mix,” said Bol, who was joined by Isayah Boers, Lieke Klaver and Isaya Klein Ikkink.
“We’ll be even faster tomorrow.”
The Bahamas were fourth as reigning world 400m champion Marileidy Paulino ran a strong anchor leg to ensure the Dominican Republic grabbed second spot for a place in the final and an automatic Olympic place.
Also advancing as the two top finishers in the three other heats were the US, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Nigeria and France.
The Bahamas will have a second opportunity to qualify for the Paris Games in an additional round on May 5, when the top two teams in each heat will also book their ticket to the French capital.
Teams in the finals on May 5 will also be vying for prize money, with US$40,000 (S$54,000) to be awarded to the winners, while the eighth-placed team take away US$2,000.
Rhasidat Adeleke had a night to remember, running brilliantly in the mixed relay as well as the women’s 4x400m as Ireland qualified in both as heat winners.
Other countries qualifying in the women’s event were Britain, Italy, Poland, Canada, France, the US and Norway.
The men’s 4x400m saw Botswana, with in-form sprinter Letsile Tebogo racing, and South Africa, with world 400m record holder Wayde van Niekerk on the third leg, qualify for the Olympics. Belgium, Japan, Germany, Italy, Nigeria and Britain also went through.
Meanwhile, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the Olympic champion and world-record holder in the 400m hurdles, put together two convincing races on May 4 as she continues her build-up to the Paris Games.
Lining up in two races outside her speciality at the Oxy Invitational in Los Angeles, the 24-year-old American ran an impressive 100m hurdles in 12.71sec, six-hundredths of a second off her personal best set in 2021. She then won the 200m in a wind-aided 22.38sec. AFP
