With the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/report/poland-germany-day-one-winners-world-athletics-relays-silesia-21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first day of action complete at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21</a>, 23 teams have effectively secured their places in the relay events at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The finals will take place in Silesia tomorrow, but the completion of the first round today means places at the Olympics have been decided as all eight finalists in the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x100m and women&rsquo;s, men&rsquo;s and mixed 4x400m will qualify for Tokyo.
In addition, the top 10 teams in the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s 4x100m and 4x400m, and the top 12 teams in the mixed 4x400m, have qualified for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
Tonight&rsquo;s heats threw up some surprises, as well as some particularly inspired performances. The Dominican Republic, for example, only arrived in Silesia at 4am on Saturday morning, having flown into Warsaw instead of Krakow. They then had to complete Covid tests, and isolate while waiting for their results, before heading to the stadium. Despite that, their mixed 4x400m team set a national record of 3:16.67 in their heat, producing the third-fastest time of the day.
Ecuador, meanwhile, will compete in an Olympic relay event for the first time after their women&rsquo;s 4x100m quartet advanced to the final in Silesia, setting a national record of 43.86.
To complete their Olympic qualification, all teams must compete with bona fide effort in tomorrow&rsquo;s finals. If a team does not start in the final due to a medical reason, they must present a medical certificate from the World Athletics medical delegate in order to guarantee their qualification for the Olympic Games.
The first eight places in each relay for Tokyo were awarded to the top eight teams at the World Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019.
In cases where those teams have also qualified in the top eight in Silesia, the remaining quota places for Tokyo (16 per event) will be allocated according to the World Athletics top performance lists as at 29 June 2021.
The <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/stats-zone/road-to/7132391" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Road to Olympic Games tool on the World Athletics website</a> gives an idea of which athletes and teams are in a qualifying position for Tokyo. 
<h2>QUALIFIED TEAMS</h2>
<h3> Women&rsquo;s 4x100m</h3>
For Tokyo: Netherlands, France, Poland, Ecuador, Japan, Denmark (joining Jamaica, Great Britain &amp; NI, USA, Switzerland, Germany, Trinidad &amp; Tobago, Italy, China) Two places remain available.
For Oregon: Netherlands, France, Poland, Switzerland, Ecuador, Italy, Japan, Denmark, Spain, Ireland 
<h3>Men&rsquo;s 4x100m</h3>
For Tokyo: Italy, Germany, Ghana, Denmark (joining USA, Great Britain &amp; NI, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, China, France, Netherlands) Four places remain available.
For Oregon: Italy, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, Netherlands, Ghana, Japan, Denmark, Ukraine, France 
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 4x400m</h3>
For Tokyo: Cuba, Germany, Italy, France (joining USA, Poland, Jamaica, Great Britain &amp; NI, Belgium, Ukraine, Netherlands, Canada) Four places remain available.
For Oregon: Cuba, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Great Britain &amp; NI, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain 
<h3>Men&rsquo;s 4x400m</h3>
For Tokyo: Netherlands, Japan, South Africa, Botswana (joining USA, Jamaica, Belgium, Colombia, Trinidad &amp; Tobago, Italy, France, Great Britain &amp; NI) Four places remain available.
For Oregon: Netherlands, Japan, South Africa, Belgium, Botswana, Colombia, France, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic 
<h3>Mixed 4x400m</h3>
For Tokyo: Italy, Dominican Republic, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain (joining USA, Jamaica, Bahrain, Great Britain &amp; NI, Poland, Belgium, India, Brazil) Three places remain available.
For Oregon: Italy, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ireland, Belgium, Great Britain &amp; NI, Colombia, Poland, Netherlands, Japan, Spain, South Africa

World Athletics Relays

With the first day of action complete at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, 23 teams have effectively secured their places in the relay events at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Olympic relay fields take shape at World Athletics Relays Silesia 21

There was success for the host nation Poland on an action-packed first evening of competition at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, with Joanna Jozwik and Patryk Dobek teaming up to win the 2x2x400m.
It was the first of two finals at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzow on Saturday (1), with Germany winning the shuttle hurdles relay &shy;and a whole host of competitive 4x100m and 4x400m heats taking place.
<h3>Tactical victory on home soil</h3>
With two athletes taking it in turns to run their two 400m legs, the 2x2x400m is an event which favours the middle-distance athletes rather than sprinters but in Dobek the host nation had a bit of both. Previously better known as a 400m hurdler, the 27-year-old has stepped up to the 800m this year in superb style, winning the European indoor title in just his fourth competition at the distance.
In Silesia he was joined by his European Indoors teammate Jozwik, who claimed 800m silver in Torun, and together they powered to victory on home soil, clocking 3:40.92.
After a conservative start, Kenya were narrowly ahead after the first lap, with Naomi Korir handing the baton to Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich and Jozwik passing on to Dobek, who had helped Poland to a fourth-place finish in this event&nbsp;at the last edition of the World Athletics Relays in Yokohama in 2019.
Slovenia is only fielding one team in Silesia and they made their presence felt in this event, with Anita Horvat and Zan Rudolf challenging Kenya on the third and final legs. Kenya had the stronger finish, however, and it saw them secure second place in 3:41.79 as Slovenia were third in 3:41.95.
"I didn't want to get too fired up on my first lap," said&nbsp;Dobek. "I knew the Kenyan was a top-class runner, so I just held his pace.&nbsp;
"I competed in this event in Yokohama and because of this experience, I was better prepared. Since then I gained more endurance, thanks to coach Krol (Zbigniew&nbsp;Krol), who prepared me well."
<h3>Germany holds off strong Polish challenge in shuttle hurdles</h3>
All-round stronger starts and composure under pressure helped Germany to victory in the mixed shuttle hurdles relay, the final event of the night.
Monika Zapalska began well to give Germany a slight lead on the first leg. Poland&rsquo;s Zuzanna Hulisz made up a bit of ground on Zapalska towards the end of her leg, but Germany&rsquo;s Erik Balnuweit got off to a swift start on the second leg, opening up another metre on Poland.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/608dcb66f1430279f03d561f.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="635" /> Anne Weigold competes in the shuttle hurdles relay&nbsp;(&copy; Dan Vernon)
 Krzysztof Kiljan maintained Poland&rsquo;s second-place position on the second leg as the top two teams continued to pull away from Kenya in third. The positions stayed the same on the third leg with Anne Weigold holding on to the lead for Germany as Poland&rsquo;s Klaudia Wojtunik tried to give chase.
Poland saved their strongest runner, Damian Czykier, for the final leg. At first it seemed as though Gregor Traber&rsquo;s lead was unassailable, but Czykier closed well in the final stages. He clattered the final barrier, though, and so was unable to catch the German before the finish.
Germany won in 56.53 with Poland taking second in 56.68. Kenya took third in 59.89.
"I think we did a good job over the hurdles," said&nbsp;Balnuweit. "For us it was the first time. We trained for the relay a lot during our one week training camp. We stayed cool and focused and could thus beat Poland."
<h3>All to race for in qualifying events</h3>
Competition was fierce in the heats for the championship events, with <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/press-releases/global-championships-tokyo-olympics-oregon-relays-silesia-21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">qualification for the Tokyo Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships Oregon22 up for grabs</a>.
The women&rsquo;s 4x400m heats were up first and hosts Poland secured a strong start as they won the event&rsquo;s opening race, clocking 3:28.11.
Cuba&rsquo;s quartet of Zurian Hechavarria, Rose Mary Almanza, Lisneidy Veitia and Roxana Gomez went quickest overall, leading from gun to tape to win the second heat in 3:27.90 ahead of the Netherlands with 3:28.40. It was a busy night for European indoor 400m champion Femke Bol as before lining up for the mixed 4x400m, she opened her campaign with a 49.81 anchor split for the Dutch women&rsquo;s team &ndash; the fastest overall in the first round.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/608dca85f1430279f03d561c.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> Femke Bol in the women's 4x400m heats&nbsp;(&copy; Dan Vernon)
 Like the Netherlands and Poland, who won this event in Yokohama in 2019, Belgium and Great Britain had already qualified for Tokyo as 2019 World Athletics Championships finalists. They all also made the final in Silesia where they will be joined by Germany, Italy and France on Sunday.
Belgium qualified third quickest for the final with 3:28.27, ahead of Great Britain&rsquo;s 3:28.83.
There was joy for the Dutch men&rsquo;s 4x400m team too as Jochem Dobber, Liemarvin Bonevacia, Ramsey Angela and Tony van Diepen combined to clock 3:03.03 and win the second heat, leading the list of qualifiers. But Poland didn&rsquo;t share in the success of their female teammates as they missed out on the final by just one place. Their run did, however, gain them a spot at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.
In that third heat, which was won by Botswana in 3:04.03, Italy&rsquo;s Vladimir Aceti surged past Karol Zalewski &ndash; who was part of Poland's world indoor record-breaking team at the 2018 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham &ndash;&nbsp;with a split of 45.36 to finish second in 3:04.81 and pip the hosts for that place in the final.
The Japanese team ensured that they will also be heading for a home Olympics as Rikuya Ito, Kentaro Sato, Kazuma Higuchi and Kaito Kawabata clocked 3:03.31 to win the first heat.
Colombia&rsquo;s Anthony Zambrano, the world 400m silver medallist, eased over the finish line in 3:04.64 to comfortably anchor his team to second place and a spot in the final along with South Africa, Belgium and France.
As expected, the mixed 4x400m heats provided some thrilling action, with Italy&rsquo;s Edoardo Scotti, Giancarla Trevisan, Alice Mangione and Davide Re storming to a second heat win of 3:16.52 to lead the first round ahead of heat three winners Brazil with 3:16.53 and the Dominican Republic with 3:16.67.
Ireland, Belgium, Great Britain, Netherlands and Spain will be joining them in the final but Colombia and Poland will miss out after placing third and fourth in that high-quality second heat.
Colombia&rsquo;s 3:17.61 was faster than the Netherlands&rsquo; winning time of 3:18.04 in the first heat, but they were run out of an all-important top two qualifying spot.
In that Netherlands team, Bol ran 50.72 after her earlier 49.81 in the women&rsquo;s event.
<h3>Narrow margins in 4x100m</h3>
Things were tight at the top and bottom of the list of teams to qualify for the men&rsquo;s 4x100m final, with just 0.001 separating Italy from Brazil to lead the first round and the exact same small margin between Denmark and Ukraine at the bottom, to see Ukraine just miss out.
European indoor 60m champion Marcell Jacobs and Italian record-holder Filippo Tortu both ran storming legs along with Eseosa Fostine Desalu and Davide Manenti to clock 38.45 in winning heat three ahead of South Africa, anchored by African champion Akani Simbine, while 2019 winners Brazil, anchored again by Paulo Andr&eacute; Camilo de Oliveira, won heat two in a time just a thousandth slower.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/608dcd7e525fafe3b121fe25.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="626" /> Akani Simbine in the men's 4x100m heats&nbsp;(&copy; Getty Images)
 Denmark ran a national record of 39.06 in that race to finish fourth behind Germany and Japan to secure their spot in the final, while the first heat was won by the Netherlands in 38.79 ahead of Ghana.
A strong team of&nbsp;Jamile Samuel, Dafne Schippers, Nadine Visser and Marije&nbsp;Van Hunenstijn led the qualifiers in the women's event to book their place in the final, as well as the major championships in Tokyo and Oregon. Together they clocked&nbsp;43.28&nbsp; to win the second heat ahead of Poland.
Just as the Danish team had the race of their lives in the men's event, so too did Ecuador in the women's and the quartet ran a national record of&nbsp;43.86 in third&nbsp; to advance on time.&nbsp;Brazil was disqualified for a lane violation after originally winning the first heat ahead of Italy with&nbsp;44.02, while heat three was won by France in&nbsp;43.51.
They will be joined in the final by Switzerland and Japan.
Competition resumes on Sunday at 19:20 local time with the mixed 4x400m final.
Jon Mulkeen and Jess Whittington for World Athletics

There was success for the host nation Poland on an action-packed first evening of competition at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, with Joanna Jozwik and Patryk Dobek teaming up to win the 2x2x400m.

