In the Bahamas, the American track and field team ran their way to Olympic relay qualification victory, earning berths in four different events: the mixed-gender 4x400m, the women’s 4x400m, and the men’s and women’s 4x100m.
The American men’s 4×100-meter relay team, led by Noah Lyles, who won gold in the 100, 200, and 4×100-meter events at the 2023 world championships, won their heat and advanced to the final on Sunday, which will decide both bragging rights and lane assignments for the Paris Olympics.
Leading the team to victory in their heat last Saturday was Gabby Thomas. She is a pivotal member of the U.S. women’s 4x100m relay gold-winning team at the global championships in August. In the women’s 4×400-meter and mixed 4×400-meter heats, the United States also won.
The U.S. men’s 4×400-meter relay team’s happiness was short-lived, though, as they were eventually disqualified for breaking the rule against “exchanging positions before takeover,” as per World Athletics standards, despite initially placing first.
U.S. Men’s 4x400m qualified
There are two ways for the men’s 4×400-meter relay team from the United States to guarantee their participation in the Olympics. Thanks to their outstanding performance and gold medal triumph at the 2023 World Championships, they have the opportunity to either stay in the top two spots in the next repechage round on Sunday or continue to hold the top spot in the world rankings.
Expectations are high as they try to continue their tradition on the big stage because they have a history of supremacy in relay events and have only failed once in Olympic history.
The first eight countries guaranteed a spot in the relay on Saturday, and six more need to qualify from Sunday’s repechage rounds, setting up an exciting Olympic matchup. Jamaica, the United States’ longtime opponent in relays, was one of the competitors, and they were guaranteed a spot in the men’s 4x100m relay. The fight heats up as teams compete for Olympic glory in Paris, with the final two berths decided by world rankings on June 30.
Cover Photo:
Brooks Koepka wins at LIV Singapore prior to his US PGA comeback