– mixed quartet rewrites national record despite loss
Guyana’s Mixed 4x400m and Men’s 4x400m relay teams placed sixth and eighth in their respective events last night at the World Relays in the Bahamas.
Despite not finishing in the top two, which would have sealed automatic qualification for the Olympics, the Guyanese teams will have a second bite at the cherry today when the event continues.
The quartet of Malachi Austin, Aliyah Abrams, Daniel Williams, and Tianna Springer placed sixth in the mixed 4x400m relay Olympic Qualifying (OQ) round (heat 3) in a new national record of 3 minutes, 17.31 seconds.
While Austin began the race, Abrams ran the second leg, followed by Williams, with Springer anchoring. Ireland (3:12.50s) and Belgium (3:13.18s) placed first and second, respectively, to secure automatic qualification to the Olympics set for Paris later this year. Meanwhile, the men’s team of Williams, Austin, Arinze Chance, and Simeon Adams mustered a time of 3:09.91 seconds to finish last out of a field of eight, with Belgium and Nigeria occupying the top two spots to seal automatic berths.
The two Guyanese teams will jump back into action today as they seek to improve their performances today.
At the World Relays, the top two finishers in the Olympic Qualifiers (OQ) automatically qualify for the Olympic Games as well as the finals in their respective events. However, the other teams that competed in the OQs will move on to the second round of qualifiers, which will be held today, with the remaining spots at the Olympic Games up for grabs.
