World sprint champion Noah Lyles and reigning Olympic 100m gold medalist Marcel Jacobs helped the United States and Italy qualify for the Paris Olympics on Saturday in the 4x100m relay.
In the same heat at the World Track and Field Relays in Nassau, Lyles led the American quartet including Courtney Lindsay, Kenneth Bednarek and Kylie King to victory in 37.49 seconds.
Jacobs ran the second leg for the Italians. The Italians, the defending world relay and Olympic champions, trailed the Americans by just 0.65 seconds in an exciting session featuring many track stars.
Olympic 200m champion Andre de Grasse of Canada, Japan, Italy, China, France, Great Britain and Jamaica also qualified for Paris and will advance to Sunday's final.
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“In Oregon (when America won the world silver medal), I played in the second leg, which is what I used to do in high school. It was okay, but I was able to run the line and put America in front It wasn’t as fun as it was,’ and center,” Lyles said.
Commenting on the Italian team's chances of gaining an advantage over the Americans in Paris, the American added: “I can't wait until the night when we cross the line first.”
Jacobs was more than happy with his legs.
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“I received the baton and there was a Liberian player in front of me. He was my point so I passed it. The second exchange was very quick and good,” he said.
“We wanted to finish first and second without too much drama, but we were able to do that. We're just confirming the strength of the team.”
Olympic 200m bronze medalist Gabby Thomas led the U.S. women's quartet to a solid victory in the hotly contested 4x100m in 42.21 seconds.
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“Together we were able to do it in a short period of time. I believe we can do better tomorrow and we can do it faster,” Thomas said.
But Jamaica, without World Championship and Olympic gold medalists Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sherika Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herra, suffered a disaster, finishing just fifth in a heat won by Poland. .
Britain, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, Canada and France also booked spots in Paris.
There was a carnival-like atmosphere at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, with dancers, deafening drums and brass bands, and glittering jazz trumpets singing the national anthem.
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The first of two nights of competition saw Olympic 400m champion and local hero Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Stephen Gardiner take to the track in the opening round of the mixed 4x400m relay, complete with a perfect It started with style.
The Bahamas were leading until the anchor leg, but Shania Adderley dropped the flag under pressure from Femke Boll of the Netherlands, the recent world indoor 400m champion and current world 400m hurdles gold medalist. Ta.
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Boll slowly but surely reeled in Adderley, helping the Dutch to victory with a time of 3 minutes, 12.16 seconds.
“We knew we had to be strong, and we were up against the Bahamas,” said Bol, along with Isaya Boers, Lieke Claver and Isaya Klein Ikkink.
“It'll be faster tomorrow.”
With a strong anchor leg from reigning world 400m champion Marileidi Paulino, the Bahamas finished fourth, securing second place for the Dominican Republic, which will earn them a spot in Sunday's final and an automatic ticket to the Olympics. Obtained.
The United States, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Nigeria and France also qualified as the top two in the other three heats.
The Bahamas will be given a second chance to qualify for the Paris tournament with an extra round on Sunday, with the top two teams from each heat also booking a ticket to the French capital.
Teams in Sunday's finals will also compete for prize money, with the winner receiving $40,000 and the eighth-place team receiving $2,000.
Rashidat Adeleke had a memorable night with some impressive runs in the mixed relay and women's 4x400m as Ireland qualified for both as heat winners.
Other countries that qualified for the women's 4x400m were Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Canada, France, the United States and Norway.
In the men's 4x400m, Botswana, with in-form sprinter Lecille Tebogo, and South Africa, with 400m world record holder Wade van Niekerk competing in the third leg, have both qualified for the Olympics. did.
It also passed through Belgium, Japan, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom.