SA sprinters on fire as all four teams qualify for finals at World Relays

The record-breaking national women’s 4x400m team and the men’s 4x100m quartet led the charge on Saturday, as all four South African squads progressed to their respective finals on day one the World Athletics Relays championship in Guangzhou.

Though they were fortunate to be drawn in what was the slowest of three heats, the SA women’s 4x400m team – Shirley Nekhubui, Hannah van Niekerk, Precious Molepo and Zeney Geldenhuys – did well to win their first-round race in 3:28.01.

Despite the wet conditions, they broke the national record of 3:28.30 which was set by Nekhubui, Geldenhuys, Hannah van Niekerk and Precious Molepo in Pretoria in March, booking their spot in the final to be held on Sunday.

Meanwhile, featuring three of the four athletes who earned silver in the 4x100m event at the Olympic Games in Paris last year, the SA men’s 4x100m quartet – Bayanda Walaza, Sinesipho Dambile, Bradley Nkoana and Akani Simbine – won their first-round heat in 37.84 seconds.

They progressed as the fastest qualifiers (along with Japan, who clocked the same time) for the final.

Other results

By reaching the finals, the national women’s 4x400m and men’s 4x100m teams qualified for the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo in September, as did the SA men’s and mixed 4x400m teams who will also turn out in the medal contests on the second and final day of the World Relays on Sunday.

In the men’s 4x400m heats, Mthi Mthimkulu, Udeme Okon, Lythe Pillay and Udeme Okon combined well to win their race in 3:00.00.

In the opening round of the mixed 4x400m event, Nekhubui, Geldenhuys, Tumisang Shezi and Leendert Koekemoer took second place in their heat in 3:13.79.