BREAKING | IRISH WOMENS 4X400M BOOK PLACE AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH COMMANDING PERFORMANCE IN CHINA

Sophie Becker, Rachel McCann, Sharlene Mawdsley and Rhasidat Adeleke after winning the women's 4x400m World Championship Qualifying Round 2
 

The Irish women’s 4x400m team of Sophie Becker, Rhasidat Adeleke, Rachel McCann and Sharlene Mawdsley secured qualification for the Tokyo World Championships with a commanding performance to win their second qualification round in Guangzhou, China today.

Mawdsley produced another foot-perfect anchor leg to carry them to victory in 3:24.69 ahead of Australia (3:27.31) and Switzerland (3:32.37), leaving them with an overall 12th-place finish.

“The girls put me in a great position and I love to chase,” said Mawdsley. “It was a smart run and I’m really happy to be getting that experience early in the season as what happened in Paris, I really don’t want that to happen again – so it’s all about learning and looking forward to the rest of the summer.”

Without Adeleke and Mawdsley in the first round yesterday – while the duo focused on the mixed 4x400m – the women’s team came up just shy of a place in the final, finishing third in the first round. That meant they had to secure a top-three finish in today’s second round to book their place in Tokyo, which looked a facile task given the calibre in their ranks.

Becker produced another superb opening leg, splitting 51.41 out of the blocks to hand over to Adeleke close to the front. The Dubliner coasted through the opening half of her leg before turning on the jets and handing over to McCann in front after a 50.38-second leg. McCann ran well through the opening 300m then tied up slightly in the home straight, splitting 52.89, leaving Mawdsley to stalk Australia’s Alanah Yukich on the anchor leg, with the Tipperary native launching her attack on the crown of the final bend and coming home almost three seconds clear.

“I think we have solidified ourselves as one of the best relays in the world and we’re just continuing that on,” said Adeleke. “I’m really excited to see what we can do at the World Championships now that we’re qualified. We’re building, I’m building every race and getting back into shape and I’m really excited to see what this season holds for all of us – individually and as a team.”

Following the mixed 4x400m qualification on Saturday, it means Ireland will be represented in two relays at the World Championships in Tokyo.

The men’s 4x400m team of Conor Kelly, Cillín Greene, Chris O’Donnell and Jack Raftery came up short of reaching Tokyo after finishing seventh in the second qualification round in 3:04.42.

“We did find it tough out there, we’d have liked to do better but it’s a very, very strong standard – there’s zero weak teams out there,” said O’Donnell. “To put the progress into perspective, we didn’t qualify last year, we haven’t been here in 10 years. This was the first step – getting here – and we weren’t good enough, there’s no excuses, but next year and the year after, ultimately, we want this team to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games. We’re better than we were last year and we’ll be better again next year.”

Ireland will also later be in action in the mixed 4x400m final in Guangzhou at 2.03pm Irish time, but the team will be below strength in the absence of Adeleke and Mawdsley.

- Cathal Dennehy

 

QUINCY WILLIAMS MAKES HISTORY AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS | YOUNGEST EVER USA TRACK ATHLETE TO WIN GOLD 🏅

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SOURCE: QUINCY WILSON, 16, TO RUN 4X400 RELAY OLYMPICS

When Quincy Wilson runs in the 4x400 meter relay on Friday, he will become the youngest American male to have ever participated in an Olympic track and field event. Patrick Smith/Getty Images

PARIS -- Quincy Wilson, the 16-year-old who turned heads at the U.S. track and field trials in June, will have the opportunity to do the same at the Olympics on Friday, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The Maryland native will be part of the men's 4x400-meter relay team that morning when it takes part in the opening heat of the Olympic relay. After Wilson missed 4x400 mixed heats earlier this week, it was uncertain whether he'd end up running at all or be an alternate in the overall relay pool.

When he takes the track inside the Stade de France, Wilson will become the youngest American male to have ever participated in an Olympic track and field event.

In July, Wilson said he was overjoyed when he received word that would be added to the Team USA relay pool after he didn't qualify for the individual 400-meter dash at trials.

"When I got the call, I was like, I was ecstatic," Wilson said. "I started running around the house. It was just a moment for me because everybody dreams about going to the Olympics as a young kid."

Wilson said he first started dreaming about participating in the Games during the 2016 Olympics in Rio, when he was 8 years old. That same year, he began running his premier event, the 400, and has become a force in it.

After twice breaking the event's under-18 world record while at U.S. trials, running it as quickly as 44.59 seconds, Wilson went even lower three weeks ago at a tuneup race in Florida. There, he ran a 44.20-second race that had the track world buzzing in anticipation of what he could do on American relay teams once the Olympics arrived.

Now, his chance is here.

- Coley Harvey, ESPN Staff Writer

TEAM USA SPRINTER QUINCY HALL FIRES BACK AT NOAH LYLES FOR 4X400 RELAY SNUB

USA TODAY Sports 

 Noah Lyles’ open desire to run on Team USA’s 4x400-relay team is rubbing some sprinters the wrong way.

While appearing on the Track World News Podcast, Lyles said he’d put himself on the Team USA’s 4x400-relay squad along with fellow Olympians Chris Bailey, Michael Norman and Rai Benjamin. Lyles surprisingly didn’t pick the U.S. Olympic track and field trials 400 champion, Quincy Hall – who has the top 400 time in the world this year (43.80) – to be on the 4x400-relay squad.

“The only reason I wouldn’t use the current U.S. champion is because I don’t think he would be a starter. I feel like using him on the first leg would just be almost like a waste to his talent,” Lyles said. “I just don’t see him getting his full capability out of the first leg.”

Hall took offense to Lyles excluding him.

“(Noah Lyles) I don’t bother nobody but my blocks ready anytime you feel like you can beat me in the 400 you was talking (too) much on my name on (your) little podcast,” Hall posted on social media. “I don’t do the little slick comments and remarks I line up.”

Lyles qualified for the Paris Olympics the 100 and 200. He’s also expected to be on Team USA’s 4x100-relay team. But the defending world champion in the 100 and 200 has been advocating to be a part of Team USA’s 4x400-relay team recently. He ran on Team USA’s gold-medal winning 4x400-relay team at the world indoor track and field championships last year. His inclusion on the team bothered many U.S. runners, including Fred Kerley who accused USA track and field of favoritism toward Lyles.

Lyles’ personal best time in the 400 came in 2016 when he ran a 47.04. His personal-record wouldn’t rank among the top 500 times in the world this year in the event.

- Tyler Dragon, USA TODAY