LONDON (July 23) – Japan’s men and the Netherlands’ women’s teams secured victories in the 4x100m relays at the Wanda Diamond League in London on Sunday (23), overcoming challenges from Great Britain and the United States, respectively.
In the men’s race, Japan, led by Ryuichiro Sakai, Hiroki Yanagita, Yuki Koike, and Koki Ueyama, clocked a world-leading time of 37.80 seconds, matching Canada’s record set earlier this year. Great Britain, who led for most of the contest, finished second with a season-best time of 38.00 seconds due to a poor final changeover.
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“We are so happy that we met the world qualification for Budapest in three weeks’ time. Our plan is just to enjoy it and perform our best as a team again!” said a jubilant member of the Japanese team after the win.
Meanwhile, in the women’s relay, the Netherlands, with N’Ketia Seedo, Marije van Hunenstijn, Jamile Samuel, and Tasa Jiya, clinched the top spot with a season-best time of 42.38 seconds. The United States, despite a strong team including Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry, Dezerea Bryant, and Aleia Hobbs, finished second with a time of 42.47 seconds.
The USA had a sloppy change on the final exchange between Hobbs and Bryant, and the world champions, still running without several of their top runners, weren’t able to catch the Dutch stars.
The latest Wanda Diamond League meeting is being held at the London Stadium, with athletes from around the globe competing in various track and field events seeking to fine-tune for the majors.
For the teams in action today, the sprint relay races allowed respective countries to get some much-needed practice sessions before Budapest.
The next major event on the athletics calendar for most of these athletes is the World Championships in Budapest, where teams will be looking to build on their performances in London.
Men’s 4x100m Relay Results
| Rank | Nation | Name | Lane | Reaction Time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JPN – Japan | SAKAI Ryuichiro, YANAGITA Hiroki, KOIKE Yuki, UEYAMA Koki | 4 | 0.143 | 37.80 =WL |
| 2 | GBR – Great Britain 1 | AZU Jeremiah, HUGHES Zharnel, EFOLOKO Jona, RAMDHAN Tommy | 6 | 0.138 | 38.00 SB |
| 3 | GBR – Great Britain 2 | GEMILI Adam, BROMBY Oliver, KILTY Richard, FERGUSON Joe | 5 | 0.152 | 38.14 SB |
| 4 | GER – Germany | KRANZ Kevin, ANSAH-PEPRAH Lucas, HARTMANN Joshua, WOLF Yannick | 8 | 0.148 | 38.21 SB |
| 5 | SUI – Switzerland | MANCINI Pascal, MUMENTHALER Timothé, LESTRADE Bradley, WICKI Silvan | 3 | 0.137 | 38.53 SB |
| 6 | AUS – Australia | KENNEDY Lachlan, DESPARD Jacob, IUS Christopher, PENNY Jake | 2 | 0.142 | 38.62 |
| 7 | DEN – Denmark | HANSEN Simon, KAMANGA-DYRBAK Tazana Mikkel, LARSEN Tobias, MUSAH Kojo | 1 | 0.143 | 39.16 SB |
| – | NED – Netherlands | PAULINA Hensley, BURNET Taymir, EKPO Nsikak, BOUJU Raphael | 7 | 0.126 | DNF |
Women’s 4x100m Relay Results
| Rank | Nation | Name | Lane | Reaction Time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NED – Netherlands | SEEDO N’Ketia, van HUNENSTIJN Marije, SAMUEL Jamile, JIYA Tasa | 8 | 0.173 | 42.38 SB |
| 2 | USA – United States | JEFFERSON Melissa, TERRY Twanisha, BRYANT Dezerea, HOBBS Aleia | 4 | 0.158 | 42.47 |
| 3 | GBR – Great Britain 1 | TAGOE Annie, LANSIQUOT Imani, WILLIAMS Bianca, AWUAH Kristal | 6 | 0.149 | 42.59 SB |
| 4 | GBR – Great Britain 2 | PEMBERTON Cassie-Ann, HUNT Amy, BELL Alyson, SIBBONS Aleeya | 5 | 0.175 | 42.92 SB |
| 5 | AUS – Australia | LANE Ebony, MASTERS Bree, EDWARDS Kristie, CONNOLLY Ella | 2 | 0.156 | 43.46 |
| 6 | BEL – Belgium | MORENCY POILVACHE Alizee, de NAEYER Janie, VINCKE Rani, MEHUYS Elise | 3 | 0.157 | 43.90 |
| – | GER – Germany | MONTAG Jennifer, MAYER Sina, LÜCKENKEMPER Gina, HAASE Rebekka | 7 | 0.170 | DNF |
Note: “=WL” stands for Equal World Lead, “SB” stands for Season Best, and “DNF” stands for Did Not Finish.
