World Athletics Member Federations, athletics clubs and people across the globe have kicked off celebrations for Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day on Tuesday (7 May)&nbsp;with the World Mile Challenge.
Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day is the cornerstone of <a href="https://worldathletics.org/kids-athletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/kids-athletics">World Athletics&rsquo; Kids&rsquo; Athletics programme</a> &ndash; a free and exciting programme that uses the power of athletics to inspire children and young people, wherever they are, to be more active, develop their skills and confidence, and to connect with sport. We believe that every child is born to move, play and explore no matter where they are in the world or their individual circumstance.
An exciting twist has been added to the 2024 Kids' Athletics Day theme &ndash; the World Mile Challenge. In honour of the 70th anniversary of Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile on 6 May 1954, this year's focus is on running, jogging, or walking a mile. World Athletics and its Member Federations aim to engage 500,000 kids globally to 'Run the World' one mile at a time. To encourage participants to &lsquo;go the extra mile&rsquo;, there will be a global &lsquo;total miles run&rsquo; calculator clocking the miles registered in real time between 1 and 19 May so that all participants can track their collective progress.
Already there is a tight race between Germany and Bhutan on the leaderboard, available via the <a href="https://worldmilechallenge.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldmilechallenge.com/">World Mile Challenge web app</a> which acts as a central hub for the campaign across the world, allowing athletics federations, clubs, schools, and individuals to register their miles.
As part of a bigger celebration event held by Oxford University Athletics Club &amp; The British Milers Club in Oxford, England, on 6 May 2024, a one-mile road run was held for the general public to celebrate Bannister's achievement.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/663a4f90007a23b29d808d6a.jpg" alt="The Bannister Miles" />
The Bannister Miles (&copy; Bannister Miles 2024)
</div>
The event featured specific Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day waves, where entries were given to local children in support and celebration of Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day 2024. Primary schools in the Oxford area were also given the Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day/World Mile Challenge toolkit so that they can activate their own version of the World Mile Challenge and celebrate in their own school communities.
Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day and the start of China Kids&rsquo; Athletics Month is scheduled to take place on 11-12 May at the Kids&rsquo; Athletics Event Centre in Daxing District, Beijing. Their World Mile Challenge activation is anticipated to be a highlight of the event, which will have participation from more than 600 children from some 50 schools.
&ldquo;This will be a fantastic opportunity for young athletes to showcase their skills and for all participants to enjoy an environment of friendly competition and cultural exchange,&rdquo; said the Chinese Athletics Association.
A total of 11 Kids&rsquo; Athletics events will be held over Kids&rsquo; Athletics Month in addition to the Beijing event and will reach an estimated 10,000 children. Furthermore, the Chinese Athletics Association is coordinating with stars from the Chinese national athletics team to be there to inspire and encourage the children, providing them with a unique chance to meet and learn from top athletes.
<h2>Legacy project</h2>
In addition to the World Mile Challenge, many Member Federations are getting involved with Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day via their own initiatives. The Bahamas hosted the World Athletics Relays at the weekend (4-5 May) and launched a Legacy Development Project during the competition. More than 200 children and young people took part in relay activities during the event&rsquo;s pre-show. Carl Lewis, World Athletics ambassador for the event, put the kids through their paces in warm up and gave them words of encouragement.
This Kids&rsquo; Athletics activity signifies the start of the legacy project funded through Olympic Solidarity and supported by BAAA (Bahamas Association of Athletics Federations), Bahamas National Olympic Committee and World Athletics.
The initiative aims to leave a legacy by leveraging the excitement generated through the hosting of a global athletics event, with a focus on captivating the younger generation's interest in athletics. Using the established network within The Bahamas, incorporating schools and clubs, the objective is to increase participation opportunities across The Bahamas, including in the sister islands, creating greater engagement with athletics. This collaboration between the World Athletics Kids&rsquo; Athletics programme and the BAAA&rsquo;s grassroots athletics programme is designed to provide positive and quality experiences for children throughout the country. Teacher and coach training will be rolled out in the coming months to increase knowledge, understanding and capability to deliver quality experience in athletics to children across The Bahamas.
In India, where athletics is on a rapid rise, the Indian Athletics Federation launched an Instagram campaign counting down one month to go to 7 May that showcased various kids&rsquo; athletics activities every day. They are hosting events across all five regions of India and it is anticipated that between 10,000 and 15,000 young people will participate in Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day and World Mile Challenge activities. Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day marks a commitment by the Indian Athletics Federation to increase participation in athletics for those under 14.
In Africa, Kenya was the first country to kick start Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day celebrations, with the launch of the Kids&rsquo; Athletics Refugee Project.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/663a4eb0007a23b29d808d67.jpeg" alt="Kids' Athletics Refugee Project" />
Kids' Athletics Refugee Project
</div>
A Kids&rsquo; Athletics workshop was held last week at the Kakuma Refugee camp in Kenya. This is part of a larger athletics and education programme implemented by AHEEN (African Higher Education in Emergencies Network), with the aim of keeping young people in refugee communities in school and education.
As part of the workshop, the teachers delivered a Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day event to 125 young people from five schools. This was held at the Kalobeyei Sport Complex within the refugee settlement.
On social media, World Athletics will be sharing photos of people, events and organisations across the world who have joined us to celebrate Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day. We invite everyone taking part in the day&rsquo;s events, whether through a club or organisation, at school, or at home, to share images from their own celebrations using the hashtag #KidsAthleticsDay #WorldMileChallenge
Our goal is to provide children and young people with positive experiences in athletics and to give them the confidence to be active for life. We want to reach as many children as we can across the globe to encourage them to move and play in athletics. The <a href="https://worldmilechallenge.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldmilechallenge.com/">World Mile Challenge</a> is open from 1-19 May. There&rsquo;s still time to get involved. How many miles can we collectively run together?

