Akani Simbine anchored South Africa’s 4x100m quartet and helped the country qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024 at World Athletics Relays in Bahamas on Sunday night.
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They were the nation’s second team to book a spot in Paris, joining the men’s 4x400m team.
The South African 4x100m relay team comprised Bayanda Walaza, Benjamin Richardson, Bradley Nkoana and Simbine.
They crossed the line in a time of 38.08.
Meanwhile, despite the absence of Wayde van Niekerk, the South African 4x400m quartet of Gardeo Isaacs, Zakithi Nene, Matt Nortjé and Lythe Pillay powered their way to a time of 3:00.75 which was good enough to secure a spot in Paris later this year.
Van Niekerk did run in the heats on Saturday, but pulled out of the final with an injury niggle.
South Africa didn’t qualify for the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays, nor the mixed 4x400m relay.
Noah Lyles anchored US relay team
Meanwhile, Noah Lyles anchored the US 4x100m men to World Athletics Relays glory and Gabby Thomas bagged a quickfire double as the American team won four of the five golds on offer in Nassau on Sunday.
Lyles took the baton from Kyree King and accelerated through the line in 37.40 seconds after slick early handovers by Courtney Lindsey and Kenneth Bednarek.
“Business is easy!” beamed Lyles, who won treble gold at last year’s world championships in Budapest.
“It smells like Paris!”
Canada took silver in 37.89 thanks to a late charge by Olympic 200m champion Andre de Grasse.
Reigning Olympic 100m gold medallist Marcell Jacobs ran the second leg for the Italians, the defending world relay and Olympic champions, but was powerless after a devastating first leg by Lindsey gave the Americans a huge gap.
Italy were initially credited with bronze, but were later disqualified, third place instead going to France.
Olympic 200m bronze medallist Thomas then claimed two golds in 20 heady minutes, first as part of the women’s 4x100m relay-winning team including Tamari Davis, Celera Barnes and Melissa Jefferson.
They scorched home in a championship record of 41.85, with France taking silver in 42.75 and Britain claiming bronze in 42.80.
Thomas was almost immediately back on track, helping a US quartet also comprising Quanera Hayes, Bailey Lear and Alexis Holmes to victory in the women’s 4x400m relay in 3:21.70. Poland and Canada rounded out the podium.
“It’s been a great preparation,” said Thomas.
“At the end of the day I knew the girls would have it regardless because they have a great 4x400m relay squad.
“It’s a testament to how we came to World Relays, we came prepared with the mentality to get the job done and we were committed to that.”
Femke Bol thwarted
Not to be outdone, the US team of Matthew Boling, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Willington Wright and Kendall Ellis also set a championship record when winning the mixed 4x400m relay in 3:10.73.
Netherlands’ Femke Bol, the recently crowned world indoor 400m champion and reigning world 400m hurdles gold medallist, ran a superb last lap of 49.63, but the deficit proved just too much and the Dutch had to settle for silver in 3:11.45. Ireland took bronze.
The sole event not to be won by the Americans was the men’s 4x400m relay, star Letsile Tebogo running a sensational 43.72 split to help Botswana to victory in 2:59.11.
South Africa finished second in 3:00.75 with Belgium taking bronze in 3:01.16.
The evening got off to an electrifying start as the Bahamas secured their place in the Olympics by winning their repechage heat in the mixed 4x400m relay in 3:12.81 ahead of Jamaica.
Olympic 400m champions and local heroes Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner basked in the glory of a raucous carnival atmosphere at the Thomas A.Robinson National Stadium.
“It was a bit rocky but we got it together and qualified for Paris and got a national record,” said Gardiner.
Jamaica’s women’s 4x100m relay team, without world and Olympic gold medallists Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah, also secured their place in Paris, having struggled in their opening heat and needing a second bite of the cherry through repechage.
The US men’s 4x400m relay squad, the reigning world gold medallists, held it together to safely negotiate their way to Paris through the repechage, though there was heartbreak for the French.
The world silver medallists from Budapest could only finish third in the final repechage heat, meaning no automatic spot for them on home soil.
The 14 teams that qualified for each of the five athletics relay events at the 2024 Paris Olympics:
4x100m men
United States, Italy, Canada, Japan, China, France, Britain, Jamaica, South Africa, Ghana, Australia, Germany, Nigeria, Liberia
4x100m women
United States, Poland, Britain, Germany, Australia, Netherlands, Canada, France, Italy, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Jamaica, Switzerland, Trinidada and Tobago
4x400m men
Botswana, South Africa, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Britain, United States, India, Spain, Poland, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago
4x400m women
Ireland, Britain, Italy, Poland, Canada, France, United States, Norway, Jamaica, India, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain
4x400m mixed
Netherlands, Dominican Republic, United States, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Nigeria, France, Bahamas, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Jamaica, Ukraine
Note
The two remaining places in each discipline will be awarded based on top ranking lists during the qualification period (December 31, 2022-June 30, 2024).
The first two teams home in the Nassau final will get a favourable lane five draw in each of the two semi-finals in Paris. Third and fourth will get lane six, fifth and sixth lane four, seventh and eighth lane seven.
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse