Kenyans set to face global stars in mixed 4x100m relay battle

Mercy Koech competes in the 4x100m women's finals during the World Athletics Relays Trials at Nyayo Stadium on April 12, 2025. [File, Standard] The mixed 4x100m made its global debut last year and 24 federations will battle for glory and qualification places when the event returns at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 this weekend. The top six teams in Gaborone will automatically secure their spots for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September, while 12 teams will qualify for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27, and competition in the newest discipline on the World Relays programme is set to be fierce. While certain athletes have been listed specifically for the mixed 4x100m, any athlete named for any event could also be drafted into the squad for another discipline in Gaborone. Kenya is among the teams that will be chasing glory in the event. Kenyan team will include Millicent Ndoro, Diana Aoko, Eunice Kadogo and any of the men athletes who will also be battling in the 4x100m men relay race. Veteran sprinter Ndoro will be boosted by a her good time in at the Kip Keino Classic last Friday as she heads to Botswana. The Kenyan team already has experience of a mixed 4x100m after finishing second behind Nigeria at Gaborone's National Stadium at the Lefika International Relays at the end of March. Canada won the inaugural World Relays title in Guangzhou last year as Sade McCreath, Marie-Eloise Leclair, Duan Asemota and Eliezer Adjibi combined to clock 40.30. While McCreath and Leclair are not specifically listed for the mixed event this time, they will be in Gaborone and could be included in the team. Jamaica finished second and Great Britain placed third in Guangzhou and they also return. Jamaica's team includes twins Tia and Tina Clayton, who formed part of their nation's silver medal-winning women's team at the World Championships in Tokyo last year. The wider squad features five-time Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah, two-time world champion Shericka Jackson and 2024 Diamond League 100m champion Ackeem Blake. Kissiwaa Mensah and Jeriel Quainoo were on the British team that placed third and they are among the entries again, along with two-time Olympic and 2017 world relay medallist Desiree Henry and 2022 world medallist Jona Efoloko. USA are the reigning world champions in both the women's and men's 4x100m and two different US quartets have the two fastest mixed relay times of the season so far - 40.84 and 40.93, both set in Gainesville at the start of April. Double NCAA champion Samirah Moody and Max Thomas formed part of the world-leading team and they star on the squad for Gaborone. They are set to be joined by multiple world and Olympic 4x400m medallist Elija Godwin and world indoor 4x400m champion Paris Peoples, who formed part of the second-placed women's 4x400m team in Guangzhou where a baton exchange mishap ended the nation's hopes of making the mixed 4x100m final. Jamaica ran 41.24 in Miramar on the same day as those US performances, while Australia clocked 41.26 at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne in March. Jacob Despard, Chloe Mannix-Power and Christopher Ius featured on that team and in Gaborone the squad is further strengthened by world U20 200m champion Torrie Lewis and 2025 world indoor 60m silver medallist Lachlan Kennedy, who ran a 100m PB of 9.96 earlier this month. They will be looking to go at least one better than their performance in Guangzhou, to make the podium in Gaborone. Italy, France, China and Belgium also made the final in Guangzhou and race again in Gaborone. New Zealand will be represented at the World Relays for the first time. Oceanian record-holder Zoe Hobbs, Tiaan Whelpton, Brooke Somerfield and Lex Revell-Lewis combined to run 41.30 in Auckland and they are all on the squad for Gaborone.

Kenyans set to face global stars in mixed 4x100m relay battle

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