Hosts Poland crowned first winners of World Athletics Relays Silesia 21

For the hundreds of world-class athletes who made the journey to Poland for the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, this hasn&rsquo;t been a straightforward task, and the same goes for all those who have worked tirelessly to make the event possible.
On the eve of the competition on Friday (30), there was agreement among those at the press conference that the effort has been worthwhile.
&ldquo;Our journey was a bit tricky, we travelled for close to 30 hours but we&rsquo;re grateful we&rsquo;re able to compete,&rdquo; said Akani Simbine, who will run the 4x100m for South Africa. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a priority for us to get here and get here in the best shape.&rdquo;
Although South Africa has already secured Olympic qualification in the men&rsquo;s 4x100m, Simbine highlighted why it was so important to be present given his nation was just 0.3 away from a medal when finishing fifth at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re a country that believes in ourselves and the talent that we have," he added. "We&rsquo;ve been trying to get the team together and make sure we&rsquo;re ready to compete once we get to Tokyo. That for us is going to be an important chance to do something great for our country.&rdquo;
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe acknowledged the difficulties facing so many athletes around the world but highlighted why it was so important this event made it to the start line.
&ldquo;It would have been easier to cancel, we recognise that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We recognise the world we live in at the moment, but what we&rsquo;ve tried to do is provide an event that gives athletes as good a chance as possible to qualify (for major championships) and to get competition under their belts. It&rsquo;s absolutely imperative we maintain competitive structures as long as we can.&rdquo;
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For Dutch star Femke Bol, this will be her second appearance at the World Athletics Relays, having made her debut in Yokohama in 2019 at the age of 19. The European indoor 400m champion ran a blazing 49.99 &ndash; the third fastest indoor split in history &ndash; to help the Netherlands to gold in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m in Torun back in March and in her first competition since, she feels her long, raking stride will be even more effective on an outdoor track.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m feeling fit and ready to run,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Outdoors is different and I don&rsquo;t have difficulty with small bends so I&rsquo;m ready to show what I got.&rdquo;
Bol is listed on the Dutch squads for both the women&rsquo;s 4x400m and the mixed 4x400m, with a decision due on her exact competitive schedule after a team meeting on Friday, and she&rsquo;s looking forward to returning to action alongside some training partners from the Olympic Training Centre in Papendal.
&ldquo;I think relays have become more important in the Netherlands and everyone wants to be a part of the team,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;You run individual but, together, you achieve more. We got one week off (after the indoor season) and then trained hard again. We did really hard sessions and our entire team is ready to compete.&rdquo;
Another returning to action for the first time since the European Indoor Championships is Poland&rsquo;s Joanna Jozwik, who won 800m silver behind Britain&rsquo;s Keely Hodgkinson in Torun in early March. Silesia holds a special place in Jozwik&rsquo;s heart, given it is where she spent much of her time rehabbing from injury in the years after finishing fifth in the 2016 Olympic 800m final in Rio.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s here in Silesia I found a doctor who helped me recover and it&rsquo;s here I spent a lot of time regaining fitness,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I hope it&rsquo;ll never again happen to me. The path has been long and hard at times, it took a lot of mental work and physical work. I&rsquo;m overwhelmed with joy that Silesia can organise such a great event and I&rsquo;m very proud, very humbled and confident we will do very well.&rdquo;
At the Silesian Stadium in Chorzow this weekend, she will contest the 2x2x400m alongside Patryk Dobek, the European indoor men&rsquo;s 800m champion. She believes Dobek can break 50 seconds for both of his legs but she remained tight-lipped when asked about her own intended target.
&ldquo;Honestly, I&rsquo;m very excited,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;This resembles tempo training but with an extreme short break. It&rsquo;ll be a challenge but wonderful to watch.&rdquo;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/608bffd8720d89f413d0ade7.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="635" />World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship Jakub Chelstowski&nbsp;(&copy; Krzysztof Wesolowski / LOC)
 Jakub Chelstowski, Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship, beamed with pride as he welcomed the trio of world-class athletes to the event.
&ldquo;This is our dreams coming true, not only my dreams but the dreams of our residents,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We were saying from the very beginning, &lsquo;we can do this, we cannot give up,&rsquo; and this demonstrates we are right. Unfortunately we cannot invite the fans, but we&rsquo;re still happy you are with us.&rdquo;
Coe expressed his gratitude to all those who overcame the logistical headaches to ensure the event could go ahead.
&ldquo;The people of Poland, the local authorities, the organising committees, the federation, have done so with a resilience and a fortitude and an innovative approach that we can all learn from,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;These championships come at a critical moment in the athletics season and we&rsquo;ve done everything we possibly can to maintain as much competition as possible, as safely as possible.&rdquo;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

For the hundreds of world-class athletes who made the journey to Poland for the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, this hasn’t been a straightforward task, and the same goes for all those who have worked tirelessly to make the event possible.

Painstaking preparations pay off, with athletes ready to put on a show in Silesia

Relay action is in the spotlight this weekend, 1-2 May, with the World Athletics Relays Silesia21 taking place at&nbsp;Chorzow's&nbsp;Silesian Stadium and you can keep up-to-date with the latest on the World Athletics website, its associated platforms and via a number of broadcasters around the world.
The World Athletics Relays has created many memorable moments in its previous four editions and this time there is also qualification for the Tokyo Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships Oregon22 up for grabs.
As well as the major championship events &ndash; the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x100m and 4x400m plus the mixed 4x400m &ndash; the programme also features the men's and women's 4x200m, mixed 2x2x400m and mixed shuttle hurdles relay.
Here's how you can follow it all.
<h2>Watch&nbsp;</h2>
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0c16mrPNMpY" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 Coverage will be available in the territories listed below. Be sure to check local listings for details. Fans in all other territories will be able to watch via the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/WorldAthletics/featured" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics YouTube Channel</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook page</a>.
Argentina &amp; South America &ndash; TyC Sports Balkans &ndash; Arena Sport (Arena Sport 1/2) Belarus &ndash; BTRC (Belarus 5) Brazil &ndash; Globo (SportTV 2/3) Canada &ndash; CBC China &ndash; CCTV (CCTV 5) Denmark &ndash; TV2 (TV2 SportX) Hungary&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;MTVA (M4 Sport) Israel&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;The Sports Channel (Sport 5) Italy&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;RAI (Rai Sport) Japan &ndash; TBS Netherlands&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;NOS (NPO 1) New Zealand &ndash; Sky Network NZ (Sky Sports 8/9) Pan Caribbean &ndash; Television Jamaica (TVJ/TVJSN) Poland&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;TVP Sport Spain&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;TVE (Teledeporte) Sweden&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;TV4 (TV4 Sport) Turkey&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;TRT (TRT Sport 2) United Kingdom &ndash; BBC Red Button/Sport Online USA &ndash; NBC (Olympic Channel/NBCSN)
&nbsp;
<h2>Website coverage</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/timetable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable &amp; results</a> <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/iaaf-world-relays-7144840/live" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Live results and blog</a> Preview: <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/preview/preview-4x100m-world-athletics-relays-silesia-21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Men's and women's 4x100m</a> Preview: <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/preview/4x400-preview-belgium-colombia-poland-netherlands-silesia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Men's and women's 4x400m</a> Preview: <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/preview/mixed-4x400m-form-silesia-olympic-debut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mixed 4x400m</a> Preview: <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/preview/preview-4x200-2x2x400-shuttle-hurdles-world-relays-silesia-21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Men's and women's 4x200m, mixed 2x2x400m, mixed shuttle hurdles relay</a> <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/news/athletes-ready-put-on-show-silesia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Press conference highlights</a> Report: <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/report/poland-germany-day-one-winners-world-athletics-relays-silesia-21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Day one, including 2x2x400m and shuttle hurdles relay finals plus heats action</a> Press release: <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/press-releases/global-championships-tokyo-olympics-oregon-relays-silesia-21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Olympic relay fields take shape at World Athletics Relays Silesia 21</a>
&nbsp;
<h2>Stats</h2>
<a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/608943c1240598d6736e4cd6.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facts &amp; Figures</a> <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/608c09b498549afd22fb95ef.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Athlete biographies</a> <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/608947a48a275533b1842886.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Official programme</a> <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/event-calendar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Past editions</a>
&nbsp;
<h2>Social media</h2>
World Athletics:&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> World Athletics Relays Silesia21: <a href="https://twitter.com/WASilesia21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WASilesia21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wasilesia21/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>
&nbsp;

Relay action is in the spotlight this weekend, 1-2 May, with the World Athletics Relays Silesia21 taking place at Chorzow's Silesian Stadium.

