Greater than 800 athletes from 52 nations have descended on Nassau in The Bahamas for this weekend’s World Athletics Relays with Olympic choice at stake. “From paradise to Paris,” the organisers have dubbed it.
Talking on the pre-event press convention and in temperatures near 30C, World Athletics president Seb Coe says the idea of the occasion was mentioned at his first council assembly with the worldwide governing physique in 2003. It took, he says, greater than a decade to get the primary occasion over the road in 2014.
Nassau held the primary three editions from 2014-2017 earlier than it moved to Japan and Poland adopted by a return to Nassau this weekend. The Bahamas capital makes no secret of the very fact it wish to be the everlasting dwelling of the assembly too.
From an early season enjoyable occasion within the sunshine, it has grown into one thing with extra goal given the Paris 2024 choice issue.
“That is Olympic yr and we’ve injected some jeopardy as there may be Olympic choice at stake,” says Coe. “The place the groups end will decide the lane attracts in Paris, too, so there’s a lot to play for right here.”
Coe in fact has run just a few relays in his time, too. He competed in plenty of 4x400m races throughout his profession and was a part of a world record-breaking 4x800m quartet with Steve Cram, Peter Elliott and Garry Cook dinner in 1982.
World Relays (Dan Vernon)
At this 2024 occasion Noah Lyles and Gabby Thomas lead america’ 4x100m groups as they goal to defend their males’s and ladies’s international relay titles from final yr.
Femke Bol will kind a part of the Netherlands’ 4x400m ladies’s quartet hoping to retain their international title from Budapest.
Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs, who featured on Italy’s successful groups on the Tokyo Olympics and on the 2021 World Relays, can also be entered for the 4x100m and was spoke on the pre-event press convention about his hopes for the season together with Lyles and others.
UK Athletics has introduced an enormous squad to The Bahamas they usually say their aim on the occasion is to qualify all relay groups for the Paris Olympics. This follows the World Championships in Budapest the place Britain gained medals in 4 out of 5 relays.
GB group
Ladies’s 4x100m: Kristal Ama-Awuah, Alyson Bell, Amy Hunt, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Asha Philip, Aleeya Sibbons, Annie Tagoe, Bianca Williams.
Males’s 4x100m: Eugene Amo-Dadzie, Jona Efoloko, Romell Glave, Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, Reece Prescod, Chijindu Ujah.
Ladies’s 4x400m: Hannah Kelly, Victoria Ohuruogu, Emily Newnham, Lina Nielsen, Laviai Nielsen, Ama Pipi, Nicole Yeargin, Jodie Williams.
Males’s 4x400m: Joe Brier, Lewis Davey, Charlie Dobson, Toby Harries, Alex Haydock-Wilson, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Lee Thompson, Brodie Younger.
Blended 4x400m: Athletes chosen from 4x400m squads.
Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Mark Shearman)
BBC protection for UK viewers
Saturday Might 4-523:55-03:30 – stay protection on BBC Crimson Button, Sport web site and app (repeat on Might 5, 08:10-11:45)00:05 – 4x400m combined – heats00:50: – ladies’s 4x100m – heats01:25-men’s 4x100m – heats02:05-women’s 4x400m – heats02:49-men’s 4x400m – heats
Sunday Might 5-623:55-03:30 – stay protection on BBC Crimson Button, BBC Sport web site and app (repeat on Might 6, 13:00-16:35)00:05-02:04 – repechages for all events02:40 – combined 4x400m– final02:50 – ladies’s 4x100m – final03:00 – males’s 4x100m – final03:10 – ladies’s 4x400m – final03:20 – males’s 4x400m – last
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