World Athletics Member Federations, athletics clubs and people across the globe have kicked off celebrations for Kids’ Athletics Day on Tuesday (7 May) with the World Mile Challenge

World Mile Challenge kick starts Kids' Athletics Day

The one-mile distance has captured the sporting imagination. Miracle Mile, Mile of the Century, Dream Mile, Golden Mile&hellip; this imperial distance has transcended cultures and has cast a spell of magic which only the marathon can challenge.
But why the mile, especially when it has never been an Olympic or World Championship event on the track?
On Thursday 21 November 2019, the World Athletics Heritage Mile Night was staged in Monaco. Eleven world mile record-breakers (outdoors and indoors) attended: Ron Delany, Michel Jazy, Jim Ryun, Filbert Bayi, Paola Pigni-Cacchi, John Walker, Eamonn Coghlan, Sebastian Coe, Steve Cram, Noureddine Morceli, and Hicham El Guerrouj.
These magic milers, two of whom &ndash; Jazy and Cacchi &ndash; have since sadly passed away, were joined by 1968 and 1984 Olympic 1500m champions Kipchoge Keino and Gabriella Dorio, and 1987 world 1500m champion Abdi Bile.
<h2>What makes the mile special?</h2>
Ron Delany (IRL) &ndash; 1956 Olympic 1500m champion; multiple world indoor mile records: &ldquo;The fellowship and comradeship of the mile. All of us milers over the generations have enjoyed the benefits of the mileage (fame) which we have got out of running the mile.&rdquo;
Jim Ryun (USA) &ndash; 1500m and two world mile records: &ldquo;The mile has given us all the opportunity to live our dream. Never did it occur to me as a young man that my future would be running or that it would be the mile.&rdquo;
Michel Jazy (FRA) &ndash; world mile record: &ldquo;All milers are part of a historic brotherhood. That&rsquo;s what makes the mile so special.&rdquo;
Kip Keino (KEN) &ndash; 1968 Olympic 1500m champion: &ldquo;I wanted to be a good miler. My inspiration was Roger Bannister. I started with the 800m and tried the steeplechase, 5000m and 10,000m but for me the 1500m and mile were special.&rdquo;
Paolo Cacchi (ITA) &ndash; world 1500m and mile records: &ldquo;The mile is like the marathon, a mystery in athletics. It is something which takes you in your heart and when you run a mile you think you are something different. The mile is the past, the present and the future. The athletics mile is for every time.&rdquo;
John Walker (NZL) &ndash; 1976 Olympic 1500m champion; world mile record: &ldquo;The mile is the biggest event in running. It is revered in New Zealand as we have had Lovelock, Snell and myself. So when I ran the world record the first below 3:50, it made huge headlines.&rdquo;
Filbert Bayi (TAN) &ndash; world 1500m and mile records: &ldquo;I was a national hero when I returned home (after breaking the world mile record). There was a red carpet at the airport which is usually only reserved for the president of the country but on that day it was rolled out for me.&rdquo;
Gabriella Dorio (ITA) &ndash; 1984 Olympic 1500m champion: &ldquo;The mile is the most classical race in athletics, a most loved and beautiful event and it stays in my heart.&rdquo;
Steve Cram (GBR) &ndash; 1983 world 1500m champion; world 1500m and mile records: &ldquo;It is all about Roger (Bannister). Before Roger there was obviously interest. The mile is easy to understand. It is four laps and it takes four minutes, or it did until he (Roger) broke that barrier. That&rsquo;s a great attention span for fans.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The impact of what Roger did when communications around the world were just developing had a resonance&hellip; and it was that iconic moment that has allowed the mile to live and breathe and stay relevant.&rdquo;
Abdi Bile (SOM) &ndash; 1987 world 1500m champion: &ldquo;People do not understand the difference that those 100 metres makes between running the 1500m and the mile. That&rsquo;s the reason why the mile lasts, why the world record remains important. It&rsquo;s difficult to run.&rdquo;
Eamonn Coghlan (IRL) &ndash; multiple world indoor mile records: &ldquo;Why the mile? Four minutes. 60 seconds a lap. For me it was 11 laps while I was chasing my indoor world record.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Roger Bannister breaking four minutes&hellip; that was something we saw at the cinema on the Path&eacute; News. That was ingrained in your mind when you grew up as a teenager.&rdquo;
Sebastian Coe (GBR) &ndash; 1980 and 1984 Olympic 1500m champion; world 1500m and three mile records: &ldquo;Everybody has hit the right point and have talked about Sir Roger. One of my mile marks was of course John (Walker) because in the year in which he went under 3:50 that became as big a target, as big an achievement.&rdquo;
&ldquo;For me Walker was Herculean. When I watched him win (Montreal Olympic 1500m) I thought if that was to be me in four years&rsquo; time, I had a lot of ground to make up before I would be capable of even lacing his shoes. We must not forget the contribution that John made in reinforcing the importance of the mile.&rdquo;
Noureddine Morceli &ndash; 1996 Olympic and three-time world 1500m champion; world mile and two 1500m records: &ldquo;As a youngster I followed the history, Bannister, the Dream Mile, and I started to get very interested in the mile. I wanted to be part of its history, to break the world record. If you want to be one of the great runners, you must be part of this mile history. It was one the big moments for me to break the mile record.&rdquo;
Hicham El Guerrouj &ndash; 2004 Olympic 1500m and four-time world 1500m champion; world 1500m and mile records: &ldquo;When I started running, it was a dream for me to become one of the greatest athletes in the world. As I learned more and more about the sport, I began to understand that it was important that I ran fast in the mile. I began watching mile races back to the 1930s. I understood it was not easy to run fast in the mile. The last 100 metres of the mile is like climbing Mount Everest.&rdquo;
Chris Turner for World Athletics Heritage

The one-mile distance has captured the sporting imagination

Why the mile? ‘It is like the marathon, a mystery in athletics’

In the latest episode of the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/66392fb65d270cc25bf8356c" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/66392fb65d270cc25bf8356c">World Athletics Inside Track Podcast</a>, released today (6 May), Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse and leading content creators Daniel LaBelle and Charles Brockman III join hosts Sanya Richards-Ross and Kelly Sotherton to recap the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24.
After some behind-the-scenes interviews with athletes in the warm up area as they prepared for the second day of competition on Sunday, Sotherton shared her standout moment from day two in Nassau.
&ldquo;My highlight was The Bahamas, up against Jamaica in the mixed relay in the repechage, and the crowd was crazy,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;That just set the scene for the whole evening.&rdquo;
De Grasse was among the athletes in action and he helped Canada to second place in the men&rsquo;s 4x100m final.
With Canada&rsquo;s Olympic relay place now secured, he is also hoping to run the 100m and 200m in Paris.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the plan. I want to run both and get back on the podium in the 100m and 200m,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been training really hard, and I&rsquo;m looking forward to it. Every day is a new challenge, as you step on the track you find different motivations every single day. I&rsquo;m excited to defend my title in the 200m and try to contend for a 100m title as well.&rdquo;
LaBelle is a titan of content creation, boasting a huge audience of 70 million across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
Among the events to catch his eye in Nassau was the mixed 4x400m.
&ldquo;The mixed relays are fascinating to me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I really enjoyed watching that and the different strategy that goes along with it. Back when I used to run in high school and college, they didn&rsquo;t have that, so that&rsquo;s been really fun for me to watch, especially live.&rdquo;
After sharing insight into his content career, he was asked for his ideas on how to make athletics more creative.
&ldquo;It would be so cool if at the start of each meet they had a fun, silly race but with serious competitors where they are all wearing mascot costumes,&rdquo; he replied. &ldquo;Who wouldn&rsquo;t want to watch that?&rdquo;
Brockman is a former collegiate athlete turned influencer who&rsquo;s famous for his comedy skits and impersonations. In The Bahamas, he was the official behind-the-scenes reporter for the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics">World Athletics Instagram</a> page.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very full circle that I can be here, not running, when years ago I thought I would be running in these Olympic Games or at the World Championships,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really humbling and exciting, so I always would love to give back to the sport and be that newer face that can bridge comedy and track.&rdquo;
This is the third in a series of World Athletics Inside Track Podcast episodes from Nassau, all available via the usual podcast platforms &ndash; including on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/inside-track-the-official-podcast-of-world-athletics/id1733061742" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/inside-track-the-official-podcast-of-world-athletics/id1733061742">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6OGo4XNfgZ3GSiXes6OO8u?si=c976714bf56b4d18" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6OGo4XNfgZ3GSiXes6OO8u?si=c976714bf56b4d18">Spotify</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;the <a href="https://podcast.sport-social.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://podcast.sport-social.co.uk/">Sport Social Podcast Network</a> &ndash; while fans can also watch the show on the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/videos">World Athletics website</a>.
With an evolving presenter line-up, the podcast will return later in the year, as an all-star cast will provide a preview to the events at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Find it all on <a href="https://worldathletics.org/inside-track" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/inside-track">Inside Track</a>.

World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24

Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse and leading content creators Daniel LaBelle and Charles Brockman III join hosts Sanya Richards-Ross and Kelly Sotherton to recap the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24