How to follow and watch the World Athletics Relays Silesia21

Previews of each of the nine races to be contested at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, which take place on 1-2 May, are now available.
<ul>
<li>&bull; <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/preview/preview-4x100m-world-athletics-relays-silesia-21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Men's and women's 4x100m</a></li>
<li>&bull; <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/preview/4x400-preview-belgium-colombia-poland-netherlands-silesia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Men's and women's 4x400m</a></li>
<li>&bull; <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/preview/mixed-4x400m-form-silesia-olympic-debut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mixed 4x400m</a></li>
<li>&bull; <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/silesia21/news/preview/preview-4x200-2x2x400-shuttle-hurdles-world-relays-silesia-21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Men's and women's 4x200m, mixed 2x2x400m, mixed shuttle hurdles relay</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Facts &amp; Figures - World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, the latest in a series of statistical reference books published ahead of World Athletics Series events, is now also available for <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/608943c1240598d6736e4cd6.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">download</a>.
The <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/608947a48a275533b1842886.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official programme for the event is also online</a>.
Official start lists will be published on the World Athletics website on the eve of the competition.

Previews of each of the nine races to be contested at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, which take place on 1-2 May, are now available.

Facts & figures, event previews and official programme published

While qualifying for major championships is serious business for most teams competing at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, there&rsquo;s still scope for some light-hearted and less-pressured disciplines at the Silesian Stadium on 1-2 May.
Indeed, these non-championship-qualifier disciplines have provided some of the more memorable and surprising moments at the World Relays since the inaugural edition in 2014, and that looks set to continue this year.
The mixed shuttle hurdles relay and mixed 2x2x400m will be held as straight finals on day one, while the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s 4x200m events will be held as straight finals on day two. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 4x200m: Germans carry slight edge</h2>
Having finished third in 2015 and 2019, Germany will be aiming for another top-three finish when they line up for the two-lap event.
Their line-up for Silesia, however, is completely different than the quartet that set a national record of 1:21.26 in Yokohama two years ago. Two-time national champion Steven Muller is the fastest member of their squad, but he has limited relay experience.
In terms of pure speed, Ecuador boasts the strongest sprinter of the entire field in the form of world bronze medallist Alex Quinonez. His four teammates &ndash; three of whom are teenagers &ndash; will be hoping the Pan American champion can put the team in the mix.
Kenya has a surprisingly solid record in this event at the World Relays, having placed fourth in 2019 and fifth in 2014. Mark Odhiambo, who featured on Kenya&rsquo;s team in 2017 and 2019, is back for his third World Relays performance and is fresh from a recent 10.11 100m PB.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/0a01ce75-a2fa-4bf4-b051-2ee0501ca10a.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="635" /> Kenyan sprinter Mark Odhiambo at the 2017 World Relays (&copy; Getty Images)
&nbsp;
Denmark may not have the same depth as some nations, but teenager Tazana Kamanga-Dyrbak &ndash; who recently set a Danish record of 20.48 &ndash; is their secret weapon. Even if they fail to finish in the top three, the national record of 1:25.53 is an achievable target for the Danish quartet.
Hosts Poland, the fourth-place finishers in 2015, has also entered a team, as has Portugal. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 4x200m: wide open race with new winner guaranteed</h2>
For the fifth consecutive edition of the World Relays, the women&rsquo;s 4x200m will have a new winner.
All four of the past winners &ndash; USA, Nigeria, Jamaica and France &ndash; haven&rsquo;t entered a women&rsquo;s 4x200m team for Silesia. It should still be a highly competitive race, though.
Ecuador, who set a national record of 1:35.91 to finish sixth in Yokohama two years ago, has entered the same quartet. Bolstered by the likes of multiple world U18 and U20 medallist Angela Tenorio and rising talent Gabriela Anahi Suarez, who ran 11.16 last year as an U20, the Ecuadorian squad has plenty of speed. It&rsquo;s just a question of whether their baton passes can do them justice.
Poland&rsquo;s 2019 European indoor 60m champion Ewa Swoboda and national 200m champion Marlena Gola feature on the host nation&rsquo;s team.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/ca3a9740-6be6-40d6-9816-088fea2dde13.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> Mathilde Kramer of Denmark in the women's 4x100m at the World Relays Yokohama 2019 (&copy; Roger Sedres)
&nbsp;
The four women who set a Danish 4x100m record to win their heat at the last World Relays &ndash; Astrid Glenner-Frandsen, Ida Karstoft, Mette Graversgaard and Mathilde Kramer &ndash; have been named in the 4x200m for this year&rsquo;s competition. As is the case with the men&rsquo;s event, the Danish record (1:39.35) appears to be living on borrowed time.
Ireland&rsquo;s sprint depth has been steadily improving in recent years, and some of their rising stars &ndash; including 2017 European U20 champion Gina Akpe-Moses and hurdles specialist Molly Scott &ndash; will be in action in the 4x200m in Silesia. 
<h2>Mixed 2x2x400m: hosts Poland take on the mighty Kenya</h2>
When this discipline made its debut at the 2019 World Relays, it became clear &ndash; roughly when the athletes were half-way through their second lap &ndash; that it suited middle-distance runners more than pure sprinters.
Armed with that knowledge, most countries have entered 800m specialists for Silesia.
Poland has a strong line-up which includes Patryk Dobek, the 400m hurdler who switched to the 800m earlier this year and won the European indoor title in what was his fourth competition at the distance.
He helped Poland to a fourth-place finish in this event two years ago, but with that 800m experience now in his legs, he&rsquo;ll be better equipped for the unique demands of this race. Olympic finalist and European indoor silver medallist Joanna Jozwik is also on the team.
But Kenya has also named a strong line-up for this event, featuring world 800m bronze medallist Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich, Commonwealth 800m champion Wyclife Kinyamal and 1:58.04 performer Emily Tuei. Just two of those will compete, of course, and the race will all boil down to who has best distributed their energy between their two 400m efforts.
Slovenia, represented by Anita Horvat and Zan Rudolf, should also be in contention. Other entries include Belarus, Portugal and the Slovak Republic. 
<h2>Mixed shuttle hurdles: close contest expected between Germany and Poland</h2>
Just three teams have been entered for this discipline this year, though just two of those carry realistic hopes of winning.
Poland&rsquo;s line-up features national record-holder Artur Noga and multiple national champion Damian Czykier. Klaudia Wojtunik, who clocked a PB of 13.08 last year, is the fastest woman on the team.
Germany, meanwhile, may call upon the vastly experienced duo of Erik Balnuweit and Gregor Traber, placing them alongside European finalist Ricarda Lobe.
Kenya is the third team entered, though their best hopes of relay success in Silesia lie in other events.
One of the newest disciplines on the World Relays programme, the shuttle hurdles relay features two men and two women on each team, running 110m legs. The race begins with the women running their standard 100m hurdles race from the finish line towards the traditional start, but running an extra 10 metres at the end of their leg to account for the extra distance.
They will then change over to the first man on the team who will run the standard 110m back up the straight in the adjacent lane and then change over to the second woman, who in turn will change over the second man who will run the anchor leg.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

While qualifying for major championships is serious business for most teams competing at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, there’s still scope for some light-hearted and less-pressured disciplines at the Silesian Stadium on 1-2 May.

