The 4x400m teams from Botswana and South Africa put on a show at the World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas over the weekend with the African quartets claiming gold and silver respectively in Sunday night’s final.
The teams gave a taste of things to come in the heats when they battled each other down the home straight, with Botswana’s Bayapo Ndori just edging ahead of SA’s Lythe Pillay on the line (Botswana winning in 2:59.73 and SA in 2:59.76), but both sides securing their qualification spots at the Paris Olympic Games later this year.
World record holder in the 400m Wayde van Niekerk featured for the South Africans in the heats along with Gardeo Isaacs, Zakithi Nene and Pillay, but he was replaced by Antonie Nortje in the final because of a reported niggle.
Botswana, meanwhile, were represented by Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, sprint sensation Letsile Tebogo, Leungo Scotch and Ndori in the final which they won in a commanding world-leading time of 2:59.11. That victory also prevented a clean sweep of victories for the USA over the weekend.
NIGERIA, GHANA BATTLED IT OUT
Meanwhile, Nigeria qualified in all but one of the relays contested in the Bahamas.
Their men’s 4x100m relay team of Udodi Onwuzurike, Consider Emmanuel Ekanem, Alaba Olukunle Akintola and Karlington Anunagba’s second place behind Ghana in the second round of qualifying was enough to see both teams through.
Also through from Africa in the men’s 4x100m relay were the teams from Liberia and South Africa – with the Akani Simbine-anchored South African quartet running a time of 38.08 seconds in their second qualifier after missing out on the first day. That time would have secured them the bronze medal had they made it through to the final.
The other Nigerian relay teams to successfully book their tickets to Paris were the men’s 4x400m, the mixed 4x400m and the women’s 4x100m team of Justina Tiana Eyakpobeyan, Favour Ofili, Olayinka Olajide and Tima Seikeseye Godbless who clinched qualification on day two.
The Ivory Coast team of Murielle Ahouré-Demps, Jessika Gbai, Maboundou Koné and Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith also secured their Olympic spot after finishing second in their second-round qualifier in 42.63 seconds.
For those teams missing out on Olympic qualification spots in the Bahamas, there is one last route to get to Paris. They will need to achieve times that rank them in the top two in the world, apart from those teams that have not yet qualified, by the cutoff date of 30 June.