Ackeem Blake hands the baton to Tina Clayton in the mixed 4x100m heats in Gaborone (© World Athletics 
Christel Saneh)
- Global relay celebration opens with two world records in mixed 4x100m
- Canada's Olympic champions run world world lead in men's 4x100m as Botswana thrill home fans
- Jamaica lead women's 4x100m in series of dramatic heats
The Jamaican quartet of Ackeem Blake, Tina Clayton, Kadrian Goldson and Tia Clayton stormed to a mixed 4x100m world record* in the very first event of the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 on Saturday (2).
The competition started in sensational style as Jamaica’s 39.99 in the third of the three mixed 4x100m heats beat the world record of 40.07 set by Canada in heat one. That had improved on the world best of 40.30 achieved by Canada when the mixed 4x100m made its global debut at last year’s World Relays in Guangzhou.
Using the new running order of man, woman, man, woman, Blake handed the baton to Tina Clayton, who then passed it on to Goldson before Tia Clayton ran away unchallenged to break 40 seconds in this event for the first time.
Great Britain & NI finished second in that heat in 40.72.
Jamaica's mixed 4x100m team at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 (© World Athletics 
Christel Saneh)
Eliezer Adjibi, Marie-Éloise Leclair, Duan Asemota and Audrey Leduc formed the Canadian team that ran 40.07, Leduc running a storming anchor leg to hold off Germany (40.15), Netherlands (40.20) and Nigeria (40.24), who all also dipped under the previous world best.
Those four teams all also qualified for the final on Sunday (3) and automatically qualified for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27 – with the top two teams in each of the three heats and the next two quickest securing their spots. On Sunday, teams will also race for places for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September – the top six teams in the final will book those places.
USA won the second mixed 4x100m heat in 40.36 ahead of Spain (40.51).
“It is an honour to represent our country and we wear our colours with pride,” said Tina Clayton. “When you get the opportunity to put on the green, yellow and black, it is a real privilege, so we are grateful.”
After running their short-lived world record of 40.07, Leduc said Canada can go even quicker in the final.
“I believe we can do better than that, so let us wait for tomorrow,” she said. “We are great athletes, we are super fast, and we knew that we could expect that.”
Qualified for World Championships and progressing to World Relays mixed 4x100m final
Ht 1: Canada (40.07 WR), Germany (40.15), Netherlands (40.20), Nigeria (40.24)
Ht 2: United States (40.36), Spain (40.51)
Ht 3: Jamaica (39.99 WR), Great Britain & NI (40.72)
Jamaica top qualifiers in women’s 4x100m
Jamaica also led the women’s 4x100m heats as two-time world 200m champion Shericka Jackson combined with Jodean Williams, Lavanya Williams and Jonielle Smith to clock 41.96 and win the third and final heat.
As for all events in Gaborone, the top two teams in each of the three heats and the next two quickest automatically qualified for the final and also booked their spots for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27.
Germany finished second behind Jamaica in that third heat in 42.44, Sina Kammerschmitt and Sophia Junk returning to the track a short while after forming part of their nation’s mixed 4x100m team.
"The goal is to win the gold – diamond on gold," said Jackson. "This is my first time in Africa and I am so excited. People turned up in large numbers and it has been so loud. I love it here and the people are so welcoming."
Women's 4x100m heat action at the World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 (© World Athletics Christel Saneh)
Spain won the first heat in 42.26 from Canada in 42.39, both teams also featuring team-members from the earlier mixed 4x100m – María Isabel Pérez and Jaël Bestué for Spain, and Audrey Leduc and Marie-Éloise Leclair for Canada.
Pérez and Bestué also starred on Spain’s team that placed runner-up at last year’s World Relays in Guangzhou and they will aim to go one better in tomorrow’s final, but they won’t be joined by last year’s champions Great Britain & NI as their quartet was disqualified from the second heat after a baton exchange outside the takeover zone.
China won that second heat in 42.62 and world indoor 60m champion Zaynab Dosso anchored Italy to second place in 42.94.
The final will also feature Poland (43.09) and Portugal, whose national record of 43.11 saw them qualify a women’s 4x100m team for the World Athletics Championships for the first time, by just 0.003 of a second ahead of Switzerland.
Reigning Olympic and world champions USA finished fourth in their heat in 43.33 but will have another chance to race for World Championships qualification in the additional round on Sunday.
Qualified for World Championships and progressing to World Relays women's 4x100m final
Ht 1: Spain (42.26), Canada (42.39), Poland (43.09)
Ht 2: China (42.62), Italy (42.94)
Ht 3: Jamaica (41.96), Germany (42.44), Portugal (43.11)
Canada run world lead as Botswana delight home crowd in men’s 4x100m
The Canadian Olympic title-winning quartet of Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse reunited to run the fastest time in the world so far this year in the men’s 4x100m heats.
Their 37.56 to win the second heat is just 0.06 off the time they ran to win that Olympic title in Paris and they will be joined in the final in Gaborone – as well as at the World Championships in Beijing – by their fellow Olympic medallists South Africa and Great Britain, who secured the top two spots in the third heat. Akani Simbine anchored the defending World Relays champions South Africa to a heat win in 37.68, while Romell Glave reached the finish line in 38.01 for Great Britain, denying China by just 0.01. Germany ran a national record to finish second to Canada in their heat, clocking 37.67.
Canada on their way to a world lead in the 4x100m in Gaborone (© World Athletics Christel Saneh)
But it was the host nation who received the loudest cheers as Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo took Botswana from fourth to second place during the anchor leg of the first heat, crossing the finish line in front of passionate home fans in a national record of 37.96 to make the final and qualify his nation’s first-ever men’s 4x100m team for the World Athletics Championships.
That heat was won by world champions USA, Pjai Austin anchoring the team to heat victory in 37.77.
"I wouldn't say there was pressure. I am the one who put myself under pressure," said Tebogo, who formed part of Botswana's world 4x400m title-winning team in Tokyo. "I told them (his teammates) that they just need to bring the baton alive and I will give it my best. Looking at the youngsters we have here, for me it is all about getting them motivated and trying to push and grow as many 100m sprinters as possible. The 4x100m is something new that we would like to develop for the country so that we can also be there at every championship."
Netherlands finished third behind USA and Botswana, their time of 38.00 fast enough to see them progress to the final and achieve automatic World Championships qualification along with Australia – 2025 world indoor 60m silver medallist Lachlan Kennedy teaming up with Joshua Azzopardi, Christopher Ius and Rohan Browning to equal the Oceania record of 37.87.
Qualified for World Championships and progressing to World Relays men's 4x100m final
Ht 1: United States (37.77), Botswana (37.96), Netherlands (38.00)
Ht 2: Canada (37.56), Germany (37.67), Australia 37.87
Ht 3: South Africa (37.68), Great Britain & NI (38.01)
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
