WCH Oregon22 preview: 4x100m

Men's 4x100m

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At first glance, the United States appears to be the clear gold medal favourite in the men's 4x100m at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. The US team, which includes three of the world’s five fastest men in 2022, is spearheaded by Fred Kerley, the US champion and only man to run sub 9.80 this year, a feat he achieved twice in the same afternoon (9.76 in the semifinals at the US Championships, 9.77 in the final).

Among those joining Kerley are Trayvon Bromell (9.81 SB), Marvin Bracy (9.85 SB) and Elijah Hall (9.90 SB).

Seems like an easy win, right?

Wrong. Simply assembling the fastest individuals doesn't automatically produce gold medals. The latest example of this was last year at the Tokyo Olympics, when the US was eliminated in the semifinals after a sloppy exchange, despite having a similarly talented squad. Since their gold at Sydney in 2000, the US has entered a relay team in 15 global championships, but has been disqualified, failed to finish or failed to advance to the final at 10 of those competitions.

This time, on their turf, the US squad will hope to escape the shadows of past failure, but they’ll have their work cut out for them.

Great Britain will be in the hunt for a medal and the squad features two members from last year's team that was disqualified after initially winning Olympic silver. Zharnel Hughes (10.05) was the third-place finisher in the individual 100m at the UK Championships and is joined by UK 200m champion Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (10.10), with both on the 4x100m European record-setting team from the 2019 World Championships. Mitchell-Blake, meanwhile, also anchored the British team to the 2017 world title in London.

Joining them will be Reece Prescod, who improved his PB to 9.93 when winning at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava, plus UK champion Jeremiah Azu, Jona Efoloko and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.

Japan remains a medal threat with a chance to improve or replicate their bronze finishes at the past two World Championships. Yuki Koike is the sole returner from last year’s Olympic team that failed to get past the first exchange zone after dropping the baton in the final. He’ll be joined by Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, the Japanese champion and member of the 4x100m Asian record-setting team in Doha. Ryuichiro ​​Sakai, the Japanese runner-up, plus Hiroki Yanagita, Ryota Suzuki and national 200m champion Koki Ueyama complete the squad. 

The Canada squad features all four men from the Olympic silver-winning team last year. Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake and Brendon Rodney will be joined by Malachi Murray and Benjamin Williams. De Grasse, who won his first global gold medal in the 200m in Tokyo, dealt with a foot injury earlier in the season and had to withdraw from the Canadian Championships due to Covid-19. If the Canadians hope for another podium finish, they’ll need De Grasse at full health.

A short while ago, few would have pegged Italy as a legitimate contender in the sprints — things have certainly changed. Riding the momentum of the country’s first ever Olympic gold in the discipline last year, Italy should be in the hunt for their first podium finish at the World Championships since 1995. The squad will feature two members from Tokyo’s historic team: Marcell Jacobs, the reigning Olympic champion, and Lorenzo Patta, who finished fourth at the Italian Championships in the 100m. However, Jacobs has dealt with injury and withdrawn from several competitions this season, which could come into play. They will be joined by Chituru Ali, who finished second at the Italian Championships, plus 19-year-old Matteo Melluzzo, national 200m champion Diego Aldo Pettorossi and Hillary Wanderson Polanco Rijo.

Meanwhile, Jamaica hopes to return to the podium after an uncharacteristic and underwhelming performance in the last two major global championships. They might have the right pieces to do it — veteran Yohan Blake (9.85) appears to be peaking at the right time, running sub-10 in his last three individual races and tied for the third-fastest time this year. Ackeem Blake (9.93) has progressed nicely as well, finishing third at the Jamaican Championships with a personal best. The training partners will be joined by Jamaican Championships runner-up Oblique Seville, Kemar Bailey-Cole, Conroy Jones and Jelani Walker.

 

Women's 4x100m

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The biggest shock that could emanate from the women’s 4x100m is if the Jamaicans somehow left Oregon without the gold.

With the three fastest women in the world this year, and two of the three fastest women in history in Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.67 SB) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.79 SB), the title is theirs to lose. They will be joined by the Jamaican 100m champion Shericka Jackson (10.77), who has the second-fastest time this year.

Fraser-Pryce, Thompson-Herah, Jackson and Briana Williams all were part of the gold-winning relay team from the Tokyo Olympics last year. Kemba Nelson, a recent graduate from the University of Oregon, and Remona Burchell will round out the squad.

The United States remains in strong contention for a medal at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, despite having a vastly changed team from the one that claimed silver in Tokyo. Gabby Thomas, who anchored the team in Tokyo, returns and is joined by US champion Melissa Jefferson and Aleia Hobbs (10.81), one of the five fastest women in the world this year, as cornerstones to the relay.

Also featuring is US Championships third-place finisher Twanisha Terry, plus Celera Barnes and Tamari Davis.

Great Britain will certainly be in the hunt for a podium finish and it doesn’t hurt their chances that they have the fastest British woman in history in the squad. Dina Asher-Smith (10.98) again teams up with all the women who joined her on the 4x100m podium in Tokyo - UK champion Daryll Neita, Imani Lansiquot and Asha Philip. Ashleigh Nelson and Bianca Williams will join them.

Switzerland has finished just outside of the medals in the last two global championships. In order to swing the momentum in their favour, they’ll need a great leg run by Mujinga Kambundji (10.89), the national record-holder in the 100m and 200m and the 60m gold medallist at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade earlier this year.

Kambundji has been mostly consistent, running sub-11 for the first time at the Swiss Championships. Her teammates will need to follow suit if they hope to make the podium. Ajla Del Ponte and Salome Kora were also on the Olympic fourth-placed team and they are joined by Geraldine Frey, Sarah Atcho and Natacha Kouni.

Germany, with the Olympic fifth-placed team of Rebekka Haase, Alexandra Burghardt, Tatjana Pinto and Gina Luckenkemper, will also look to make an impact, along with Poland and the Netherlands.

Elias Esquivel for World Athletics