Surprises in store in non-qualifier relays in Silesia

After making its major championships debut in Doha in 2019, the mixed 4x400m relay will take to the Olympic stage for the first time in Tokyo. This weekend&rsquo;s World Athletics Relays Silesia 21 is the perfect opportunity for teams to prove form and achieve qualification just three months out from the Games.
The eight teams to make the mixed 4x400m final at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzow on 1-2 May will automatically qualify for the Olympics, while World Athletics Championships Oregon22 places are also up for grabs for the top 12 &ndash; the eight teams in the final and those with the four next best times in the first round.
Team tactics together with the combination of female and male athletes racing alongside each other makes for an exciting contest and in Silesia the Polish team will have the extra boost of competing on home soil.
Of the 22 teams entered, Poland is one of the four having already booked a place in Tokyo thanks to making the final at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. The Doha team included Wiktor Suwara, Rafal Omelko, Iga Baumgart-Witan and Justyna Swiety-Ersetic and while that quartet is not in action in Silesia, the squad does include three members of Poland's men&rsquo;s world indoor 4x400m record-breaking team at the 2018 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham &ndash; Karol Zalewski, Lukasz Krawczuk and Jakub Krzewina &ndash; who are also entered for the men&rsquo;s event.
They are joined in the mixed squad by Natalia Kaczmarek, who ran in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m heats in Birmingham before her teammates went on to claim silver in the final, plus her European U23 title-winning teammates Karolina Lozowska and Natalia Widawska.
In Doha, Poland was the only team not to follow the man-woman-woman-man format, with the male runners instead taking on the first two legs and the women running the third and anchor, which added an extra dimension to the race. The team eventually finished fifth in a national record of 3:12.33.
Finishing one place ahead of Poland in Doha &ndash; behind medallists the USA, Jamaica and Bahrain &ndash; was Great Britain and for Silesia the GB squad features world indoor and European relay bronze medallist Amy Allcock plus European indoor relay medallists Ama Pipi, Joe Brier and James Williams.
The Borlee brothers have won multiple relay medals for Belgium and in Silesia Jonathan, Kevin and Dylan have all been entered for both the men&rsquo;s and mixed 4x400m along with Jonathan Sacoor, while their female teammates include 2019 European indoor 400m silver medallist Cynthia Bolingo.
Lucas Carvalho,&nbsp;Tiffani Marinho&nbsp;and&nbsp;Geisa Coutinho&nbsp;were part of Brazil&rsquo;s world final team and are also in Silesia, while Colombia&rsquo;s Anthony Zambrano, who won world silver in Doha in 44.15, is entered for both his nation&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s and mixed teams.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6087fdfa907df2089ac77ac1.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="583" />
European indoor 400m champion Femke Bol, Lieke Klaver and Lisanne de Witte are also featuring on two squads as they have been named for the Dutch women&rsquo;s and mixed events.
Aron Koech anchored Kenya to third in Yokohama behind USA and Canada two years ago and is again included in the squad along with national 400m record-holder Hellen Syombua and Emmanuel Korir.
Kenya is currently in the running for a Tokyo place thanks to the team&rsquo;s time of 3:16.90 in Yokohama but the competition in Silesia gives the squad the chance to seal that Olympic place, with Italy, Ukraine, Germany, France, Czech Republic and Japan among the teams in a similar position.
The USA team broke the world record in both the heats and final at the World Championships in Doha, clocking 3:12.42 and then 3:09.34. The competition record is the 3:14.42 run by The Bahamas at the 2017 edition of the event on home soil in Nassau.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

After making its major championships debut in Doha in 2019, the mixed 4x400m relay will take to the Olympic stage for the first time in Tokyo. This weekend’s World Athletics Relays Silesia 21 is the perfect opportunity for teams to prove form and achieve qualification just three months out from the Games.

Athletes look to show mixed 4x400m form in Silesia ahead of event's Olympic debut

Trinidad and Tobago ended USA&rsquo;s winning streak in Yokohama two years ago, and now it looks as though the men&rsquo;s 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21 could have its first European winner.
In the women&rsquo;s 4x400m, meanwhile, the focus will be on whether hosts Poland can repeat their victory from two years ago.
But places at the next two global championships are also at stake. The top eight placed teams in the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x400m finals at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzow on 1-2 May will automatically qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, while the top 10 &ndash; the eight teams in the final and those with the two next best times in the first round &ndash; will qualify for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 4x400m: Belgium&rsquo;s chance to shine</h2>
No talk of an international men&rsquo;s 4x400m is complete without mention of the Borlees.
Jonathan, Kevin and Dylan have bagged a heap of relay medals for Belgium over the past decade, most recently at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 where they took bronze, thanks also to the contributions of Jonathan Sacoor and Robin Vanderbemden.
Belgium&rsquo;s time in Doha, 2:58.78, was just shy of the national record they set when finishing fourth at the 2016 Olympics. A sub-three-minute time may not be needed to win in Silesia &ndash; the winning times at the past two editions have been outside 3:00 &ndash; but all five of those men feature on Belgium&rsquo;s team for this weekend, meaning they will be operating at full strength.
But even in the absence of world champions USA and 2019 World Relays winners Trinidad and Tobago, Belgium will still face stiff opposition in the form of Colombia.
The South American nation finished a surprise fourth at the 2019 World Championships, smashing their national record with 2:59.50. Anthony Zambrano, who won world silver in Doha with 44.15, is the team&rsquo;s ace card, but teammates Alejandro Perlaza, Diego Palomeque and Jhon Alexander Solis are all capable of running close to &ndash; or faster than &ndash; 45 seconds in a relay. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/602d1549a37f51bc9cee78cb.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" />
 Since winning the 2018 world indoor title in a world record time, Poland hasn&rsquo;t produced a notable performance for the outdoor 4x400m, but they can never be discounted. Three members of that victorious 2018 World Indoor Championships team &ndash; Lukasz Krawczuk, Jakub Krzewina and Karol Zalewski &ndash; have been named on Poland&rsquo;s team for Silesia. And as hosts of this year&rsquo;s event, they will be keen to put in a strong performance.
Italy, France and Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland all reached the World Championships final in 2019. It means their place in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m at the Tokyo Olympics is already secure, but they have all entered teams for Silesia to aid in their preparation for the Games.
Meanwhile, several other teams that narrowly missed out on the final in Doha will be aiming to make the most of their second qualifying opportunity in Silesia. Any team that reaches the final in the 4x100m or 4x400m will, if they haven&rsquo;t done so already, earn a place in that event in Tokyo.
Japan finished 0.09 shy of a place in the final in Doha. At their best, they can be highly competitive, as they showed when finishing fourth at the last World Relays in Yokohama. Julian Walsh and Kentaro Sato &ndash; both of whom were on that Yokohama team as well as the victorious 2019 Asian Championships quartet &ndash; have been selected for Silesia.
South Africa and the Czech Republic also missed out on the final in Doha and so will be targeting a top-eight placing in Silesia.
The Netherlands, meanwhile, have one of the slowest national records of all the teams entered, but they bring perhaps the strongest recent form, having won the European indoor 4x400m title in March. All four men from that squad &ndash; Jochem Dobber, Liemarvin Bonevacia, Ramsey Angela and Tony van Diepen &ndash; have been selected.
Other teams entered include India, Spain, Botswana, Germany, Kenya, Nigeria and Turkey. Given the unpredictable nature of the relays, any one of those nations could conceivably make it to the final in Silesia. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 4x400m: Poland vs Netherlands, take two</h2>
This will be the second time in as many months that Poland has clashed with the Netherlands in an international women&rsquo;s 4x400m on home soil.
Back in March, at the European Indoor Championships in the Polish city of Torun, a full-strength Dutch team struck gold in a championship record of 3:27.15 with Poland picking up bronze a couple of seconds behind.
The same Dutch quartet &ndash; Lieke Klaver, Marit Dopheide, Lisanne de Witte and Femke Bol, the individual European indoor 400m champion &ndash; have been selected for Silesia. Assuming they&rsquo;ve not lost any of their speed since March, they could challenge the Dutch record of 3:26.98, set at the 2016 Olympics. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/85ff5ae9-a323-4c5e-a509-409779ccbca6.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" />
 But Poland will be out for revenge and they will be keen to replicate their victory from Yokohama two years ago. Even in the absence of European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic, they have the depth and the experience to ensure they&rsquo;ll be highly competitive. World finalist Iga Baumgart-Witan, who has featured on all of Poland&rsquo;s medal-winning quartets in recent years, leads the team and is joined by two of her teammates from the silver-medal-winning World Championships team &ndash; Patrycyja Wyciszkiewicz and Malgorzata Holub-Kowalik &ndash; as well as 17-year-old rising star Kornelia Lesiewicz.
Great Britain finished between the Netherlands and Poland at the recent European Indoor Championships and placed fourth at the World Championships in Doha. Their line-up for Silesia is close to being at full strength, too, so they can be expected to feature at the front end of the race.
Belgium finished a surprising fifth at the World Championships in Doha, setting a national record of 3:26.58 in the heats. Their place at the Olympics is already confirmed, but they&rsquo;ll be keen to once again be in the mix at an international event.
Italy, meanwhile, narrowly missed out on the final in Doha, so they will want to make the most of their opportunity in Silesia to qualify for the Olympics.
The same applies for India, France, Cuba, Switzerland, Nigeria and Botswana &ndash; all of whom have the potential for a top-eight finish in Silesia.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Trinidad and Tobago ended USA’s winning streak in Yokohama two years ago, and now it looks as though the men’s 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21 could have its first European winner.

