The Olympic Games will always be the stage on which the world&rsquo;s greatest sportspeople battle it out for the highest honour. But it&rsquo;s also a worldwide sporting celebration in which nations big and small come together to compete alongside one another.
Athletes from far-flung countries, many of whom will line up in lanes adjacent to some of the legends of the sport, often provide the enduring images of every Olympics. But not everyone watching in the stadium or at home will understand how those athletes managed to qualify for the Games.
It&rsquo;s thanks to universality places, which are designed to increase the diversity and gender balance of participating nations across the sports programme of the Olympic Games, and they&rsquo;re available for national Olympic committees with traditionally small delegations.
For the Paris 2024 Games, the places have been offered to national Olympic committees who participated with an average of eight athletes or fewer in individual sports at the Olympic Games in 2016 and 2021. That constitutes 93 nations in total; 35 from Africa, 18 from the Americas, 17 from Asia, 14 from Oceania, and nine from Europe.
The athletics qualifying system for the Games states:
A national Olympic committee (NOC) with no male or female qualified athlete or relay team will be allowed to enter their best ranked male athlete or their best ranked female athlete in either the 100m, 800m or marathon. This applies equally to unqualified female entries from an NOC with qualified males, and vice versa.
Up until the 2016 Olympics in Rio, NOCs were permitted to enter up to two athletes (one man and one woman) as universality entries, but due to a reduction in the overall quota of athletics places at the Games from 2020 onwards, this was amended to one universality entrant per NOC. The International Olympic Committee can, however, request that World Athletics accepts a second universality entrant for gender balance.
While many of the athletes entered for the Paris Games on a universality place will be lacking in international experience or hail from countries with little or no athletics tradition, other universality entrants are highly accomplished athletes.
They include the likes of 2019 world marathon bronze medallist and 2018 Commonwealth champion <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/namibia/helalia-johannes-14291432" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Helalia Johannes</a> of Namibia, 2018 world U20 100m champion <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/indonesia/lalu-muhammad-zohri-14794034" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lalu Muhammad Zohri</a> of Indonesia, and Mongolian marathon runner <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/mongolia/ser-od-bat-ochir-14867157" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ser-Od Bat-Ochir</a>, who&rsquo;ll be competing in his sixth Olympic Games.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66a2613cb412ef4eeea8f10f.jpg" alt="Helalia Johannes in Doha" />
Helalia Johannes in Doha (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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When Bat-ochir competed at his first two Olympics in 2004 and 2008, he was entered thanks to universality places. But for the Games in 2012, 2016 and 2021, Bat-ochir achieved the entry standards and qualified by right.
The 42-year-old, who holds the Mongolian record of 2:08:50 and has a season&rsquo;s best of 2:10:10, will be looking to improve on his 51st-place finish from 2012, his highest placing at an Olympic Games. His best result at a global championships was his 19th-place finish at the 2011 World Championships.

The XXXIII Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a worldwide sporting celebration in which nations big and small come together to compete alongside one another

What are Olympic universality places and how many countries will be represented in Paris?

World Athletics has selected Corpay Cross-Border, a global leader in corporate payments, as its Official Foreign Exchange (FX) Supplier for the next four years.
Through the partnership, World Athletics will gain access to Corpay Cross-Border&rsquo;s innovative solutions to help mitigate foreign exchange exposure from day-to-day business needs. Additionally, Corpay Cross-Border&rsquo;s award-winning platform will enable World Athletics to manage global payments from a single point of access.
&ldquo;We are pleased to welcome Corpay Cross-Border as an Official Supplier to World Athletics,&rdquo; said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.
&ldquo;World Athletics receives the majority of its income in USD but makes substantial payments each year in various currencies. Having the expertise of Corpay Cross-Border, with access to currency risk management and cross-border payments solutions, will prove invaluable.&rdquo;
Brad Loder, Chief Marketing Officer at Corpay Cross-Border Solutions, said: &ldquo;Corpay Cross-Border is very honoured to join the World Athletics family as their Official Foreign Exchange Supplier.
&ldquo;I am confident that World Athletics and the broader World Athletics family, including their federation members and partners, will benefit from access to our comprehensive currency risk management and cross-border payments solutions, along with our extensive experience gained within the world of sports.&rdquo;
World Athletics

World Athletics has selected Corpay Cross-Border, a global leader in corporate payments, as its Official Foreign Exchange Supplier for the next four years

World Athletics announces Corpay Cross-Border as official foreign exchange supplier

How do you stay motivated when you have won everything there is to win?&nbsp;
Qatari high jumper Mutaz Barshim has claimed an unprecedented three titles at the World Athletics Championships as well as Olympic gold and multiple other global medals. He is the most successful athlete his nation has ever seen.&nbsp;
But despite his successes and his event's demand for new heights, Barshim's feet have remained firmly on the ground.&nbsp;
He still chooses to train in his old, beaten up gym where it all started, and has his sights set on leaving a lasting legacy for his competitors and the high jump in Qatar.
Barshim welcomes <a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/66a0ff9321429afcfa6e36d6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Inside Track</a> to Doha, to a training session and his own competition &ndash; the What Gravity Challenge, to share more about his life and journey so far.
Click the thumbnail to watch:<a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/66a0ff9321429afcfa6e36d6" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66a0ff6821429afcfa6e36d3.jpg" alt="x" /></a>
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always easier said than done. How to stay dedicated &ndash; hard work, dedication and patience. And the better you are, the more difficult it gets because there is a lot of temptation,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t need to be jumping &ndash; you know, I can go out and do something easy, for example, and make the same amount of money. Or, I can go and do something, film something, and take my family on vacation. I don&rsquo;t need to be struggling.
&ldquo;Imagine you are the best in the world, you are the Olympic champion, but I still lock myself in a room somewhere in a mountain with two people for like one or two months. I don&rsquo;t need to be doing that, but I know that&rsquo;s very important for me. I need to feel that struggle.
&ldquo;To me, high jump is a lifestyle, you know, and I&rsquo;m really glad that it transitioned to become my professional career that I really love and enjoy. That&rsquo;s why, whenever it gets hard, I&rsquo;ll always find a way because for me, it&rsquo;s a natural love to it. It&rsquo;s my way of expressing myself.
&ldquo;At this moment, in my career now, I&rsquo;ve done so much. So, this Olympics to me is all about legacy.&rdquo;

Qatari high jumper Mutaz Barshim is the most successful athlete his nation has ever seen

