After thrilling performances at the World Indoors in Glasgow, the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 sets the stage for the sprinters heading to the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
World and Olympic champions Noah Lyles, Femke Bol, Steven Gardiner, Marcell Jacobs, and Shaunae Miller-Uibo are among the over 1600 athletes competing in Nassau on 4-5 May.
European gold medallists Zharnel Hughes and Mathew Hudson Smith, as well as Africa’s speediest runners Ferdinand Omanyala, Letsile Tebogo, and Akani Simbine will also look to ignite their paths to Paris with relay glory.
What's even more exciting is that the top 14 teams at the World Athletics Relays will secure spots for Paris.
Read on to find out everything you can expect from the key qualifying event for Paris 2024, which the Bahamas is hosting for the fifth consecutive time.
- How to qualify for athletics at Paris 2024
- 2024 sport calendar of main global events on the road to the Olympic Games
Athletes to watch at World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24
All eyes on Noah Lyles, Marcell Jacobs in the 4x100m
Triple world champion Lyles, who anchored the 4x100m relay team U.S. to gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, returns to the World Relays seeking his first title after two silvers from past editions.
He was part of the silver-winning teams, both in the 4x100m in 2019 and the 4x200m when he made his debut at the World Relays two years prior.
With a treble in sight at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the 26-year-old’s target in the Bahamas will be to lead Team USA to the 4x100m gold.
Lyles will be joined by fellow Tokyo 2020 medallist, Kenny Bednarek, along with Courtney Lindsey, the fastest man at 200m this year.
It will also be exciting to see how the Olympic and European champion Jacobs performs in the Bahamas. He hasn’t competed in a relay since winning silver behind the Lyles-led Team USA in Budapest in the 4x100m.
The Italian quartet should remain unchanged from the lineup at the last World championships, featuring Roberto Rigali, and Olympic champs Lorenzo Patta and Filippo Tortu.
World indoor bronze medallist Ackeem Blake has been included in Jamaica's team, which notably lacks world and Olympic gold medallists Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, Shericka Jackson, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and even reigning 400m gold medallist Antonio Watson.
The sprint firepower of Kenya and South Africa is also expected to be on display at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.
African 100m record holder Omanyala leads his Kenyan team’s Olympic chase, while Simbine knows what he wants to achieve for South Africa after experiencing several individual setbacks at the world and Olympic level.
“I want South Africa to win,” Akani who’s just come off winning his seventh 100m title told World Athletics.
“We’ve had the worst luck when it comes to relays. We either don’t make the zone or drop it. It’s been very frustrating.”
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Nigeria will have world 100m hurdles record holder Tobi Amusan and the world triple world U20 medallist Favour Ofili doing duty in the 4x100m. Udodi Onwuzurike, the world U20 200m champion, leads the men’s shorter relay team.
American Gabby Thomas, the double medallist from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, has been included in the women’s 4x100m, and will be joined by Tamari Davis and her other World Championships teammates Tamara Clark and Melissa Jefferson.
World U20 200m bronze medallist Alana Reid makes her first senior team for Jamaica, while Devynne Charlton, the reigning world 60m hurdles indoor champion, who’s currently enjoying “the best shape of her life”, will look to come away with a medal for the home team.
Another of the Caribbean nations that could spring a surprise is the Dominican Republic led by the formidable Marileidy Paulino, who struck 400m gold in Budapest last year. She is entered in the 4x100m and in the mixed 4x400m.
Focus on Olympic stars Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Wayde van Nierkek, Femke Bol in the 4x400m
Reigning 4x400m women’s world champions Bol**, Cathelijn Peeters** and Lieke Klaver, one of the most popular Dutch athletes on social media, feature in the Dutch team. The Netherlands go in as the favourites against a U.S. team led by the gold medallist from Budapest Alexis Holmes.
It will also be exciting to watch Miller-Uibo open her Olympic season: The 400m gold medallist from Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 returned to the track just 10 weeks after the birth of her son Maicel last year in Budapest.
She hasn’t stepped on a global podium since topping the 400m at the "orlds in Eugene and will rely on the home support to earn an Olympic spot.
“I think we have an amazing team for the mixed relay and I’m hoping we can qualify The Bahamas for the Olympic Games,” the four-time world medallist said in an interview with World Athletics.
“It’s wonderful competing here because there’s no other feeling like hearing your home crowd cheer you on. It makes you want to bring your best.”
Gardiner, the first Bahamian man to win an Olympic title with his Tokyo 2020 400m gold, will lead the men’s 4x400m squad of the host nation.
South African 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk will also be present in the Bahamas in the longer men’s relay team.
Reigning world 800m gold medallists Marco Arop of Canada and Mary Moraa of Kenya will look to continue their fine forms with solid performances in the men’s 4x400m and the mixed relay respectively.
Botswana's sprint sensation Tebogo, the surprise double world medallist from Budapest, and Hudson-Smith, who was part of England's gold medal winning team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, are ready to represent their respective teams in the 4x 400m.
Competition format for the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24
According to World Athletics, Olympic Qualifying spots will be up for grabs on both days.
On the first day (4 May), the top two teams in each heat will advance to the final on day two, while also securing their qualification for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The remaining teams will compete on the second day, in the newly introduced repechage round, with the top two teams also earning Olympic spots.
Schedule for the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24
(Timings in EDT, GMT -4)
4 May: Day 1
- 19:05 Mixed 4x400 Metres Relay heats
- 19:50 Women 4x100 Metres Relay heats
- 20:25 Men 4x100 Metres Relay heats
- 21:05 Women 4x400 Metres Relay heats
- 21:49 Men 4x400 Metres Relay heats
5 May: Day 2
- 19:05 Men 4x100 Metres Relay Repechage Round
- 19:40 Women 4x100 Metres Relay Repechage Round
- 20:05 Men 4x400 Metres Relay Repechage Round
- 20:30 Women 4x400 Metres Relay Repechage Round
- 21:04 Mixed 4x400 Metres Relay Repechage Round
- 21:40 Mixed 4x400 Metres Relay Final
- 21:50 Women 4x100 Metres Relay Final
- 22:00 Men 4x100 Metres Relay Final
- 22:10 Women 4x400 Metres Relay Final
- 22:20 Men 4x400 Metres Relay Final
How to watch the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24
You can watch the World Athletics Relays Championships in several territories via World Athletics Inside Track (registration required). Please check your local listings for details of other broadcasters in your region.