Special guests star on Inside Track Podcast for WRE Bahamas 24 recap

The 70th anniversary of Sir Roger Bannister&rsquo;s sub-four-minute mile has been celebrated in Oxford across the bank holiday weekend of 4-6 May.
A three-day pop-up Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) 1500m &amp; Mile Heritage Display at Oxford University Athletics Club&rsquo;s (OUAC) track at Iffley Road culminates today (6) with the OUAC&rsquo;s Bannister Miles, a day of road and track mile races.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Two World Athletics Heritage Plaques</a>, one honouring <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/roger-bannister" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bannister</a> and the other the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/oxford-university-athletics-club" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OUAC</a>, which was founded in 1860, are being unveiled at Iffley Road. Celebrations conclude with a formal dinner at Exeter College in the evening.
<div style="padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" title="Seb - 70th Anniversary of Bannister&rsquo;s Sub-4" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/932931123?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479" frameborder="0" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
<h2>First four minutes</h2>
In pursuit of the ultimate race against the unforgiving hand of the clock, time seemed to stand still for Roger Bannister as he attacked the Everest of athletic achievements, the sub-four-minute mile, late on the afternoon of 6 May 1954.
It was on the final lap of the mile race in the Oxford University v Amateur Athletic Association match at the Iffley Road track in Oxford when the 25-year-old medical student overtook the second of his pacemakers, Chris Chataway, and prepared to enter unchartered territory.
&ldquo;I had a moment of mixed joy and anguish, when my mind took over,&rdquo; the future Sir Roger wrote in his book First Four Minutes, reflecting on his push towards the historic 3:59.4 clocking.
&ldquo;My mind seemed almost detached from my body. It raced well ahead of my body and drew my body compellingly forward. I felt like the moment of a lifetime had come.
&ldquo;The world seemed to stand still, or did not exist. The only reality was the next 200 yards of track under my feet. The tape meant finality, extinction perhaps.
&ldquo;I felt at that moment that it was my chance to do one thing supremely well. I drove on, impelled by a combination of fear and pride. The air I breathed filled me with the spirit of the track where I had run my first race.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/d1bb7d27-872b-4eb7-9285-160da7834dc5.jpg" alt="Roger Bannister breaks the four minute mile barrier - 6 May 1954 - 3:59.4" />
Roger Bannister breaks the four minute mile barrier (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
<h2>You haven&rsquo;t got the strength</h2>
It had been at Iffley Road in 1946 that the callow 17-year-old Roger Gilbert Bannister, a first-year medical student at Exeter College, Oxford, first set foot on a running track.
After several laps of what was then a 330-yard circuit, on which it had become conventional to run in a clockwise direction, the rookie was approached by the groundsman, who told him how Jack Lovelock used to train there in his time as an Oxford medical student. The New Zealander set a world mile record of 4:07.6 in Brooklyn in 1933 and won the 1936 Olympic 1500m title in a world record 3:47.8.
&ldquo;But I&rsquo;m afraid you&rsquo;ll never be any good,&rdquo; the groundsman told the crestfallen young Bannister. &ldquo;You just haven&rsquo;t got the strength or the build for it.&rdquo;
Two weeks later, resplendent in his school team rowing kit, he ran his first track race, also at Iffley Road. He finished second in the mile at the Freshman&rsquo;s Sports, clocking a modest 4:53.
<h2>Helsinki disappointment &ndash; inspired by Landy</h2>
Much had happened in the eight years between then and the fateful mile at Iffley Road in May of 1954.
As President of the Oxford University Athletics Club, Bannister pushed through the rebuilding of the track to standard 440-yard specification (and with a change of running direction to the conventional anti-clockwise).
He had also undergone the excruciating experience of being publicly dubbed &ldquo;a failure&rdquo; for finishing fourth in the 1952 Olympic 1500m final in Helsinki. Having chosen to keep his form under wraps in training while racing only in under-distance events that summer, he had been undermined by the last-minute introduction of semifinals, requiring three 1500m races on consecutive days.
The day before that shattering schedule announcement, Bannister ran a three-quarter mile time trial in 2:59.9, which he rated as &ldquo;equal to, if not better, than a four-minute mile.&rdquo;
By 1954, he had started to train in company for the first time &ndash; on his weekday lunchbreaks from St Mary&rsquo;s Hospital in London &ndash; and at weekends with his good friends and fellow Olympians Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway, under the direction of Brasher&rsquo;s Austrian coach Franz Stampfl.
Inspired by news of John Landy closing in on the four-minute barrier with a succession of sub-4:03 runs in Australia, Bannister began to embrace interval training, starting off by running a series of 10 reps of 400m, with a recovery of two minutes, in an average of 66 seconds - until he got down to 58 seconds.
<h2>&ldquo;Relax!&rdquo;</h2>
By May 1954, it was clear he was ready for a serious assault in the annual Oxford University v AAA match but when the day arrived he was racked by doubts, mainly due to the strength of a gale force wind he encountered when he finished his morning shift at St Mary&rsquo;s and made the train trip up to Oxford.
Only when he saw the flag on top of a nearby church stop fluttering wildly did his thoughts of postponement give way to the task of chasing a place in posterity with the pacemaking help of his two new training partners.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/kids-athletics/news/world-mile-challenge-kids-athletics-day-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6638e3dd422bb48b4a290438.jpg" alt="Roger Bannister comic" /></a>
(&copy; Christel Saneh)
</div>
&ldquo;Brasher went into the lead and I slipped in effortlessly behind him, feeling tremendously full of running,&rdquo; Bannister recounted in First Four Minutes. &ldquo;I shouted &lsquo;Faster!&rsquo; but Brasher kept his head and did not change his pace. I went on worrying until I heard the first lap time, 57.5.
&ldquo;At one and a half laps I was still worrying about the pace. A voice shouting &lsquo;Relax!&rsquo; penetrated me above the noise of the crowd. I learned afterwards it was Stampfl&rsquo;s. Unconsciously I obeyed.
&ldquo;I barely noticed the half mile, passed in 1:58, nor when, round the next bend, Chataway went into the lead. At three quarters of a mile the effort was still barely perceptible; the time was 3:00.7, and by now the crowd were roaring.
&ldquo;Chataway led round the next bend and then I pounced past him at the beginning of the back straight, 300 yards from the finish.&rdquo;
Then came that moment when Bannister reached his higher plane - travelling through a suspension in time towards his home-straight destiny.
&ldquo;Those last few seconds seemed never ending,&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;The faint line of the finishing tape stood ahead as a haven of peace, after the struggle. I leapt at the tape like a man taking his last spring to save himself from the chasm that threatens to engulf him.
&ldquo;My effort was over and I collapsed almost unconscious. I felt like an exploded flashlight. I knew that I had done it before I even heard the time.&rdquo;
The official announcement was made by another close friend of Bannister, Norris McWhirter. &ldquo;Result of event eight: one mile,&rdquo; began the statistician who was to go on to found The Guinness Book of Records with his twin brother, Ross. &ldquo;First, RG Bannister of Exeter and Merton Colleges, in a time which, subject to ratification, is a new track record, British native record, British all-comers&rsquo; record, European record and world record. Three minutes&hellip;&rdquo;
<h2>&ldquo;I felt free from the burden of athletic ambition&rdquo;</h2>
&ldquo;The rest was lost in the roar of excitement,&rdquo; Bannister continued. &ldquo;I grabbed Brasher and Chataway, and together we scampered round the track in a burst of spontaneous joy. We had done it &ndash; the three of us!
&ldquo;We shared a place where no man had yet ventured, secure for all time, however fast men might run miles in future. I felt suddenly and gloriously free from the burden of athletic ambition that I had been carrying for years.&rdquo;
At 25, Bannister had conquered the ultimate peak of sporting endeavour, a year after the successful British conquest of Mount Everest. His time, 3:59.4, was an advancement of some nine yards on the nine-year-old world record of 4:01.4 held by the Swede Gunder Hagg.
Bannister&rsquo;s figures only survived as a world record for 46 days, yet his barrier-breaking feat has endured for seven decades now as the most momentous achievement in the long, distinguished history of track and field.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage

The 70th anniversary of Sir Roger Bannister’s sub-four-minute mile has been celebrated in Oxford across the bank holiday weekend of 4-6 May

70 years since Bannister's 3:59.4 – "I knew I had done it before I even heard the time"