Mutaz Barshim: soaring

<h2>Women's 4x400m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;urlSlug=paris24&amp;disciplineCode=4X4&amp;sexCode=W" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/timetable/bydiscipline/women/4x400-metres-relay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/relays/4x400-metres-relay/all/women/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/relays/4x400-metres-relay/all/women/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/relays/4x400-metres-relay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
&bull; USA has won the past seven Olympic titles in this event &bull; Opportunity for a McLaughlin-Levrone/Bol showdown &bull; Ireland and Belgium join Jamaica and Britain in the medal hunt
The women&rsquo;s Olympic 4x400m title has belonged to the USA from 1996 onwards; suffice to say, the relays powerhouse won&rsquo;t want to surrender their crown any time soon.
This event at the last two global championships, however, hasn&rsquo;t quite gone in the USA&rsquo;s favour.
The Netherlands, anchored by a redemptive run from Femke Bol following her fall in the mixed 4x400m, won the world title in Budapest last year. The Dutch quartet notched up a second global title at this year&rsquo;s World Indoor Championships in Glasgow where Bol once again ran the final leg.
Bol will no doubt be put to good use in Paris, though by the time she lines up for the women&rsquo;s 4x400m final &ndash; assuming the Netherlands qualify &ndash; Bol would have already contested three rounds of the 400m hurdles, as well as one or two rounds of the mixed 4x400m and possibly the first round of the women&rsquo;s 4x400m.
The USA, meanwhile, has the depth to allow them to save their best runners for the final. They have six women who&rsquo;ve broken 50 seconds for 400m this year, topped by Olympic 400m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The 24-year-old ran the first leg for the victorious quartet at the last Olympics, and then ran the final leg for the triumphant US squad at the 2022 World Championships.
Alexis Holmes, who anchored USA to victory in the mixed 4x400m in Budapest last year, is also on the squad for Paris. World 200m leader Gabby Thomas has also expressed a desire to be part of the team.
Beyond the battle between the two reigning global 4x400m champions, the fight for medals looks set to be even more competitive than usual.
Jamaica has made it on to every Olympic podium in this event since 2000, and this year their squad is bolstered by world leader Nickisha Pryce, who recently set a Jamaican 400m record of 48.57.
Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland took world indoor bronze behind the Netherlands and USA earlier this year, matching their finishing position from the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. They&rsquo;ll have NCAA indoor champion Amber Anning and recent sub-50-second performer Laviai Nilsen at their disposal.
Ireland finished a close second to the Netherlands at the recent European Championships, clocking a national record of 3:22.71, thanks to sub-50-second splits from Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley.
Belgium took European bronze, consolidating their status as a relay contender, while Italy set a national record of 3:23.40 for fourth.
Canada has performed consistently well in this event at recent global championships, while Poland&rsquo;s long tradition also cannot be discounted.
Norway and France are two other teams that could feature in the Olympic final.
&nbsp;
<h2>Men's 4x400m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;urlSlug=paris24&amp;disciplineCode=4X4&amp;sexCode=M" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/timetable/bydiscipline/men/4x400-metres-relay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/relays/4x400-metres-relay/all/men/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/relays/4x400-metres-relay/all/men/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/relays/4x400-metres-relay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
&bull; USA looking for their 19th Olympic title in this event &bull; World indoor champions Belgium chasing their first Olympic medal &bull; Botswana hoping to build on bronze from Tokyo
Aside from the occasions when they have been a non-starter (1972), boycotted (1980) or disqualified (2000), the USA has won all but one Olympic men&rsquo;s 4x400m titles from 1956 onwards.
Their only true defeat over the past 68 years came in 2012 when The Bahamas claimed gold in an epic showdown.
So while the USA will start as favourites to win another Olympic title in this event, the memories of 12 years ago &ndash; when a tiny island nation of just 400,000 people defeated the relays superpower &ndash; will give hope to any country lining up in this event in Paris.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/610eb724792150e03d97fcf1.jpg" alt="Rai Benjamin anchors the US 4x400m team to gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games" />
Rai Benjamin anchors the US 4x400m team to gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (&copy; Getty Images)
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There&rsquo;s no denying the USA will field the strongest team &ndash; in terms of pure foot speed &ndash; in Paris. Their pool includes US Trials winner Quincy Hall, who has clocked 43.80 this year, relay stalwart Vernon Norwood, 16-year-old prodigy Quincy Wilson, who recently set a world U18 best of 44.20, 2022 world champion Michael Norman, and world 400m hurdles leader Rai Benjamin.
And, of course, there&rsquo;s a chance that Noah Lyles could make an appearance.
But entry lists only tell half the story. And, as with relays, there&rsquo;s always the likelihood of drama.
At the World Relays earlier this year, for example, the USA was disqualified from their heat for standing in the wrong order at one of the changeovers, and they only secured their Olympic qualification via the second round.
But even then, their time of 2:59.95 was almost a second shy of Botswana&rsquo;s winning time (2:59.11) in the main final. The only occasions when Botswana have gone quicker have been at the past two Olympic Games, capped by their national record of 2:57.27 to take bronze in Tokyo.
Their team, which includes the extremely versatile Letsile Tebogo and 44.10 performer Bayapo Ndori, has the potential to at least match their finishing position from three years ago.
South Africa finished second to Botswana at the World Relays in 3:00.75, having clocked 2:59.76 in the first round. Their squad combines youth, in the form of 44.31 runner Lythe Pillay, with the experience of world record-holder Wayde van Niekerk.
Belgium got the better of USA at the World Indoor Championships earlier this year, anchored by individual 400m champion Alexander Doom. They were victorious again at the European Championships in June and will be keen to finally make it on to the podium at the Olympics, having finished fourth in 2008, 2016 and 2021.
Expectations will be high for the host nation. After all, it was in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m that France earned their only medal at last year&rsquo;s World Championships, clocking a national record of 2:58.45 in the process.
Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland took world bronze behind France last year, but in Paris they can call upon Matthew Hudson-Smith, who recently broke the European 400m record with a world-leading 43.74, and Charlie Dobson, who clocked a PB of 44.23 in that same race.
The Netherlands finished closest to the USA at the last Olympic Games, setting a national record of 2:57.18 in the process, and more recently they claimed bronze at this year&rsquo;s World Indoor Championships. They head to Paris with a season&rsquo;s best of 3:03.02, but &ndash; like many nations &ndash; they often produce their best form at the year&rsquo;s biggest event.
The likes of Japan, fourth at the World Relays, and European silver medallist Italy could also feature in the medal hunt. Also keep an eye out for African Games champions Zambia, led by 43.91 performer Muzala Samukonga.
Surprisingly, Jamaica and The Bahamas both missed out on Olympic qualification. It means the Caribbean charge will be led by Trinidad &amp; Tobago, the 2017 world champions.
&nbsp;
<h2>Mixed 4x400m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;urlSlug=paris24&amp;disciplineCode=4X4&amp;sexCode=X" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/timetable/bydiscipline/mixed/4x400-metres-relay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/relays/4x400-metres-relay/all/mixed/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/relays/4x400-metres-relay/all/mixed/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/relays/4x400-metres-relay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
&bull; World champions and world record-holders USA out to win first Olympic title &bull; Netherlands out for revenge after Bol&rsquo;s mishap in Budapest &bull; Ireland the surprise world leaders heading into the Games 
This event provided one of the most dramatic moments of last year&rsquo;s World Championships. With several athletes and teams seeking revenge and redemption, it could once again be a thriller of a race in Paris.
USA head to the Olympics as the world champions and world record-holders, following their 3:08.80 triumph in Budapest. On that occasion, they were pushed all the way by the Netherlands in an epic battle, but anchor leg runner Femke Bol fell in the closing metres, allowing USA&rsquo;s Alexis Holmes to cross the line unopposed.
The two teams renewed their rivalry at the World Relays earlier this year, where USA won comfortably in a championship record of 3:10.73. Having been beaten into third when this discipline made its Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago, the USA will be keen to win their first gold medal in this discipline.
But neither of those teams head to Paris as the world leader. That honour rests with Ireland, who finished third at the World Relays in 3:11.53, which in itself was a surprise to many. But they then went significantly quicker to win the European title in 3:09.92, elevating them to fifth on the world all-time list.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66370c15ce559ee9034a536c.jpg" alt="Ireland wins their heat in the women's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24" />
Ireland wins their heat in the women's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 (&copy; Francesca Grana)
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Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland took world silver in Budapest last year in a national record of 3:11.06, and they could once again challenge for a medal in Paris with the right line-up.
Italy finished second to Ireland in the high-quality mixed 4x400m at the recent European Championships, clocking a national record of 3:10.69 to finish 0.04 ahead of the Netherlands. The home crowd in Rome doubtless played a significant part, but their performance will give them plenty of confidence heading into Paris.
Home crowd also played a significant part for The Bahamas when they clocked a national record of 3:12.81 to earn their Olympic selection at the World Relays earlier this year. Their squad will feature defending Olympic 400m champions Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo.
Belgium placed fourth at the European Championships in a national record of 3:11.03 which makes them a serious medal contender. The same is true of Kenya, who set an African record of 3:11.88 earlier this year.
The upside of Jamaica failing to qualify for the men&rsquo;s 4x400m is that their leading male one-lap sprinters can now focus all of their energy into the mixed 4x400m.
The Dominican Republic, world champions in 2022, and defending Olympic champions Poland should also not be discounted.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the 4x400m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Paris Olympics preview: 4x400m relays