Belgium, Colombia and Netherlands poised to seize 4x400m opportunity in Silesia

It is the fast-paced and unpredictable nature of the 4x100m which adds to the thrill and at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21 there&rsquo;s even more to play for, with major championships places up for grabs.
The top eight placed teams in the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x100m finals at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzow on 1-2 May will automatically qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, while the top 10 &ndash; the eight teams in the final and those with the two next best times in the first round &ndash; will qualify for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 4x100m: Tokyo and Oregon places to race for&nbsp;</h3>
Of the 16 teams entered, two &ndash; Italy and Switzerland &ndash; have already secured their spots for Tokyo as world finalists in Doha.
The USA and Jamaica &ndash; top two at the 2019 edition of the World Relays in Yokohama and the 2016 Olympics &ndash; have decided not to send teams to Silesia, while world silver and Olympic bronze medallists Great Britain and 2017 World Relays winners Germany are not fielding women&rsquo;s 4x100m squads.
Entries for the Swiss squad include Ajla Del Ponte, who won the European indoor 60m title in March and helped the 4x100m team to a world fourth-place finish in Doha along with Sarah Atcho and Salome Kora, who are also entered this time. World 200m bronze medallist Mujinga Kambundji was part of that Doha quartet but is yet to return to competition following a foot fracture towards the end of last year.
Italy&rsquo;s world finalists Johanelis Herrera Abreu, Gloria Hooper, Anna Bongiorni and Irene Siragusa all feature in their team for Silesia as they look to build on their fifth-place finish in&nbsp;Yokohama in 2019. In Doha, the quartet combined to clock&nbsp;42.90 to break the Italian record.
Also looking to challenge for top honours will be the Dutch team, featuring two-time world gold medallist Dafne Schippers, recent European indoor 60m medallist Jamile Samuel and European indoor 60m hurdles champion Nadine Visser.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6075b440274905b63efda868.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="635" /> Naomi Sedney, Dafne Schippers, Jamile Samuel and Nadine Visser at the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing&nbsp;(&copy; Getty Images)
Behind US, German and international teams in this season&rsquo;s early rankings, a Brazilian quartet of Bruna Jessica Farias, Vitoria Cristina Rosa, Lorraine Martins and Rosangela Santos has clocked 43.45 and three of those team members &ndash;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rosa, Martins and Santos &ndash; are set for Silesia.
For the host nation, Ewa Swoboda &ndash; who won the 2019 European indoor 60m title &ndash; has been named for both the 4x100m and 4x200m.
Also among the entries are Carolle Zahi, who formed part of France&rsquo;s winning 4x200m team in Yokohama two years ago, and 2017 European U20 100m champion Gina Akpe-Moses for Ireland.
The competition record is the USA&rsquo;s 41.88 set at the inaugural edition of the event in 2014.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s 4x100m: Strong squads for South Africa and Brazil</h3>
Brazil stormed to a thrilling men&rsquo;s 4x100m victory two years ago in Yokohama, as Paulo Andr&eacute; Camilo de Oliveira held off the USA&rsquo;s fast finishing future world 200m champion Noah Lyles by just 0.02. Camilo de Oliveira&nbsp;returns to World Relays action in Silesia and he is again joined by his 2019 teammates Rodrigo do Nascimento and Derick Silva. That trio was also part of the quartet which finished fourth at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, clocking 37.72, and they will be looking to make a statement once again.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61876606-9e66-4f57-94b0-b671fce7eb83.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> The Brazilian 4x100m team celebrate their win in Yokohama&nbsp;(&copy; Getty Images)
Four other nations that made the men&rsquo;s 4x100m final in Doha are entered for Silesia &ndash; France, Japan, the Netherlands and South Africa &ndash; so their qualification for Tokyo is also already secured.
Again, the USA, Jamaica and Great Britain are among those not fielding teams, but included in the star names is Commonwealth 100m champion Akani Simbine, who has already dipped under 10 seconds for 100m three times this season. Simbine, Thando Dlodlo, Simon Magakwe and Clarence Munyai combined to clock an African record of 37.65 in the Doha heats, going on to finish fifth in the final, with Dlodlo and Munyai joining Simbine among South Africa&rsquo;s team entries for Silesia, along with Tlotliso Gift Leotlela.
The France squad features 2016 Olympic 200m bronze medallist Christophe Lemaitre, who helped his nation to bronze at the London 2012 Games, while the Dutch entries include Doha team members Joris van Gool, Taymir Burnet, Hensley Paulina and Churandy Martina.
Ahead of a home Olympics, and following silver at the Rio Games and world bronze in Doha, Japan is fielding a largely developmental squad in Silesia including Kazuma Higuchi, Soshi Mizukubo, Ryuichiro Sakai, Ryota Suzuki and Hiroki Yanagita.
Julian Reus, who formed part of European medal-winning teams from 2012-2016, is in the German squad, while European indoor 60m champion Marcell Jacobs has been named on the Italian team along with national 100m record-holder Filippo Tortu.
The host nation squad features Adrian Brzezinski, Dominik Kopec, Karol Kwiatkowski, Rafal Pajak, Mateusz Siuda, Przemyslaw Slowikowski and Lukasz Zok, while 2017 world 200m champion Ramil Guliyev is among the team entries for Turkey.
The competition record is the USA&rsquo;s 37.38 set at the 2015 edition of the event in The Bahamas.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

It is the fast-paced and unpredictable nature of the 4x100m which adds to the thrill and at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21 there’s even more to play for, with major championships places up for grabs.