USA broke their own 10-year-old championship record to dominate the women&rsquo;s 4x100m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24, before their teammates threatened the men&rsquo;s 4x100m mark to clinch another win in Nassau on Sunday (5).
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/wre-bahamas-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6637c562537764b490458732.png" alt="WRE Bahamas 24 highlights" /></a></div>
After helping her nation to a heat win and Olympic qualification on Saturday, Gabby Thomas vowed they could go even quicker in the final. She wasn&rsquo;t wrong.
The women&rsquo;s 4x100m championship record of 41.88 had been set at the inaugural World Athletics Relays in Nassau in 2014. A decade on, another US quartet made history in the Bahamian capital, as Tamari Davis, Thomas, Celera Barnes and Melissa Jefferson combined to clock 41.85 and cap a successful campaign.
They won by almost a second, while France proved they will be a force at their home Olympics later this year by securing the runner-up spot in 42.75. Third place was claimed by Great Britain &amp; NI in 42.80.
As she had done in the previous day&rsquo;s heats, Davis got the race started for USA, running a strong first leg to put her nation ahead. Olympic and world 200m medallist Thomas, who joined Davis on USA&rsquo;s world title-winning team in Budapest last year, was ready to take over and she maintained the advantage before handing the baton to Barnes.&nbsp;
They had put Jefferson in a great position and the win never looked in doubt, as the two-time world relay gold medallist surged down the home straight. The fight for second place was won by France, as Mallory Leconte &ndash; racing in lane one &ndash; held off Great Britain&rsquo;s Aleeya Sibbons. Germany finished fourth and Australia fifth.
While her teammates posed for photos, Thomas left the track to prepare for the 4x400m final less than 20 minutes later, which USA also won.
<h2>Men&rsquo;s record survives, but only just</h2>
The men&rsquo;s 4x100m championship record of 37.38 was also set by USA in Nassau but in 2015, during the second edition of the event. It still stands, but only just, as Courtney Lindsey, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Noah Lyles teamed up to run a world-leading 37.40.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66386179dc1bb565bc31b886.jpg" alt="Noah Lyles heads out for the final leg of the men's 4x100m at the WRE Bahamas 24" />
Noah Lyles heads out for the final leg of the men's 4x100m at the WRE Bahamas 24 (&copy; Sergio Mateo)
</div>
That same US quartet had run 37.49 to win the heats and they were similarly dominant in the final, winning by almost half a second ahead of 2022 world champions Canada.
Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse anchored Canada to second place in 37.89. Olympic champions Italy crossed the line next, but the team was later disqualified for a changeover occurring outside the zone. As a result, France secured third place in 38.44, just 0.01 ahead of Japan and Great Britain who both clocked 38.45 and were separated by only one thousandth of a second.
&ldquo;We were talking after the race about what else we can do,&rdquo; said Lyles, who ran the anchor leg during USA&rsquo;s world title win in Budapest after his individual 100m and 200m victories. &ldquo;Me and Kyree can get more out of that exchange zone and Kenny and Kyree can do the same. We were faster today, but still, it is all about the zone.&rdquo;
The team certainly looked in the zone. Lindsey ran the first leg, going up against Canada&rsquo;s Aaron Brown. Bednarek then took over from Lindsey and ran the second leg against athletes including Italy&rsquo;s Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs.
Bednarek handed the baton to King and then Lyles powered home to secure the win, chased by De Grasse, France&rsquo;s Aymeric Priam and Sota Miwa of Japan.
<h2>12 more teams secure spots for Paris</h2>
Teams that <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/bahamas24/news/news/bahamas-24-day-one-qualified-paris-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">missed out on Paris places on day one</a> had another chance to book their spots for the Olympics in a second round of races ahead of the finals on Sunday. Competition was fierce, with the top two in each of the three heats securing automatic qualification for the Olympics.&nbsp;
The 2021 World Relays winners Italy cruised to the first 4x100m Paris place of the evening, winning the first women&rsquo;s heat in 42.60. It shows they mean business as despite not making it through to defend their title in Nassau, they went more than a second faster than their winning time from three years ago. Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire missed out on an automatic qualifying place by just three thousands of a second on day one but multiple global medallist Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith was determined that her team would not be denied again. She received the baton behind Italy and Spain but stormed past Maria Isabel Perez, and almost caught Arianna De Masi, to secure the second spot in 42.63.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66386202dc1bb565bc31b889.jpg" alt="Italy and Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire secure their 4x100m places for Paris" />
Italy and Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire secure their 4x100m places for Paris (&copy; Francesca Grana)
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Jamaica will defend their Olympic title after they secured their Paris place on the second attempt. After finishing fifth in their race in the first round, they were dominant winners on day two, with world U20 200m bronze medallist Alana Reid crossing the finish line in 42.74. More than half a second back, Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Leah Bertrand gave chase to finish second in 43.54.&nbsp;
Nigeria and Switzerland were well away in the third and final heat and while Nigeria clinched victory in a close finish &ndash; 42.71 to 42.75 &ndash; they were both rewarded with Paris places.&nbsp;
The first of the evening&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s 4x100m races saw Germany triumph, as Yannick Wolf held on for the win in 38.57. But the real drama was happening behind him. Liberia were in fourth place at the final changeover but Joseph Fahnbulleh blazed the anchor leg, overtaking Brazil and then Switzerland to clinch an Olympic spot by five thousandths of a second. Liberia and Switzerland both clocked 38.65 &ndash; a national record for the former &ndash; while Brazil followed in fourth.
Ghana and Nigeria ran away with the second heat and their places for the Olympics never seemed in doubt as they clocked 38.29 and 38.57, respectively. There was more success for Africa in the third and final heat as Akani Simbine ran a storming anchor for South Africa. After that final leg timed at 8.92, he crossed the finish line with 38.08 on the clock to ensure his team will be in Paris.&nbsp;
They&rsquo;ll be joined by Australia, who were pipped for second place by just four thousandths of a second in the first round, as the quartet went 0.04 quicker than on day one to finish runner-up in 38.46.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

USA broke their own 10-year-old championship record to dominate the women’s 4x100m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24