<h2>Men's 4x100m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;urlSlug=paris24&amp;disciplineCode=4X1&amp;sexCode=M" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/timetable/bydiscipline/men/4x100-metres-relay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/relays/4x100-metres-relay/all/men/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/relays/4x100-metres-relay/all/men/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/relays/4x100-metres-relay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
&bull; USA on the hunt&nbsp;for a first Olympic men's 4x100m gold medal since 2000 &bull; Olympic champions Italy carry momentum from European Championships &bull; Canada and&nbsp;Jamaica cannot be discounted
For Noah Lyles to complete his goal of winning four gold medals in Paris, the 27-year-old will not only need to pull off the sprint double, but do something perhaps even more difficult: help the United States men&rsquo;s 4x100m relay team win its first Olympic title in a generation.
Dropped batons and disqualifications have led to a gold drought since 2000 and just one medal at all ever since &ndash; a silver, in 2004. Yet USA enters this Olympics with the year&rsquo;s fastest time and confidence after winning the World Athletics Relays in May in 37.40. The US team of Courtney Lindsey, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Lyles also ran 37.49 in the heats to underscore their potential. That quartet may run together again in Paris, as all qualified either individually or through selection in the relay pool.
The World Relays served as not only a qualifier for Olympic spots but as a window into the potential contenders in Paris. That group still includes Italy, the reigning Olympic champions, who initially finished third at World Relays only to be subsequently disqualified for a changeover that occurred outside of the zone. Undeterred, one month later Italy won the country&rsquo;s first European men&rsquo;s 4x100m title in 37.82 on home soil, which remains the third-fastest time in the world this year, after legs by Matteo Melluzzo, Lorenzo Patta, Filippo Tortu and reigning Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs. That group enters with familiarity, as Patta, Tortu and Jacobs all return from the gold-winning team in Tokyo.
Two years after Canada won the world 4x100m title in Oregon, the quartet that powered that championship remains in the hunt together in Paris. Brendon Rodney, Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown and Jerome Blake ran 37.82 at the World Relays to post the fourth-fastest time this year.&nbsp;
As always, Jamaica will be a team to watch. Though Jamaica finished third at last year&rsquo;s World Championships and seventh at the World Relays, neither of those teams featured a leg from Kishane Thompson, the world leader at 100m this year, and only one featured Oblique Seville, who ranks fourth in the 100m. Both are featured in Jamaica&rsquo;s relay pool, along with Ackeem Blake.
France, Japan and Great Britain all finished within one-hundredth of a second together in the World Relays final, suggesting that any could emerge as a threat to make the Olympic final, but Japan then took a step forward at the Diamond League meeting in London on 20 July by running 38.07, the fifth-fastest time this year. South Africa, who ran 38.08 in qualifying at the World Relays to secure a bid to Paris, will look to recapture the magic that fuelled that run.
&nbsp;
<h2>Women's 4x100m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;urlSlug=paris24&amp;disciplineCode=4X1&amp;sexCode=W" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/timetable/bydiscipline/women/4x100-metres-relay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/relays/4x100-metres-relay/all/women/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/relays/4x100-metres-relay/all/women/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/relays/4x100-metres-relay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
&bull; Great Britain&rsquo;s women enter Paris having just claimed the world-leading time &bull; USA has chance to build on strong early season form &bull;&nbsp;Jamaica defends title after two world silver medals
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66a28931c37950df2a5b6409.jpg" alt="The women's 4x100m final in Tokyo" />
The women's 4x100m final in Tokyo (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
When the United States clocked a world-leading 41.85 to win at May&rsquo;s World Athletics Relays, the gap between their time and their challengers was massive, with runner-up France 0.9 of a second behind.&nbsp;
But by the time the Olympics begins, their margin for error will have diminished.
Relays are run with enough infrequency that fast times have a way of making a statement. Great Britain&rsquo;s team of Dina Asher-Smith, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Amy Hunt and Daryll Neita did just that on 20 July by equalling the national record and running a world-leading 41.55 at the London Diamond League meeting, on the eve of the Olympics. The time creates a potential showdown for gold in Paris.
Not only has Great Britain usurped the world lead and gained confidence after June&rsquo;s European Championships title win in 41.91 &ndash; with a team that included Asher-Smith, Neita and Hunt &ndash; but France lowered its own season&rsquo;s best to 42.1, also at the London Diamond League meeting.
Asher-Smith, Great Britain&rsquo;s leadoff leg, is one of the world&rsquo;s most accomplished active relay runners, having earned Olympic bronze in Rio and Tokyo and silver and bronze at the World Championships. Yet she is still chasing a global relay gold. Standing in the way, again, could be the US.
The US team in Paris could have the potential to go ever faster, however, as Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson, the world champion at 100m, is part of the relay pool after she did not run at World Relays. If the US does not currently own the world-leading time, it does boast big-event experience, having won the World Championships in both 2022 and 2023. Tamari Davis, Aleia Hobbs, Melissa Jefferson, Jenna Prandini and Twanisha Terry join Richardson as options in Paris. The options provide continuity for the US, as each has contributed to the country&rsquo;s recent world titles.&nbsp;
Great Britain and USA are the only teams to have broken the 42-second barrier this season, but challengers for medals will emerge from a deep pack in Paris.
Jamaica, the silver medallists at each of the last two World Championships and Olympic champions in Tokyo, have not clocked a time since their 42.74 at World Relays. Yet with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, two of the fastest women in history and members of Jamaica's winning team in Tokyo, along with Shashalee Forbes, who helped Jamaica earn silver last year in Budapest, the nation cannot be counted out as a medal threat.&nbsp;
The Netherlands, after running 43.09 at World Relays, dramatically lowered their best time to 42.39 in June on the same day Germany set a season&rsquo;s best of 42.47. Australia will be hoping recent success will translate at the Olympics, after running 42.48 in London at the Diamond League meeting.
Andrew Greif for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the 4x100m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Paris Olympics preview: 4x100m relays

<h2>Women's 400m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;urlSlug=paris24&amp;sexCode=W&amp;disciplineCode=400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/timetable/bydiscipline/women/400-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/400m/women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/400-metres/all/women/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/400-metres/outdoor/women/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/400-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
&bull;&nbsp;Nickisha Pryce in the spotlight after London Diamond League breakthrough &bull;&nbsp;Natalia Kaczmarek joins&nbsp;Pryce in having broken&nbsp;the 49-second barrier this year &bull; World champion Marileidy Paulino will look to upgrade her Tokyo silver to Paris gold
The pecking order of the women&rsquo;s 400m was upended in one race at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in London this month, when Jamaica&rsquo;s NCAA champion <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/jamaica/nickisha-pryce-14685519" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nickisha Pryce</a> broke through to record a world-leading time of 48.57 on her professional debut.
That performance lifted the 23-year-old to seventh on the world all-time list and makes her quicker than the likes of 2000 Olympic champion Cathy Freeman and 2004 champion Sanya Richards-Ross.
Rio and Tokyo Olympic champion <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/bahamas/shaunae-miller-uibo-14368116" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shaunae Miller-Uibo</a> was the last woman to run faster, at the Tokyo Games, but there is ongoing uncertainty around her participation in Paris after she was injured at the Bahamian trials in June, so there may be an opportunity for a new star to emerge.&nbsp;
Pryce, a product of the famed athletics cradle Vere Technical High School in Jamaica, stole a march on her rivals for Olympic gold with her stunning performance in London and it&rsquo;s hard to see her being beaten if she can repeat it in the Olympic final.
Inexperience at this level could be her biggest challenge.
The University of Arkansas student has rocketed to the top of the class in the past year, improving her best time by almost two seconds since she was eliminated in the semifinals of last year&rsquo;s World Championships in Budapest.
She revealed afterwards that she had cramped during that race and slowed down in the last 100m to avoid injury. So she flew under the global radar until this year&rsquo;s NCAA Championships, where she won the 400m in 48.89.
She&rsquo;s one of only two women who have breached the 49-second barrier this year, the other being Poland&rsquo;s European champion <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/poland/natalia-kaczmarek-14642563" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Natalia Kaczmarek</a>, who set a personal best of 48.90 in London but was a distant second behind the young Jamaican.
World champion <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/dominican-republic/marileidy-paulino-14749613" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marileidy Paulino</a> of the Dominican Republic also has the capacity to run well under 49 seconds, having won in Budapest in 48.76.
She has made a more measured start to this season, her best a winning time of 49.20 at the Paris leg of the Diamond League. However, she defeated Kaczmarek comfortably that day, as well as 2019 world champion Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, who has returned after a doping suspension.
The silver medallist in Tokyo, Paulino will be intent on upgrading to gold three years later.
&ldquo;Winning a gold medal, and becoming an Olympic champion, would be very important for the Dominican Republic, and an opportunity as well as a platform to expand the sports of athletics in my country,&rsquo;&rsquo; she said after her Paris win. &ldquo;It would mean a lot to me because I know many young people back home are looking up to me.&rdquo;
Ireland&rsquo;s <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/ireland/rhasidat-adeleke-14745252" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rhasidat Adeleke</a> is a college rival of Pryce, and defeated her to win last year&rsquo;s NCAA title, but has made a steadier trajectory into the top rank, with a best time of 49.07 which ranks her third among those contesting the 400m in Paris.
Kendall Ellis (49.46) shapes as the top US contender, while Britain&rsquo;s Amber Anning, Dutch sprinter Lieke Klaver and Bahrain&rsquo;s Naser are also in the mix.
&nbsp;
<h2>Men's 400m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;urlSlug=paris24&amp;sexCode=M&amp;disciplineCode=400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/timetable/bydiscipline/men/400-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/400m/men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/400-metres/all/men/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/400-metres/outdoor/men/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/400-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
&bull;&nbsp;Matthew Hudson-Smith and&nbsp;Quincy Hall lead the way in an&nbsp;open race for the medals &bull;&nbsp;Steven Gardiner defends his title from Tokyo &bull;&nbsp;Alexander Doom,&nbsp;Christopher Morales Williams and&nbsp;Kirani James are also among the challengers
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66a2753e797bdc75f0c8647c.jpg" alt="Matthew Hudson-Smith in action in Rio" />
Matthew Hudson-Smith in action in Rio (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
There will be a prime opportunity for the nearly man of global 400m running, Britain&rsquo;s European record-holder <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-&amp;-n.i./matthew-hudson-smith-14407278" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matthew Hudson-Smith</a>, to become THE man in Paris, in what shapes as an open race for the medals.
Hudson-Smith launches into Paris as the world leader, courtesy of his commanding win in London in the final Diamond League meeting before the Olympic Games, where the 29-year-old confirmed his career-best form by becoming the first European to breach the 44-second barrier in 43.74.
That moved him ahead of US champion <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/quincy-hall-14597236" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quincy Hall</a>, who had taken the world lead a week earlier with his win in the Monaco leg of the Diamond League in 43.80.
They are the only two men to have broken 44 seconds for one lap of the track this year and both have found superb form at the right time to contend for Olympic gold.
Both were close to claiming the title at the World Championships in Budapest last year, with Hudson-Smith winning the silver medal and converted 400m hurdler Hall the bronze. Out-of-sorts world champion Antonio Watson has not qualified for the Jamaican Olympic team.
By contrast, both Hudson-Smith and Hall have moved up a gear in the Olympic year, and they will be rightly favoured to fight it out for the title, but there are others who have ability to trouble the top two if they find their best form.
Most notable is Tokyo Olympic champion <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/bahamas/steven-gardiner-14578505" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steven Gardiner</a> of The Bahamas, who has been quietly working his way back to the top after breaking down with a hamstring injury in the semifinals at last year&rsquo;s World Championships. He arrives in Paris off a win at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial in Hungary earlier this month (44.39).&nbsp;
The 28-year-old has impeccable championship credentials and temperament and won&rsquo;t wobble under pressure, but he will have to find extra pace in Paris to retain his title.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The 2022 world champion Michael Norman (44.21 this year) will give the US a second challenger, while the newly-minted European champion Alexander Doom of Belgium (44.15) cannot be discounted.
The 2012 Olympic champion <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/grenada/kirani-james-14195659" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kirani James</a> of Grenada has not been off the podium at the last three Olympic Games (gold in London, silver in Rio, bronze in Tokyo) but the 31-year-old will need to improve after a fifth-place finish at the London Diamond League meeting.
Canada&rsquo;s NCAA champion <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/canada/christopher-morales-williams-14876627" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christopher Morales Williams</a> is third on the year&rsquo;s top list (44.05) courtesy of that triumph, but could manage only sixth in London, one place ahead of Botswana&rsquo;s Bayapo Ndori, who has struggled to back up his early season marker of 44.10.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Traditionally, a 43-second clocking is required in the Olympic final to take the gold, and Hudson-Smith promised in London that he had &ldquo;plenty more&rdquo; to give.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m in good shape,&rdquo; he said, recalling that his preparation for Budapest was disrupted by an achilles tendon injury.
&ldquo;This is the first time in a long time that I&rsquo;m coming into a championships healthy. We've got so many 43-44 runners who are now healthy, so it's a very competitive race and it's going to be a very hard race, but definitely I&rsquo;m in the hunt for the gold.&rdquo;
His training partner under coach Lance Brauman in Florida, world 100m and 200m champion Noah Lyles, is backing him in.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s where my money is &ndash; that&rsquo;s my boy right there,&rdquo; Lyles said.&nbsp;
Nicole Jeffery&nbsp;for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the 400m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Paris Olympics preview: 400m

