Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the womens 4x100m Relay at the IAAF World Championships Moscow 2013 (© Getty Images)
There is just over a week to go before the inaugural IAAF World Relays, which will be held in Nassau, The Bahamas, on Saturday and Sunday 24-25 May 2014.
Nearly 600 athletes (338 men and 240 women) from 43 IAAF Member Federations will be making their way to the Caribbean to take part in this exciting and innovative new event on the international calendar.
Names that leap out from the final entries include reigning world champions LaShawn Merritt, Asbel Kiprop, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Christine Ohuruogu and Eunice Sum, who all won individual honours in Moscow but who will now be aiming to combine with their compatriots with a baton in their hands.
In addition, there is a plethora of other medallists from Moscow who have been entered, and world champions of a slightly earlier vintage who will be in Nassau include Yohan Blake Youssef, Saad Kamel, Maryam Yusuf Jamal, Janeth Jepkosgei and Sanya Richards-Ross.
The IAAF World Relays will be staged in the newly-built 15,000-seater Thomas A Robinson Stadium, with both men and women competing in the 4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m, 4x800m and 4x1500m.
The top eight teams in both the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m will automatically qualify for the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing.
In addition, the top eight teams in each event will be awarded prize money with the gold medallists taking home no less than USD $50,000.
In the event that a team breaks a world record in Nassau, an additional bonus of USD $50,000 will also be awarded.
Two marks that look in particular danger are the men’s 4x200m and women’s 4x1500m records.
One thing seems certain, there will be a terrific atmosphere in the Thomas A Robinson Stadium, with fans there ready to raise the rafters across the two days of thrilling head-to-head competition.
The Bahamas has a great relay tradition and, as well as welcoming many world stars of the sport, they will have a number of competitive teams looking to triumph on home soil and their squad features local heroes like Chris Brown and Shaunae Miller.
The IAAF will be providing live results, news and event reports which will all be available here.
IAAF