Championship record falls as USA wins 4x100m finals at WRE Bahamas 24

Sprints powerhouse USA broke their own championship record in the mixed 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 on Sunday (5), then followed it with a dominant display in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m.
Botswana, meanwhile, became the first African nation to win a men&rsquo;s sprint event at the World Relays by taking victory in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m.
Earlier in the evening, 30 more berths for the Paris 2024 Games were claimed in the Olympic qualifying round two. And of all of those places, it was the success of the host nation in the first mixed 4x400m heat that drew the biggest reaction from the crowd as The Bahamas secured their Olympic qualification.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/wre-bahamas-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6637c562537764b490458732.png" alt="WRE Bahamas 24 highlights" /></a></div>
<h2>USA smashes own mixed 4x400m championship record</h2>
One day after breaking the championship record in their heat, the US mixed 4x400m team did it again in the final, winning in 3:10.73 &ndash; the fastest ever time outside of a global championships.
Matthew Boling gave the team an early lead on the first leg, then handed over to Lynna Irby-Jackson. She maintained pole position, but Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands and Rhasidat Adeleke both made up ground, the latter running a sensational 48.45 split &ndash; the fastest ever recorded at the World Relays.
Willington Wright gave the USA a bit more breathing room on the third leg, then he handed over to Kendall Ellis who anchored the team to victory. Behind her, Femke Bol held off a strong challenge from Ireland&rsquo;s Sharlene Mawdsley to take second place in 3:11.45, 0.08 ahead of Ireland.
Nigeria just missed the podium but was rewarded with an African record of 3:12.87.
At the start of the evening&rsquo;s programme, The Bahamas won their heat in Olympic qualifying round two and smashed their national record in the process with 3:12.81 &ndash; a time that would have placed them fourth in the final, had they qualified.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66385656c16dc4552b752336.jpg" alt="Shaunae Miller-Uibo anchors The Bahamas at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24" />
Shaunae Miller-Uibo anchors The Bahamas at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 (&copy; Sergio Matteo)
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The difference in running order played a big part in their success. This time Steven Gardiner gave the team an early lead, while his fellow Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo brought the team home, splitting 49.54.
Germany (3:13.85) and Great Britain &amp; NI (3:12.99) won the other heats, while Jamaica, Switzerland and Ukraine claimed the remaining Olympic qualifying places as the runners-up across the three heats.
&nbsp;
<h2>Thomas doubles up to help USA to victory in women&rsquo;s 4x400m</h2>
World and Olympic 200m medallist Gabby Thomas proved to be USA&rsquo;s most valuable asset this evening.
Just 20 minutes after running a leg on their victorious 4x100m team, Thomas was back on track for the 4x400m final. Not content to simply coast around, Thomas received the baton from Quanera Hayes and blasted a 49.58 split &ndash; the fastest of the US team &ndash; before handing over to Bailey Lear.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6638575e1f4b453f842c02fa.jpg" alt="USA's Gabby Thomas in the women's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24" />
USA's Gabby Thomas in the women's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 (&copy; Sergio Matteo)
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Alexis Holmes, who anchored USA to gold in the mixed 4x400m at last year&rsquo;s World Championships, once again ran a superb last leg here (49.63) to cross the line first in 3:21.70 &ndash; the second-fastest time ever at the World Relays.
In the scrap for positions behind USA, Natalia Kaczmarek ran a strong leg (49.46) to carry Poland to second place in 3:24.71. Canada, who have finished fourth at the past three global championships, this time made it into the top three, finishing third in 3:25.17.
Great Britain &amp; NI placed fourth in 3:25.84, more than a second ahead of Norway who were rewarded with a national record of 3:26.88.
Just 90 minutes prior, six more places for the Paris 2024 Games had been claimed in the Olympic qualifying round two.
Jamaica &ndash; who surprisingly missed out on making the final &ndash; won the first heat in 3:28.54 with India taking second place. The Netherlands, world champions indoors and out but missing their two strongest sprinters in this discipline, managed to take the second heat in 3:27.45 as Switzerland followed them home. And Belgium were victorious in the third and final heat, winning in 3:26.79 as Spain broke a long-standing national record to claim second spot in 3:27.30.
&nbsp;
<h2>Botswana bounce back with triumph in men&rsquo;s 4x400m</h2>
Little more than eight months ago, Botswana found themselves disqualified from the men&rsquo;s 4x400m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 for a changeover outside the zone.
Here in Nassau, however, they dominated the final to win by 1.64 seconds in a world-leading 2:59.11, becoming the first African nation to win a men&rsquo;s sprint relay at the World Relays.
Italy was ahead at the first exchange, thanks to a strong opening leg from Luca Sito. But Botswana&rsquo;s Busang Collen Kebinatshipi ran well before handing over to world 100m silver medallist Letsile Tebogo.
The versatile sprinter uncorked a 43.72 split to put Botswana into the lead, a position that Leungo Scotch maintained on the third leg. Behind him, South Africa was locked in battle with Japan and world indoor champions Belgium.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/663857ca1f4b453f842c02fd.jpg" alt="Botswana leads the men's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24" />
Botswana leads the men's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 (&copy; Sergio Matteo)
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Bayapo Ndori took up the running for Botswana on the final leg, producing a 44.13 split to carry them to victory in 2:59.11. Lythe Pillay managed to pull ahead of Belgium&rsquo;s Jonathan Sacoor to give South Africa the runner-up spot in 3:00.75. Belgium crossed the line third in 3:01.16, just ahead of Japan (3:01.20).
USA were conspicuous in their absence from the final. They had been disqualified from their heat on Saturday for moving out of the assigned order at one of the changeovers. It meant they had to be content with racing in Olympic qualifying round two, and they duly won their heat in 2:59.95. India was a distant runner-up in 3:03.23.
Spain won the second heat in 3:02.39, beating Poland (3:02.91). And Brazil claimed victory in the third and final heat in 3:01.86 from Trinidad &amp; Tobago (3:02.39), who finished just 0.05 ahead of world silver medallists France.
It was particularly bittersweet for the Olympic host nation as they were missing one of their key athletes, Thomas Jordier, who pulled up injured in the heats on Saturday. And as France&rsquo;s only medallists at last year&rsquo;s World Championships, expectations were high heading into this Olympic season.
Nevertheless, they &ndash; and all other countries who missed out on securing an Olympic berth &ndash; will still have a chance of making it to the Games. Two places remain in each relay discipline, which will be given to the top nations based on performances achieved within the qualifying window.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Mixed 4x400m championship record for USA, victory in men's 4x400m for Botswana