<h2>Men's 200m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;urlSlug=paris24&amp;sexCode=M&amp;disciplineCode=200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/timetable/bydiscipline/men/200-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/200m/men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/200-metres/all/men/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/200-metres/outdoor/men/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/200-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
&bull;&nbsp;Noah Lyles seeks a first Olympic 200m gold after three world title wins &bull;&nbsp;USA&rsquo;s Lyles and Kenny Bednarek head season top list &bull;&nbsp;Andre De Grasse defends title and enters Paris off a win in Szekesfehervar
Not since the men&rsquo;s 200m final at the Tokyo Olympic Games has <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/noah-lyles-14536762" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Noah Lyles</a> been beaten in the half-lap event.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s a win streak of 25 races &ndash; 17 of them finals &ndash; across almost three years and his victories in that time include two more world titles to go with his 2019 crown and another Diamond League trophy.
Lyles has made no secret of the fact that he intends to make history, on and off the track. In Paris he&rsquo;ll hope to line up for the 200m as the newly crowned Olympic 100m champion, ready to build on the 200m bronze he claimed in Tokyo.
That Olympic final three years ago remains one of only two 200m finals that Lyles has lost since his first season as a professional in 2017. In Tokyo he was beaten by <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/canada/andre-de-grasse-14535607" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andre De Grasse</a> and <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/kenneth-bednarek-14715244" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kenny Bednarek</a>, who will return as two of his rivals in Paris.
Just like he did in Tokyo, Lyles will start as the favourite. As well as being unbeaten in the event since 2021, the 27-year-old has achieved the fastest time of the year so far - 19.53, clocked when winning the US title in Eugene in June. In fact, No.1 on the season top list is where Lyles has sat for the 200m each year since 2018, capped by the US record of 19.31 he set in 2022 &ndash; a performance that places him third on the world all-time list.
Now he has the chance to become the first US winner of the men&rsquo;s Olympic 200m title since 2004. But not if Bednarek gets there first.&nbsp;
Second on this season&rsquo;s top list, Bednarek is in the form of his life and he finished just 0.06 behind Lyles at the US Olympic trials, setting a PB of 19.59. That was his second PB of the year, following the 19.67 he ran to win at the Doha Diamond League. He also won the Diamond League race in Eugene in 19.89, but his runner-up finish ahead of Lyles in Tokyo &ndash; scene of his pre-2024 best of 19.68 &ndash; is so far the only time the 2022 world silver medallist Bednarek has finished ahead of his compatriot in 11 finals.&nbsp;
In Paris they will be joined on the US team by Erriyon Knighton, the 20-year-old who finished fourth in Tokyo and then claimed world 200m bronze in Eugene and silver in Budapest. When a US athlete last won the men's Olympic 200m title, the nation swept the medals.&nbsp;
That could happen again in Paris but there are several sprinters capable of spoiling the US party. Botswana&rsquo;s <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/botswana/letsile-tebogo-14883897" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Letsile Tebogo</a> claimed a world medal double in Budapest, securing silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m behind Lyles and Knighton. He&rsquo;s the third-fastest sprinter this year among the entries and won the Diamond League race in Monaco. Lyles had been due to race there, too, but decided to extend his training block in Florida instead.
Third in Monaco was <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/uganda/tarsis-gracious-orogot-14836521" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tarsis Orogot</a>, the 21-year-old who ran a Ugandan record of 19.75 in Gainesville in May and will become the first athlete from his nation to contest the men&rsquo;s 200m at the Olympics since 1992.
After eight global medal wins, Canada&rsquo;s De Grasse finally got his gold in Tokyo after clocking a Canadian record of 19.62 to deny Bednarek and Lyles. He has been some way off that 200m form so far this year but did dip under 20 seconds to win in Szekesfehervar earlier this month, his 19.98 just 0.01 off the time he ran to triumph in the Hungarian city in 2021, a month before he claimed his Olympic crown.
Ryan Zeze heads the host nation&rsquo;s team, following his 19.90 PB in La Chaux-de-Fonds a couple of weeks ago.
Other athletes looking to make an impact include Britain&rsquo;s Zharnel Hughes, who finished fourth in the world 200m final in Budapest but has been injured this year, plus Dominican Republic's Alexander Ogando and Jamaican champion Bryan Levell.
&nbsp;
<h2>Women's 200m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;urlSlug=paris24&amp;sexCode=W&amp;disciplineCode=200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/timetable/bydiscipline/women/200-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/200m/women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/200-metres/all/women/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/200-metres/outdoor/women/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/200-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
&bull;&nbsp;Shericka Jackson ready to rebound and add to global title haul &bull;&nbsp;Gabby Thomas goes for first individual global gold after making statement in London &bull;&nbsp;Julien Alfred on track to make more history for Saint Lucia
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66a2356670422ba8968c6e64.jpg" alt="Jamaican sprinter Shericka Jackson" />
Jamaican sprinter Shericka Jackson (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Two of the four fastest women in history will be in the race for the Olympic women&rsquo;s 200m crown in Paris.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/jamaica/shericka-jackson-14325599" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shericka Jackson</a> sits second on the world all-time list with the 21.41 Jamaican record she set to win her second world 200m title in Budapest last year, which followed the 21.45 she ran to win her first in Oregon in 2022.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/gabrielle-thomas-14733520" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gabby Thomas</a> is at No.4 all time, following the PB of 21.60 she set to win the US title 12 months ago.
Just two weeks out from the start of the women&rsquo;s 200m in Paris, Thomas sent a signal with her winning run at the Diamond League meeting in London. It was not so much the victory, but the way the 27-year-old achieved it &ndash; charging from fourth to first in the closing stages.
She ran 21.82 &ndash; the third-fastest time of the season so far behind her own world-leading 21.78 in the semifinals and 21.81 in the final at the US Olympic trials in Eugene.
In contrast, Jackson&rsquo;s last race before the Games ended with her pulling up in discomfort, but it has since been reported that she was suffering from cramp, rather than something more sinister. Prior to that 200m at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Szekesfehervar, the 30-year-old won the Jamaican title in 22.29 &ndash; her best so far this season &ndash; as part of a national sprint title double.
But Jackson clearly knows how to time her peak to perfection, as her two world title wins show. She&rsquo;ll also be looking to rebound after easing up too early in her heat at the Tokyo Olympics and failing to advance.
Unbeaten in the half lap event from June 2022 until May 2024, she finished fifth in the Diamond League in Oslo but won Diamond League races either side of that in Marrakech and Stockholm. She&rsquo;s also entered for the 100m in Paris, while Thomas will focus on the 200m.&nbsp;
In London last weekend it looked as though the win was going to world fourth-place finisher <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/saint-lucia/julien-alfred-14646562" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julien Alfred</a>, before those final few devastating strides by Thomas. Prior to the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March, Saint Lucia had never had a medallist at a senior global championships. Alfred made sure her nation&rsquo;s first medal was a golden one by winning the 60m title there and after contesting the 100m in Paris, the 23-year-old will hope to make even more history in the 200m.
The 21.86 she ran when finishing runner-up to Thomas in the UK capital improved her own national record by 0.05 and moved her up to third on the season top list. Sitting between Thomas and Alfred so far this season is <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/mckenzie-long-14723890" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mckenzie Long</a>, who claimed a 100m, 200m and 4x100m treble at the NCAA Championships in June. She set her PB of 21.83 when winning the NCAA 200m title and followed that with 21.91 to finish third at the US Olympic trials behind Thomas and Brittany Brown, who will add further strength to the team in Tokyo.
Brown secured 200m silver at the 2019 World Championships in Doha and ran a PB of 21.90 to claim her runner-up spot at the trials.
Great Britain&rsquo;s <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/dina-asher-smith-14378282" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dina Asher-Smith</a> won the world title ahead of Brown in a national record of 21.88 five years ago. She finished third in that recent race in London, clocking 22.07 for a time that makes her the fifth-fastest this season among those entered for Paris. Her teammate Daryll Neita, the European silver medallist behind Switzerland&rsquo;s Mujinga Kambundji, is next quickest on 22.20, while Kambundji &ndash; the 2022 world indoor 60m champion &ndash; is also among those in action.
Multiple world medallist Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith of Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire will want to go at least one better than her fourth-place finishes in the 100m and 200m at the 2016 Games and 100m in Tokyo, and has clocked 22.36 in the longer event this year.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the 200m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Paris Olympics preview: 200m

