The first eight teams to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in each of the five disciplines being contested at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 have been confirmed following the opening day of competition in Nassau. Teams from France, Great Britain & Northern Ireland, and the USA qualified four teams each, while Canada, Italy, and Poland each qualified three teams. The mixed 4x400m heats set a record-breaking pace, with eight teams finishing inside the previous championship record in the first round alone.
On Saturday, the top two teams in each of the four heats per event secured spots for their respective World Relays finals on Sunday, while also booking their places for Paris. Out of these qualifying teams, USA led the first round in both the women’s and men’s 4x100m events. Ireland set a national record in the women’s 4x400m event. In addition to these top teams, Botswana had a thrilling victory over South Africa in the men’s 4x400m event.
Teams will compete for prize money and Olympic lane seeding positions in Sunday’s finals. All other teams will race in an additional round, with the top two teams in each heat also qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Following this qualification period from December 31st to June 30th, two remaining places for Paris will be awarded based on top lists from this period.
The remaining places for Paris include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain & NI, Netherlands and Poland among others who have qualified for various disciplines at this event.