USA and Botswana make history in 4x400m finals at WRE Bahamas 24

A total of 70 teams have qualified for relay events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games following two days of thrilling action at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 (4-5 May)
Fourteen teams in each of the five disciplines being contested in Nassau &ndash; the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x100m and 4x400m plus the mixed 4x400m &ndash; automatically qualified for Paris places. The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/bahamas24/news/news/bahamas-24-day-one-qualified-paris-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/bahamas24/news/news/bahamas-24-day-one-qualified-paris-2024">first 40 qualified teams were confirmed on Saturday</a> and the final 30 on Sunday, following a second Olympic qualifying round for teams that missed out on day one.
Teams that qualified on Saturday also secured their spots for the respective World Relays finals on Sunday, when they raced for prize money and Olympic lane seeding positions.
USA won four of the five finals in Nassau, the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/bahamas24/news/report/bahamas-24-report-4x100m-final" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nation&rsquo;s 4x100m women setting a championship record</a> with their 41.85 run and the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/bahamas24/news/report/bahamas-24-report-4x400m-final" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mixed 4x400m squad achieving the same</a> with their 3:10.73 performance. Botswana&rsquo;s 4x400m men ensured the event ended on a high, running a world lead of 2:59.11 to <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/bahamas24/news/report/bahamas-24-report-4x400m-final" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/bahamas24/news/report/bahamas-24-report-4x400m-final">win the last race of the weekend</a>.
Two nations &ndash; Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland and USA &ndash; each qualified a full five teams for Paris, while another six &ndash; France, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Nigeria and Poland &ndash; qualified four each.
While the majority of Paris places have now been secured, teams that missed out in Nassau do still have a chance to qualify. A further two Olympic Games places in each discipline will be awarded based on top lists during the qualification period (31 December 2022 to 30 June 2024).
<h2>Teams qualified for Paris at WRE Bahamas 24</h2>
Women&rsquo;s 4x100m Australia, Canada, Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire, France, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Italy, Jamaica, Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, United States
Men&rsquo;s 4x100m Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain &amp; NI, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, United States
Women&rsquo;s 4x400m Belgium, Canada, France, Great Britain &amp; NI, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, United States
Men&rsquo;s 4x400m Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, India, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, United States
Mixed 4x400m Bahamas, Belgium, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Ireland, Jamaica, Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Switzerland, Ukraine, United States
World Athletics

A total of 70 teams have qualified for relay events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games following two days of thrilling action at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24

Olympic relay fields formed at WRE Bahamas 24

In the latest episode of the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/663779492c10419528bfaa30" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/latest-videos/663779492c10419528bfaa30">World Athletics Inside Track Podcast</a>, released today (5 May), Sanya Richards-Ross, Kelly Sotherton and Richard Kilty share a packed podcast with athletics legend Carl Lewis, world record-holder and hometown sensation Devynne Charlton and Kilty&rsquo;s Great Britain 4x100m teammate Zharnel Hughes to recap day one of the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24.
Richards-Ross and Sotherton shared their thoughts and shock at some of the results from day one, with Richards-Ross highlighting the non-direct qualification of a women&rsquo;s team from the Caribbean for the 4x100m, with favourites Jamaica finishing fifth in their heat. They will have another opportunity to race for a place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Sunday.
First up was Lewis who expressed his happiness at being in attendance, stating these World Relays are more of a &ldquo;semifinal&rdquo; than a &ldquo;showcase&rdquo; event.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an Olympic year. I think the event is a good thing,&rdquo; he said &ldquo;They&rsquo;re getting more exposure, and the event means something.&rdquo;
Lewis added that he was pleased to see notable names turn out to compete in the relay qualifications for Paris 2024.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to watch from an American perspective, how they (coaches) run their teams, because a lot of the time we get those legs mixed up,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be happy to see people that are committed to helping the American experience better.&rdquo;
Kilty, who has been a host on Inside Track, was joined by Hughes after they qualified for the men&rsquo;s 4x100m in Paris, with Hughes saying Great Britain&rsquo;s focus was to &ldquo;secure the bag&rdquo;.
&ldquo;We have to book the ticket to be in Paris,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Nevertheless, who didn&rsquo;t show up, we had to, and we did, we&rsquo;re off to Paris.&rdquo;
Hughes trains in Jamaica under Usain Bolt&rsquo;s former coach Glen Mills and is looking forward to doing the double (100m and 200m) in Paris.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy and excited to get out there and start running,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I know come Paris, I&rsquo;ll be in the best shape I can be.&rdquo;
Rounding off the star-studded line-up was local favourite and world indoor 60m hurdles record-holder Charlton, who praised the home crowd for packing the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t seen the stadium packed like this in years,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;To have the relays in The Bahamas again is special to Bahamians. For us to host these games again, Bahamians are really excited, relays are what we do.&rdquo;
Charlton, who is known for her individual accomplishments, also spoke about the expectations of being part of a relay team.
&ldquo;Being part of a team is more pressure for me,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I know once I step on the track (in an individual race) no one is depending on me to have a good race. But when you step on the track (in a relay) it&rsquo;s like you&rsquo;re doing it for three other people and you want to be as good as possible for them.&rdquo;
World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 action continues on Sunday with teams battling it out in the finals to secure lane placements in Paris. Teams that did not earn automatic qualification will have a second chance in the repechage to secure their countries a place in Paris 2024.
This is the second in a series of World Athletics Inside Track Podcast episodes from Nassau, all available via the usual podcast platforms &ndash; including on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/inside-track-the-official-podcast-of-world-athletics/id1733061742" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/inside-track-the-official-podcast-of-world-athletics/id1733061742">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6OGo4XNfgZ3GSiXes6OO8u?si=c976714bf56b4d18" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6OGo4XNfgZ3GSiXes6OO8u?si=c976714bf56b4d18">Spotify</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;the <a href="https://podcast.sport-social.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://podcast.sport-social.co.uk/">Sport Social Podcast Network</a> &ndash; while fans can also watch the show on the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/videos">World Athletics website</a>.
With an evolving presenter line-up, the podcast will return later in the year, as an all-star cast will provide a preview to the events at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Find it all on <a href="https://worldathletics.org/inside-track" data-cke-saved-href="https://worldathletics.org/inside-track">Inside Track</a>.