<h2>Women's 100m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;urlSlug=paris24&amp;sexCode=W&amp;disciplineCode=100" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/timetable/bydiscipline/women/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/100m/women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/100-metres/all/women/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/100-metres/outdoor/women/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
&bull; USA&rsquo;s Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson poised to end Jamaican win streak &bull; Shericka Jackson could challenge and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is back for fifth Games &bull; Julien Alfred set on making Olympic history for Saint Lucia
USA&rsquo;s <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/shacarri-richardson-14717691" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson</a>, an exuberant winner of the world title in Budapest last year, looks capable of ending the run of four consecutive Olympic titles in this event for Jamaica.
Richardson won the US trials in 10.71, the fastest time so far this season, to set herself up for a first Olympic appearance. After missing the Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 World Championships, she finally brought her talents to bear upon a global event in Hungary last year. She won the 100m title from out in lane nine &ndash; having failed to secure one of the two automatic qualifying places in the semifinals &ndash; and ran a championship record of 10.65.
She was followed home by two bemedalled Jamaicans: <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/jamaica/shericka-jackson-14325599" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shericka Jackson</a>, the two-time world 200m champion, and <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/jamaica/shelly-ann-fraser-pryce-14285680" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce</a>, the defending champion who won the Olympic 100m titles at the 2008 and 2012 Games.
The 30-year-old Jackson earned the right to seek her first individual Olympic title in Paris by winning a 100m and 200m double at last month&rsquo;s Jamaican trials, clocking 10.84 over the shorter distance and putting herself fifth on this year&rsquo;s world list.
But on 9 July she pulled up when on the brink of winning the 200m at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial meeting in Szekesfehervar and what should have been a confirmation of her Olympic form turned into an open question.
A month earlier in New York, Jamaica&rsquo;s two-time Olympic 100m and 200m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah lost the chance of defending either title when she suffered an achilles tendon injury and had to be carried from the track.
At the age of 37, Fraser-Pryce &ndash; who also earned Olympic 100m bronze in 2016 and took silver behind Thompson-Herah in Tokyo &ndash; earned her Paris place by finishing third in the national trials in 10.94, having clocked 10.91 in the semifinals. Also registered for the 4x100m, Fraser-Pryce, in her fifth Games, will be seeking to add further Olympic medals to her current collection of three golds, four silvers and a bronze.
Second place in the Jamaican trials went to Jackson&rsquo;s 19-year-old training partner Tia Clayton, who set a PB of 10.86 in the semifinals and pushed her senior rival in the final as she clocked 10.90.
Similarly, Richardson will also be accompanied by training partners in the form of Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry, who respectively clocked a personal best of 10.80 and 10.89 at the trials.
Jefferson&rsquo;s time put her fourth on this year&rsquo;s world top list. One place above her on 10.78 is the 23-year-old US-based <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/saint-lucia/julien-alfred-14646562" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julien Alfred</a>, who finished fifth in last year&rsquo;s world final and became Saint Lucia&rsquo;s first track and field athlete to earn a global medal in winning the 60m at this year&rsquo;s World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Now she is intent on making Olympic history for her nation.
Since clocking her fastest time in Kingston on 1 June, Alfred has demonstrated ideal pre-Olympic form by winning at the Monaco Diamond League in 10.85 and setting a national record of 21.86 when finishing second at the London Diamond League meeting on 20 July.
Multiple world medallist Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith of Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire and The Gambia&rsquo;s Gina Mariam Bass Bittaye have also gone under 11 seconds this season, respectively running 10.91 and 10.93.
The European challenge in Paris is likely to be spearheaded by Britain&rsquo;s <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/dina-asher-smith-14378282" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dina Asher-Smith</a> and Switzerland&rsquo;s Mujinga Kambundji.
After winning world 200m gold and world 100m silver in 2019, Asher-Smith suffered long periods of injury but she began to regain lost heights in 2022 when she took world 200m bronze in Oregon. Now coached by Edrick Floreal in Texas, she recently regained the European 100m title and her season&rsquo;s best is the 10.96 she ran in the semifinals there.
Kambundji, who retained her European 200m title in Rome, clocked 10.90 at La Chaux-de-Fonds on 14 July.
Italy will be looking to the national record-holder and world indoor 60m bronze medallist Zaynab Dosso, who won the women&rsquo;s 100m at the national trials in 11.20, while Germany&rsquo;s hopes will be pinned to the 2022 European champion Gina Luckenkemper, who has a best of 11.04 this year.
Polish fans will be trusting that their indoor specialist Ewa Swoboda can continue to offer evidence of her prowess over 100m, where she took European silver last month.
&nbsp;
<h2>Men's 100m</h2>
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;urlSlug=paris24&amp;sexCode=M&amp;disciplineCode=100" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/timetable/bydiscipline/men/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/100m/men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/toplists/sprints/100-metres/all/men/senior/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/100-metres/outdoor/men/senior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
&bull; Noah Lyles confident of winning first of the four Olympic titles he is seeking &bull; Jamaican newcomer Kishane Thompson has world&rsquo;s fastest time since 2022 &bull; Kenny Bednarek, Letsile Tebogo and Akani Simbine bubbling under
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66a224009e40213de73db46d.jpg" alt="Noah Lyles at the Tokyo Olympics" />
Noah Lyles at the Tokyo Olympics (&copy; Getty Images)
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<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/noah-lyles-14536762" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Noah Lyles</a> has already succinctly previewed the men&rsquo;s 100m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Asked after his London Diamond League win on 20 July what could be expected of him at the Games, he replied: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to win. It&rsquo;s what I always do.&rdquo;
The 27-year-old from Gainesville, Florida, who secured a third consecutive world 200m title last year as well as a first over 100m, has been talking for a year about the possibility &ndash; or should that be probability? &ndash; of winning four golds in Paris, thus emulating his illustrious United States&nbsp;forebears&nbsp;Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis, who achieved that feat at a single Games in, respectively, 1936 and 1984.
For this natural-born 200m runner the 100m is the event he has worked to master, and it offers him the possibility of earning the first of his four prospective golden moments in the French capital.
At last month&rsquo;s US trials in Eugene, he won the 100m in 9.83, equalling his personal best. Having skipped the Monaco Diamond League meeting on 12 July, Lyles demonstrated that he is still right where he needs to be in winning over 100m in front of a sell-out 60,000 crowd in London in a PB of 9.81.
But for all Lyles&rsquo; boundless confidence, the 100m is far from being a foregone conclusion.
At the US trials he was chased home by the man who claimed Olympic 200m silver ahead of him in Tokyo, <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/kenneth-bednarek-14715244" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kenny Bednarek</a>, who was second in a PB of 9.87, with third place going to 2022 world champion Fred Kerley, who ran a season&rsquo;s best of 9.88.
Lyles also faces strong challenges from the two men above him on this year&rsquo;s world top list, Jamaica&rsquo;s <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/jamaica/kishane-thompson-14738009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kishane Thompson</a> and <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/ferdinand-omanyala-14747153" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ferdinand Omanyala</a> of Kenya, and the man one place below him, Jamaica&rsquo;s Oblique Seville.
Omanyala, the Commonwealth champion, topped the season&rsquo;s list with his time of 9.79 in the high altitude of his home capital Nairobi. He was shifted down to second place on 28 June, however, when Thompson, a relatively unheralded sprinter who trains at the MVP club under the guidance of Stephen Francis, produced successive personal bests of 9.82 and 9.84 in the heats and semifinals at the Jamaican trials before winning the title in 9.77, the fastest time recorded in the world since 2022.
Seville claimed second in 9.82, matching his personal best to take up fourth place in this year&rsquo;s top list, while Ackeem Blake finished third in 9.92.
Thompson, who turned 23 on 17 July, followed up his trials performance by winning at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial meeting in 9.91 from two sprinters who will also figure large in Paris: Botswana&rsquo;s 21-year-old world silver medallist <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/botswana/letsile-tebogo-14883897" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Letsile Tebogo</a>, who clocked 9.99, and Akani Simbine of South Africa, who recorded 10.01.
The latter pair confirmed their form at the London Diamond League as they followed Lyles home, with Simbine finishing second in a season&rsquo;s best of 9.86 that puts him equal fifth in this season&rsquo;s listings, and Tebogo equalling the national record of 9.88 he set when earning silver in Budapest.
Also to be factored into the medal equation is the man who has equalled Simbine&rsquo;s time this season, his 20-year-old compatriot Benjamin Richardson.
Since earning a surprise victory in this event at the Tokyo Olympics, Italy&rsquo;s Marcell Jacobs has struggled to find similar form amid numerous injuries. But his retention of the European title in Rome last month in 10.02 indicated that he was getting back into the zone.
His victory at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Turku on 18 June offered further encouragement for Italian fans as he produced a winning time of 9.92, the third fastest of his career and his quickest since 2021.
He was followed home by two other Paris contenders in fellow Italian and European silver medallist Chituru Ali, who ran his first sub-10 in clocking 9.96, and Canada&rsquo;s 29-year-old Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse, who recorded a season&rsquo;s best of 10.00.
Britain, meanwhile, will be looking to 22-year-old Louie Hinchliffe, coached by multiple Olympic champion Carl Lewis, who won this year&rsquo;s NCAA title in 9.95 before taking first place in the chilly, rainswept British trials in 10.18.
There will be British expectations too for world bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes, who was given an exemption from the national trials after injuring a hamstring competing in Jamaica, and for 23-year-old Jeremiah Azu, who won European bronze two years ago.
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

