The World Relays will take place in the gorgeous Bahamasi capital city of Nassau, where over 1600 competitors, including Olympic and world winners Noah Lyles, Femke Bol, Steven Gardiner, Marcell Jacobs, and Shaunae Miller-Uibo, will compete.
The arrangement
A ticket to the Paris Games will be awarded to the top 14 teams in the competition. The top two teams from each heat will qualify for the Games and move on to the finals on Day One. The bottom two teams will receive tickets to Paris in a subsequent race where those who don’t advance will compete against each other. There will be two teams from Day 2 and fourteen from Day One who qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Elite teams
Men’s: It is difficult to choose favourites because there is so much star power in a two-day competition. The US 4x100m gold-winning squad from the 2023 Budapest Worlds would be one squad to keep an eye on. Noha Lyles, who led the season in wind assistance in Bermuda with a 9.96, will partner with Courtney Lindsey. Let us not overlook Kenny Bednarek, the Olympic silver medallist.
Women’s: Remona Burchell, the Tokyo 4x100m champion, and Natasha Morrison round out the Jamaicans’ strong team. Gabby Thomas and Tamari Davis, the champions of Budapest, form the basis of the American team, which is equally formidable.
India’s 15-person squad
India has entered a 15-person team for the 4×400-meter competitions, consisting of both young athletes and seasoned sprinters. India’s participation in the competitions will comprise of 32 men’s teams, 27 women’s teams, and 30 mixed relay teams.
Earlier episode
India last sent out a team for the World Relays in 2019, when they were unable to get past the heats in any of the three 4×400-meter events they competed in. In their heats, the men’s team finished sixth with a time of 3:06.05, while the women’s quartet finished fourth with a time of 3:31.93.
India’s ascent
Since their two consecutive sub-3-minute races at the Budapest World Championships, the men’s foursome has been quite confident. No Indian team had ever timed a 4×400-meter event under 3 minutes before to that. They won silver in the mixed relay last year at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, continuing their recent winning streak.
Sufficient for Paris?
India has performed well on the Asian circuit, but facing the world’s best in the Bahamas will be a difficult challenge. The women’s quartet, with a time of 3:28.64, is ranked 23rd on the season list, while the men’s quartet, comprising universities, is ranked 42nd after their 3:05.71 performance in Chandigarh in March. To anticipate a respectable outcome, the Indians will need to step up their game. The men’s team member stated that they hope to place among the top three.
