2024 World Athletics Relay Championships: Ghana, Nigeria break through
In May 2024, at the World Athletics Relay Championships in Warsaw, Poland, the men's 4x100m relay teams from Ghana and Nigeria won the tie and place respectively, thus qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It was an opportunity for Ghana to regain their honour, having been disqualified at Tokyo 2020 due to doping issues.
Ghana won the final with a time of 38.29 seconds, and the team members hugged excitedly at the finish line. Speaking after the game, captain Joseph Mills said excitedly: "We waited too long for this moment. The regret of the Tokyo Olympics has been haunting us for a long time, and we are eager for a chance to prove ourselves again. ＂
Ghana had already shown their strength in the semi-finals, finishing in 37.99 seconds to reach the final. In the final, they improved by 0.3 seconds to win against Nigeria. Ghana coach Abraham Griffiths was pleased with the performance of his players, "They played at their true level and this team has been steadily improving over the last few years. I'm sure they'll do well in Paris as well. ＂
Nigeria finished second with a time of 38.57 seconds and also made it from the loser's repechage to claim a ticket to the Paris Olympics. The once-glorious sprinting powerhouse has been on the back foot in recent years, and qualifying for the Olympics is a major turning point for them.
"We have finally survived the dark period and are back in the spotlight on the world stage," said Nigeria captain Blake Amosu. ＂
On the other hand, the South Korean team only qualified for the group in the semi-finals, missed the final, and completely lost the opportunity to qualify for the Paris Olympics. This is undoubtedly a blow to the traditional Asian sprinting team, who will once again miss the Olympic men's 4x100m relay.
Team USA continues to dominate the relay event
At the World Relay Championships, the U.S. team is known as the "King of the Relay", with a total of 4 golds and 2 silvers, and they dominate the relay event.
The U.S. men's 4x100m relay team won the final with a time of 37.41 seconds, including Christian Coleman, Noah Lyles, Tel Verne Bromell and Michael Norman. Coleman and Brommel are both Olympic champions in Tokyo, and their addition was undoubtedly a key factor in the team's victory.
"We have the best squad in the world, and everybody is a championship-caliber sprinter," said Team USA coach Carl Lewis proudly, "and our goal is to show America in every field." ＂
In addition to the men's 4x100m relay, the U.S. team also won the women's 4x100m relay, men's 4x400m relay and women's 4x400m relay. The women's 4x100m relay final was an epic battle, with the U.S. and Jamaica battling it out in the final metres before the finish line, with the U.S. winning by just 0.03 seconds.
"It was the most intense final we've ever experienced in our lives," said Alyssa Brown, an anchor of Team USA, "and it took a lot of effort to get over our big opponents." This championship means a lot to us. ＂
The Chinese men's team qualified for the Paris Olympics
In the men's 4x100m relay event, the Chinese team also won a valuable qualification to the Paris Olympics. The Chinese team, composed of Wu Zhiqiang, Xie Zhenye, Yan Haibin and Chen Jiapeng, won the group with a time of 38.21 seconds in the preliminaries and advanced to the final.
However, in the final, the Chinese team only finished seventh and missed the medal. However, according to the rules of the event, the top eight teams will all qualify for the Paris Olympics, so the Chinese team finally achieved its goal.
"Our goal is to get a ticket to the Olympic Games, and although the final ranking is not ideal, overall the task is completed," said Zhang Yadong, the coach of the Chinese team. ＂
Chinese flyer Su Bingtian did not play in the first round of the event. According to the plan, he will focus on preparing for the Paris Olympics in the individual event. However, in the relay race, he is likely to join the national team in the future training camp to add strength to the men's 4x100m relay event at the Paris Olympics.
The 2024 World Athletics Relay Championships presents us with fierce competition. Ghana and Nigeria broke through the siege and qualified for the Paris Olympics and regained their glory; The U.S. team continued to dominate the relay event and showed strong strength; The Chinese men's team also qualified, laying the foundation for the eventual Olympic journey.