Expected highlights in the 100m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Paris Olympics preview: 100m

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is looking for a senior case manager to join the case management team.
The AIU is responsible for the implementation of World Athletics' anti-doping and integrity programmes globally.
The senior case manager will be a senior lawyer with at least seven years' experience of managing legal cases within a regulatory environment, who has a passion for clean sport.
Job description:&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=a3299855-fcf9-434c-ae8f-d4f38f6ed7ea.pdf&amp;urlSlug=senior-case-manager-aiu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">English</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=e0af36d6-4ebb-428c-ab63-b4c8d6199cb4.pdf&amp;urlSlug=manager-de-cas-senior-aiu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">French</a>
To apply, candidates should send the following in English to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:emploi@worldathletics.org">emploi@worldathletics.org</a>&nbsp;before 31 August 2024:
&bull; Letter of application, highlighting your interest in the post and your relevant experience &bull; Up-to-date curriculum vitae &bull; Details of current remuneration &bull; Names and contact details for three referees (referees will not be contacted until final interview stage)

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is looking for a senior case manager

Job vacancy: AIU senior case manager

World Athletics is seeking an experienced and highly motivated HR manager.
The HR manager will join an efficient close-knit HR team of two members responsible for staff management and staff wellbeing.
The role will include developing training and contributing to/managing human resources projects across the organisation.
The role is based at World Athletics&rsquo; headquarters in Monaco, reporting to the HR director.
Job description: <a href="https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=18f93278-3d9f-466e-b693-10c66a45a538.pdf&amp;urlSlug=hr-manager" target="_blank" rel="noopener">English</a> | <a href="https://worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=b1530189-8c03-468e-82b9-2fee0504be48.pdf&amp;urlSlug=manager-des-ressources-humaines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">French</a>
To apply, candidates should send the following in English to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:emploi@worldathletics.org">emploi@worldathletics.org</a> before 26 August 2024:
&bull; Letter of application, highlighting your interest in the post and your relevant experience &bull; Up-to-date curriculum vitae &bull; Details of current remuneration &bull; Names and contact details for three referees (referees will not be contacted until final interview stage)

World Athletics is seeking an experienced and highly motivated HR manager

Job vacancy: HR manager

In 2023, a young sprinter appeared on the scene at the Jamaican Championships, leaving many spectators spellbound after the first heat of the men&rsquo;s 100m. Competing from lane eight, the powerful MVP athlete effortlessly won his race in 9.91. This was <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/jamaica/kishane-thompson-14738009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kishane Thompson</a>&rsquo;s grand introduction to the world.
A coaching decision meant he didn&rsquo;t return for the semifinals, but Thompson re-emerged on the Wanda Diamond League circuit, chalking impressive results including a PB of 9.85 in Xiamen in September. He closed his season with a fourth-place finish in the Diamond League final in Eugene, clocking 9.87.
Fast forward to 2024 and the 23-year-old has emerged as a frontrunner for Olympic gold in Paris after his victory in a world-leading 9.77 at the Jamaican Olympic trials at the end of June.
That performance followed times of 9.82 in the heats and 9.84 in the semifinals, and Thompson now sits joint ninth on the world all-time list.
Less than two weeks later, at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Hungary, Thompson effortlessly cruised to a 9.91 win, beating a strong field including world silver medallist Letsile Tebogo and two-time Olympic finalist Akani Simbine.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66a10f105c56be62e088277e.jpg" alt="Kishane Thompson on his way to a 100m win in Szekesfehervar" />
Kishane Thompson on his way to a 100m win in Szekesfehervar (&copy; Laszlo Zsigmond)
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&ldquo;This year is the best I&rsquo;ve ever been health-wise,&rdquo; Thompson said after his performance in Kingston.
&ldquo;Running the three rounds at this championship has helped me better understand my body and the sport. I was never short on confidence, but I believe I have much more to do as I can run way faster. Deep down, I look forward to some great competition and nice vibes from the top sprinters.&rdquo;
<h2>From Mitchell Town to Paris</h2>
Thompson &ndash; known for his quiet and respectful but playful demeanour, as well as his remarkable intelligence &ndash; was mentored by Dennis May and nurtured by coaches Oliver Heywood and the late Neville Myton at Garvey Maceo High School after transferring from Bustamante High School. Myton, the former legendary Jamaican middle-distance runner with a penchant for spotting talent just by looking at their smile, predicted in 2018 that Thompson would become one of the greatest sprinters of all time. Myton also predicted that Veronica Campbell-Brown would achieve success from a young age.
Due to a combination of factors, including shin splints, hamstring injuries and the Covid pandemic, Thompson was unable to fully showcase his talent at Jamaica&rsquo;s premier high school event, the renowned ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championships.&nbsp;
After graduating high school, Thompson made a decision that spoke volumes about his character and strong emphasis on the importance of family. He declined an overseas scholarship to Iowa Western Community College because he did not want to be away from his fraternal twin brother, Kishaun. They both wear a special amulet that symbolises their love, motivation and inspiration for each other. His personal quirk is kissing it before settling in the blocks.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66a10f555c56be62e0882781.jpg" alt="Kishane Thompson (left) races in the Diamond League final in Eugene" />
Kishane Thompson (left) races in the Diamond League final in Eugene (&copy; Getty Images)
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Affectionately called &lsquo;Bigga&rsquo;, Thompson was scouted in 2019 by coach Paul Francis, who arranged for him to receive a scholarship to the University of Technology. He is currently studying for his bachelor's degree in sports management. Outside the lecture theatres, Thompson is under the expert tutelage of the Francis brothers, Paul and Stephen, at the MVP club in Jamaica.
Most sprinters have one of two qualities: a strong start or finish. However, Thompson is unique in possessing both. His other qualities include height, explosive power, aggression and a strong determination to succeed, all of which point to a future filled with excitement and success.&nbsp;
Thompson comes from the quiet fishing community of Mitchell Town in the parish of Clarendon, which was recently devastated by the powerful hurricane Beryl. As Thompson&rsquo;s family and the other villagers patiently put their lives back together, they will take a brief pause, lasting just under 10 seconds, to mark a moment that could bring positive news to their community on 4 August.
Having not yet floored the accelerator, Thompson has given experts some homework to figure out how fast he can go. The Olympic Games in Paris will be the real test, and all the guesswork will be laid to rest.&nbsp;
Noel Francis for World Athletics

