Action from the men's 4x400m at the World Relays (© Francesca Grana)
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USA was disqualified during the heats at last year’s World Athletics Relays but rebounded to pip Botswana to the Olympic title in Paris. The World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 offers them a men’s 4x400m rematch on 10-11 May.
USA and Botswana ran the second- and third-fastest men’s 4x400m performances of all time in Paris – an Olympic record of 2:54.43 by USA and an African record of 2:54.53 by Botswana to just miss the world record of 2:54.29 set by USA in Stuttgart in 1993.
It was a 19th Olympic title in the event for USA, represented by a quartet of Christopher Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin in the final. Those athletes do not feature in the US team this time, but with the nation’s strength in depth the squad will be hoping for a smooth run to secure a spot at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in September – where USA would start as the defending champion and winner of nine of the past 10 world titles in the event. The top 14 teams in Guangzhou will automatically qualify for Tokyo.
Among the athletes hoping to help USA get there is Justin Robinson, who formed part of the gold medal-winning men’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m quartets at the 2023 World Championships, and Elija Godwin, a member of the victorious men’s 4x400m team at the 2022 World Championships. It is a return to China for Godwin, who more recently ran the first leg for the US team that won the world indoor title in Nanjing in March.
USA might be the dominant force when it comes to major championship wins but Botswana put up a remarkable fight in Paris, anchored by Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo with a 43.04 split. Botswana also won at last year’s World Athletics Relays in The Bahamas in 2:59.11, becoming the first African nation to win a men’s sprint event at the World Relays.
South Africa was runner-up to Botswana at the last World Relays and the squad – featuring world 400m record-holder Wayde van Niekerk – looks ready to challenge again. Van Niekerk is joined by Lythe Pillay, Zakithi Nene and Gardeo Isaacs, who also formed part of the 2024 team in The Bahamas as well as the Olympic quartet that finished fifth in the final in Paris.
Bronze on that day in Paris was claimed by Great Britain & Northern Ireland in a European record of 2:55.83 and three members of that squad – Toby Harries, who ran in the heats, as well as finalists Lewis Davey and Charlie Dobson – are back in action.
Belgium was third behind Botswana and South Africa at the World Relays before finishing fourth at the Olympics and their team for Guangzhou features all four members of that World Relays quartet – Dylan Borlee, Robin Vanderbemden, Alexander Doom and Jonathan Sacoor – plus Florent Mabille, who anchored the team that included Sacoor and Borlee in Paris.
France secured world silver ahead of Great Britain in Budapest two years ago and will want to book their place for Tokyo to have a chance of adding to that global medal haul. Gilles Biron, David Sombe and anchor Teo Andant return for international duty in Guangzhou.
Another global medal-winning team in action is Jamaica, who most recently secured silver behind USA at the World Indoor Championships. Rusheen McDonald and Demar Francis are back in the squad again. The host nation finished fourth in that final in Nanjing and China also fields a team in Guangzhou, including Zheng Chiyu and Zhang Qining.
Other teams targeting World Championships places include Olympic finalists Zambia, world finalists India and Netherlands, and current world leaders Kenya – who ran 3:00.87 last month in Nairobi.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