Italy, Brazil and South Africa look to make a 4x100m statement in Silesia

Three-time world indoor champion Pavel Maslak, European indoor 400m champion Femke Bol, and African 100m champion Akani Simbine are among the big names on the final entry list for the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21.
The entries, published today, indicate that 127 relay teams from 37 countries will compete in Silesia.
World Athletics Relays entries: <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/607eab393f7cb0ef0e3e6922.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by event</a> | <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/607eab863f7cb0ef0e3e6923.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by country</a>
Maslak will aim to keep the Czech men&rsquo;s 4x400m team in a qualifying position for the Tokyo Olympics. They currently occupy the 16th and final spot in the list of provisional qualifiers for the Games, but a lane in the final in Silesia will secure their place in the Japanese capital.
Simbine, who has produced three sub-10-second performances already this year, will be reunited with two of his other South African 4x100m teammates from the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019. Thando Dlodlo and Clarence Munyai joined Simbine in setting a national record of 37.65 in the heats before going on to finish fifth in the final.
In Doha they finished just 0.01 behind Brazil, winners of the 4x100m at the World Athletics Relays Yokohama 2019. Three members of that Brazilian sprint relay squad have been named for Silesia.
Several newly minted winners from the recent European Indoor Championships are slated to compete in Silesia. European indoor 400m champion Femke Bol leads a strong Dutch 4x400m team, which includes all of the women who contributed to their relay success indoors.
European indoor 60m champions Marcell Jacobs and Ajla del Ponte, meanwhile, are named on the Italian and Swiss squads respectively.
Many other global stars also feature on the entry lists, including world 400m silver medallist Anthony Zambrano of Colombia, two-time African 100m champion Blessing Okagbare, Belgium&rsquo;s Borlee brothers, world 800m bronze medallist Ferguson Rotich and his Kenyan teammate Emmanuel Korir.
Spain&rsquo;s Angel David Rodriguez, who turns 41 later this month, is the oldest athlete entered for the event, while 17-year-old Nigerian sprinter Imaobong Nse Uko is the youngest.
World Athletics

Three-time world indoor champion Pavel Maslak, European indoor 400m champion Femke Bol, and African 100m champion Akani Simbine are among the big names on the final entry list for the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21.

Olympic and world medallists in final entries for World Athletics Relays Silesia21

To best describe the close friendship between training partners and occasional on track rivals Lieke Klaver and Femke Bol, perhaps the Dutch word of 'gunnen' (not begrudge) might be most apt.
The Dutch duo have independently and collectively made quite an impact over the past 18 months or so. Last year Bol rocketed to No.1 on the world lists for the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, posting a huge national record of 53.79, and earlier this year emphatically snared the European indoor 400m title.
Klaver, meanwhile, earlier this year set national indoor records for 200m and 400m (before Bol claimed the latter mark at the same meeting in Vienna) and the pair featured as one half of the Dutch sprint team which banked the European 4x400m crown with a national record time.
The duo have also occasionally competed against one another, but this has not compromised their relationship and their close bond is described by Bol as like a &ldquo;sisterhood&rdquo;.
&ldquo;We feel more like family and get on really well,&rdquo; adds Bol. &ldquo;We are like sisters and learn to help each other. If we need advice, she (Klaver) would the first person I would go to.&rdquo;
<h3>The start of the sisterhood</h3>
The pair first met at the 2017 European U20 Championships in Grosseto &ndash; where Klaver finished sixth in the 200m final and Bol exited at the 400m semi-finals &ndash; but they barely uttered a word to each other during that trip and it was only while sharing a room at the 2019 World Athletics Relays in Yokohama that the athletes started to build a friendship in a slightly quirky manner.
&ldquo;Our friendship started out of our clumsiness,&rdquo; recalls Klaver with a smile. &ldquo;We shared a room with a high window but as I tried to open the window I banged my head. Two minutes later Femke did the same thing and we had such a laugh about it.&rdquo;
Aged just 18 months apart, Yokohama also represented the starting point of their respective senior international careers. In fact, their shared experiences on that trip brought them closer and the pair laugh about their &ldquo;fan girl&rdquo; behaviour in Japan.
&ldquo;Some athletes who competed in Yokohama had started to follow me on Instagram,&rdquo; recalls Klaver. &ldquo;I kept saying to Femke, &lsquo;that girl is following me (on Instagram) and that guy is following me.&rsquo; On the track I was awestruck at seeing Andre De Grasse and others.&rdquo;
Femke was similarly giddy on that trip when identifying top athletes.
&ldquo;We spotted athletes in the elevator, we were like young girls on an adventure,&rdquo; adds Femke. &ldquo;At one point Lisanne de Witte (fellow Dutch athlete) walked over and said: &lsquo;Girls, you have to focus on your own game because you have to run against them&rsquo;!&rdquo;
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 If World Relays provided the spark for their future friendship, the closeness of their relationship started to bed down later that year after both athletes joined the same Papendal-based training group led by Swiss coach Laurent Meuwly.
Klaver, who grew up in Enkhuisen in Noord Holland, a little under a 90-minute drive from Bol&rsquo;s home town of Amersfoort, came under Meuwly&rsquo;s guidance in August of 2019 with Bol joining the successful sprint group a month or so later.
Training and living together in the same Papendal facility, which sees around 20 athletes live in separate bedrooms with a shared kitchen, the pair&rsquo;s friendship strengthened.
&ldquo;We were discovering a lot of lot of new things at the same time, which felt like we had a special bond,&rdquo; explains Klaver, 22.
Yet Klaver and Bol are far from two peas in a pod. In fact, their friendship is more a case of opposites attract.
Klaver is the more outgoing and forthright of the pair, taking on the role of &lsquo;older sister&rsquo;. Bol, a more introverted and softer personality, is happy to play the part of &lsquo;younger sister.&rsquo;
The pair listen to different music &ndash; Klaver is a big fan of rap and hip hop while Bol prefers pop music from the Dutch top 40.
&ldquo;I think the fact we are so different is maybe why we have such a good relationship,&rdquo; explains Klaver, a 50.98 400m flat runner. &ldquo;In some ways we don&rsquo;t have a lot in common, although we do share a similar sense of humour.
&ldquo;Femke is so much more of a perfectionist than me. She has seven books where she writes down all of her plans, I&rsquo;m more go with the flow, which is not always a good thing and I can learn from her structure.&rdquo;&nbsp;
On the flip side, Klaver is also a good foil for Bol.
&ldquo;Lieke has helped me learn to relax a bit more,&rdquo; adds Bol. &ldquo;At 10 o&rsquo;clock I would think, right, I have to go to sleep right now but she was a bit more loose with that. I was more strict but not in a good way. She made me more relaxed to the point we really learned from each other.&rdquo;
Even in training the pair possess a complimentary skill set which can benefit each other. Klaver admits she would love to have Bol&rsquo;s endurance. Meanwhile, Bol would dine out on her good friend&rsquo;s speed, strength and tough mindset in training.
<h3>Friendly rivalry</h3>
While Klaver is chiefly a 200m and 400m flat exponent and Bol a 400m hurdles specialist, during the indoor season the pair stepped on one another&rsquo;s toes by meeting over the one-lap distance.
In Vienna in January, while not in direct combat, Klaver set a national indoor record of 51.48 in the 400m B race only for Bol to supersede it just 10 minutes later with a 50.96 clocking.
Then at the European Indoor Championships in Torun in March, Bol sped to 400m gold with Klaver back in fifth. So how do the pair manage their friendship when they are both out to beat one another on the track?
&ldquo;We felt at the European Indoors that the natural thing to do was give ourselves a little space, so we didn&rsquo;t share a room at the meet hotel,&rdquo; explains Klaver.
&ldquo;We often drink tea together in the evenings but we stopped doing that around the competition period.
&ldquo;When people didn&rsquo;t see us together I got questions from people asking; did we have a fight? But we just needed a bit of space because we had a race to run. It was nothing bad for the friendship.&rdquo;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/607ac263d816cfd83d40d2e7.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="635" /> Winner Femke Bol and Lieke Klaver after the 400m final at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships&nbsp;(&copy; Getty Images)
 Bol, a 21-year-old communications science student, adds: &ldquo;Of course during a competition we would love it if we could both win but somebody has to be first and second. But as a competitor I switch my mindset to say &ldquo;okay, I want to beat everyone, whoever it is.&rdquo;
Klaver too supports this viewpoint and sees the advantages in occasionally racing one another.
&ldquo;We are at a similar level, so we know if we want to reach a higher level we need to push and help each other,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;If we are both chasing PBs, we are helping each other progress.&rdquo;
In Torun their friendship faced a severe test. Klaver admits she was far from happy to place fifth in the 400m final and needed time to herself to absorb the disappointment. It was only later that could she express her happiness for Bol.
Yet the following day the dynamic duo came together as one half of the Dutch 4x400m relay team that raced to gold in a national record of 3:27.15 &ndash; which helped to wash away any disappointment Klaver may have felt.
&ldquo;The next day Lieke ran a crazy split in the 4x4 and showed she could do it - I was very happy for her,&rdquo; explains Bol. &ldquo;The relay success makes it even more beautiful because we have been through so much together in training. To share that memorable moment together was very special.&rdquo;
The pair both believe their close bond has enabled them to improve as athletes. Klaver admitting the inspirational feats of Bol over the past year has generated an extra motivation in her and given her a new level of confidence.
&ldquo;The friendship makes me relaxed. Friendship is a sign of trust and when I trust people I can be myself and when I can be myself I can run fast on the track,&rdquo; explains Klaver.
The next time that friendship will come together will be at the World Athletics Relays in Poland on 1-2 May.
Klaver and Bol could compete as part of a women&rsquo;s 4x400m team or mixed 4x400m team &ndash; providing the heartbeat of what is likely to prove a pair of impressive quartets.
&ldquo;Of course, we want to put in some good races and show what we can do as a country together,&rdquo; adds Bol. &ldquo;We will try to do our best and see where we are placed compared to the rest of the world.&rdquo;
Given their close friendship coupled with their rapidly developing form, the Bol-Klaver factor could prove a very potent weapon in Silesia.
Steve Landells for World Athletics