Kishane Thompson has emerged as a frontrunner for Olympic 100m gold in Paris

Thompson's journey into the sprinting spotlight, on track for Paris

The road to sporting glory often leads through ups and downs. Along the way, there are key milestones that every athlete passes.
In the latest instalment of a new series where athletes reflect on five key steps on their path to the Paris Olympic Games, British pole vaulter <a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/molly-caudery-14688948" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Molly Caudery</a> recounts the journey that has got her to this point in her career.
&nbsp;
<h2>I did gymnastics from the age of four&hellip;</h2>
&hellip;When I was 11 I went to my local athletics track and I tried every single event there was &ndash; hurdles, high jump, long jump, everything &ndash; and then I tried pole vault and fell in love with it. I was around 15 when I specialised in the pole vault and took it more seriously.
I grew up in Cornwall in the south-west of England and took part in all the county championships. I remember doing one event in school and I was by far the youngest. It was actually a cross country and my dad was my coach. He said: &lsquo;just go out and run as fast as you can&rsquo;. I was against all these big girls and he saw this little figure running down, miles in front of everyone. I won that race and that was kind of when I knew I could maybe do something. In pole vault, I was doing all the U13 and U15 championships and I knew it was what I wanted to do.&nbsp;
I remember being 13 or 14 years old and not winning our nationals. I think I came second, and I went home that night and made a whole plan. I wrote down every single thing I was going to do, so I would never lose again. I think that shows my competitiveness!&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Winning the World Indoor Championships was a huge turning point for me&hellip;&nbsp;</h2>
&hellip;It made me reevaluate my whole year, in a way. Getting my first Diamond League win was also important, and getting used to being on top of my game on the world circuit, not just as an U15 at nationals. But it&rsquo;s no different, it just has higher stakes, really.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/65e3ab68d443b4c45d2d95aa.jpg" alt="Molly Caudery, winner of the pole vault at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24" />
Molly Caudery, winner of the pole vault at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 (&copy; Getty Images)
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Of course, the first goal of any competition is to win and then you start thinking about the heights. But where I am right now, I do have numbers in my head and heights I want to jump and if I jump those heights, the win is probably going to come with them.&nbsp;
We are all super close in the pole vault and I want the best for everyone. Pole vault, at the end of the day, is me against the bar. I just want to jump as high as I can &ndash; whether that gets me the win or not will come from the heights. There is definitely a great camaraderie. There is that competitiveness on the track, but as soon as we step off that runway, it&rsquo;s back to being friends.
&nbsp;
<h2>Breaking the British record with 4.92m was so unexpected&hellip;</h2>
&hellip;That was maybe something I was looking to do in three or four years&rsquo; time. To have done it already, the next bar I am looking at after that is five metres and that is absolutely crazy to be thinking about, but very exciting.
I was a 4.75m jumper last year and this year I&rsquo;ve gone over 4.80m eight times. So just to have progressed as fast as I have, I&rsquo;d say 4.80m was still a huge milestone for me. I&rsquo;ve been injury free for a whole winter season. I managed to train a lot and gain that consistency. That has shown in competition, and has allowed me to do what I have been doing.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66772e460f73fd186532cce8.jpg" alt="Molly Caudery" />
Molly Caudery (&copy; Ostrava Golden Spike)
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&nbsp;
<h2>I have learnt so much during times of adversity and injury&hellip;</h2>
I chopped my finger pretty much entirely off at the end of 2021. I was in the gym and as I brought the bar down, I caught my finger between the bar and the rack. I went through quite a long rehab process. It was quite traumatic as I had been in really good shape and had been looking forward to the next year. I recovered really well, I just tried to stay mentally positive and I ended up having a pretty good season &ndash; I did the World Championships and the European Championships, and got second at the Commonwealths Games. But then I had two achilles surgeries and that was a really big setback for me. It was a six-month rehab and as soon as I got back to running, I had to have the second achilles surgery in the March. I ended up coming back and jumping 4.75m to finish fifth at the World Championships, which was a turning point and breakthrough in my career.
Those times of adversity made me stronger. I think it has made me a better athlete. I&rsquo;ve definitely struggled mentally over the years. In the pole vault you can get mental blocks of running through or not wanting to take a bigger pole and it is so technical. When I was injured, I did so much imagery. Because pole vault is quite tough on the body, I only jump about once a week. When I was injured, I thought about it non-stop. Just seeing the vault over and over in my head, every single day, I think made me a way better vaulter when I could start again. I was seeing me doing the perfect jump and when I came back, lots of my bad habits had actually gone. That&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve taken away from it, and I still do it now.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/669fe7399e574cdca90e014c.jpg" alt="Molly Caudery at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest" />
Molly Caudery at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest (&copy; Getty Images)
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&nbsp;
<h2>I have brief memories of the Olympics in 2008&hellip;</h2>
&hellip;I would have been eight years old, watching the gymnastics because that&rsquo;s what I did then. But 2012 I remember so well. I didn&rsquo;t get to go and watch in person but I remember it being on at my grandma&rsquo;s house and Usain Bolt was about to run in the final of the 100m. I hid behind the sofa because I was so nervous for him! And Super Saturday &ndash; Jess Ennis-Hill is my biggest idol in sport and I remember her winning and even then thinking: &lsquo;I want that to be me one day&rsquo;. Now I&rsquo;ve got the opportunity to at least give it a go.&nbsp;
It is absolutely a dream come true. Any athlete&rsquo;s dream is to go to the Olympics &ndash; to have a shot at going for a medal, even the gold, just means so much to me. To know that there are going to be people and little girls around the world looking up to me &ndash; if I just get to inspire one person, that almost means more than anything.

British pole vaulter Molly Caudery recounts the journey that has got her to this point in her career

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