To best describe the close friendship between training partners and occasional on track rivals Lieke Klaver and Femke Bol, perhaps the Dutch word of 'gunnen' (not begrudge) might be most apt.

How friendship further inspires Klaver and Bol

A Jamaican team of 39 athletes, including multiple global gold medallists&nbsp;Elaine Thompson-Herah and Asafa Powell, has been selected for the&nbsp;World Athletics Relays Silesia 21&nbsp;on 1-2 May.
Jamaica will be represented in seven events, including the women's and men's 4x100m, 4x200m and 4x400m plus the shuttle hurdles relay.
Thompson-Herah &ndash; who was part of the third-placed 4x200m team at the last edition of the event in Yokohama in 2019 &ndash; has been named for the women's 4x100m and 4x200m squads, while Powell is included in the men's 4x100m team.
Stephenie Ann McPherson, a member of Jamaica's winning 2015 world 4x400m team, has been selected for that event along with her teammate&nbsp;Shericka Jackson, who also claimed 2019 world 4x100m gold.
Nathon Allen, who anchored Jamaica to the runner-up spot in Yokohama three years ago and also has Olympic and world medals to his name, is again in the 4x400m squad.
Commonwealth 110m hurdles champion&nbsp;Ronald Levy is among those named for the shuttle hurdles relay.
<h3>Jamaican&nbsp;team for Silesia</h3>
WOMEN 4x100m:&nbsp;Ramona Burchell,&nbsp;Kashieka Cameron, Shashalee Forbes,&nbsp;Natasha Morrison,&nbsp;Elaine Thompson-Herah,&nbsp;Natalliah Whyte 4x200m:&nbsp;Shashalee Forbes,&nbsp;Tiffany James, Anastasia Le-Roy,&nbsp;Candice McLeod,&nbsp;Elaine Thompson- Herah,&nbsp;Natalliah Whyte 4x400m:&nbsp;Christine Day,&nbsp;Shericka Jackson,&nbsp;Tovea Jenkins,&nbsp;Roniesha McGregor,&nbsp;Stephanie Ann McPherson,&nbsp;Janieve Russell,&nbsp;Shiann Salmon, Rhonda Whyte &nbsp;
MEN 4x100m:&nbsp;Oshane Bailey, Nesta Carter, Nigel Ellis,&nbsp;Julian Forte,&nbsp;Kadrian Goldson,&nbsp;Asafa Powell,&nbsp;Romario Williams 4x200m:&nbsp;Michael Bentley,&nbsp;Nigel Ellis,&nbsp;Kadrian Goldson,&nbsp;Romario Williams 4x400m:&nbsp;Nathon Allen,&nbsp;Zadrian Barnes,&nbsp;Keeno Burrell,&nbsp;Javon Francis, Jamoi Jackson, Demar Murray,&nbsp;Terry Thomas,&nbsp;Troy Whyte
MIXED Shuttle hurdles relay:&nbsp;Rasheed Broadbell, Janeek Brown, Deuce Carter, Ronald Levy, Megan Tapper, Jeanine Williams

A Jamaican team of 39 athletes, including multiple global gold medallists Elaine Thompson-Herah and Asafa Powell, has been selected for the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21 on 1-2 May.

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