Carl Lewis, Devynne Charlton and Zharnel Hughes join the podcast to wrap up day one of the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24

Lewis, Charlton and Hughes join Inside Track Podcast

There was double delight for China at Sunday&rsquo;s (5) Korzeniowski Warsaw Race Walking Cup &ndash; the latest gold stop on the World Athletics Race Walking Tour.
It was a breakthrough win for Qian Haifeng in the men&rsquo;s 20km in 1:19:05, but yet another triumph to add to a long list for Liu Hong in the women&rsquo;s race, which she won in 1:27:33.
There is no stopping Liu. Just days before the 2016 Olympic and four-time world champion&rsquo;s 37th birthday, she took control just as she appeared to lose it. Australia&rsquo;s Jemima Montag took the lead at three-quarter distance, only for the Chinese to power back for yet another win.
The Chinese charge was evident from the gun. Montag was the only outlier in a group of seven that appeared to catch Katarzyna Zdzieblo by surprise.
The 2022 double world silver medallist from Poland quickly made up the ground in front of her home crowd, and the lightning start eased a notch to allow Australia&rsquo;s Rebecca Henderson, Bolivia&rsquo;s Angela Castro and China&rsquo;s Yin Lamei to latch on.
It was short lived. Just after 3km the leaders were already down to three with Peng Li struggling to make up a three-second gap. Liu, Montag and 2012 Olympic champion Qieyang Shijie were determined to make it a three-woman race way before quarter distance, and as the heat rose to an unwelcome 24C, so did the pace.
From this point there was no one else within 200 metres, and significant gaps beyond that. 21-year-old Peng was now alongside Zdzieblo for fourth and fifth places. The latter was already hurling double bottles of water over her in an attempt to keep cool.
In contrast, Liu and Montag stared impassively into the distance behind dark glasses while Qieyang&rsquo;s strained face suggested life in the fast lane was less than comfortable. In fact, the multiple world medallist appeared to get uncoupled just short of halfway.
But the pink-capped 33-year-old has previously won big races with a big heart, and she was not about to surrender this early. She hauled herself back into contention for the next two kilometres, just as Zdzieblo detached herself from Peng.
But with 55 minutes on the clock, a dip of the head from Qieyang said volumes. She realised her race for first was over as the leading pair powered on.
With five out of 16 1.2km laps left, Montag made her move with the Australian&rsquo;s economic arm action moving all the quicker as she opened up a three-second gap on Liu. But the former world record-holder was far from done. She not only clawed back the lead, but nosed ahead to leave the Australian looking spent.
Liu then lit the afterburners to underline her class, and even broke into a rare smile as she lapped up acclaim from supporters on the course over the last circuit.
She finished in 1:27:33. Montag was 24 seconds back, and Qieyang was third in 1:28:14. A long way back, Zdzieblo, walking solo, recorded 1:31:18 for fourth with Shi Yuxia fifth in 1:31:27.
Following her 1:26:47 in Taicang in March, her best for three years, and now this victory against a world-class field, few would bet against Liu earning her 10th global medal at the Paris Olympics in August.
<h2>Qian defeats defending champion Bonfim</h2>
Qian, the World University Games silver medallist, took the men&rsquo;s race by the scruff of the neck over the last 4km to deny Caio Bonfim a second successive triumph in the Polish capital. He crossed the line in 1:19:04, just 13 seconds shy of the PB he set in Taicang in March, while Bonfim came home in 1:19:16 for his third podium finish in a Gold Tour race this year.
Two-time world champion Toshikazu Yamanishi made a welcome return to finish behind the leading pair in 1:19:36. The Japanese was the only one to give chase when the leading pair took off just after halfway, but a short gap to the leaders proved tantalisingly elusive.
From the gun, Bonfim wasted no time at the front but had Tomohiro Noda and Zhang Jun for company. A loose group of 12 was positioned behind the trio with the rest of the field strung out behind them.
Brazil&rsquo;s Bonfim hit his stopwatch just two seconds shy of 8:00 for the first 2km, by which time the dozen chasers had closed the gap. This included five Chinese, Yamanishi, Australia&rsquo;s Declan Tingay and Rhydian Cowley with Jefferson Segura from Mexico living in rarefied company.
Just after 26 minutes, Qian showed intent with the leaders trimmed to nine, but the tiny gap was quickly closed. Noda from Japan was desperately trying to hang on their coattails, but the yellow vested Gianluca Pichiottino of Italy was looking comfortable in the middle of the group.
Exactly on 40 minutes, China&rsquo;s Zhao Xiangfei forged a five-metre gap and then surprised spectators by immediately stepping off the road. At the same time, Bonfim and Qian moved through the gears to leave everyone in their wake &ndash; everyone, that is, except Yamanishi.
The Japanese went after the leaders but found the 15-metre gap to the pair ahead of him a bridge too far on this occasion. But his losses were slight compared to the chasers.
There was no sight of the earlier group, not even in the far distance as Bonfim and Qian passed the water station with five laps to go. With three laps left, Qian made his winning bid. As he did so, there was the tell-tale sign of Bonfim&rsquo;s head beginning to dip &ndash; and so it proved.
At the same moment, Qian got a ride off lapped team-mate Wen Yongjie, but useful as it was, the leader was already headed for the winning tape, which he crossed in 1:19:05. Bonfim followed 12 seconds later, then Yamanishi finished in 1:19:37.
Behind the first three, Cowley clocked 1:19:46 for fourth. Pichiottino hung on for an isolated but solid fifth, and Tingay got ahead to claim sixth just ahead of Noda.
Paul Warburton for World Athletics
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Liu Hong (CHN) 1:27:33 2 Jemima Montag (AUS) 1:27:56 3 Qieyang Shijie (CHN) 1:28:14 4 Katarzyna Zdzieblo (POL) 1:31:18 5 Shi Yuxia (CHN) 1:31:27 6 Peng Li (CHN) 1:31:29 7 Olivia Sandery (AUS) 1:32:35 8 Qiji Zhouma (CHN) 1:32:53 9 Alejandra Ortega (MEX) 1:34:51 10 Angela Castro (BOL) 1:34:58
Men 1 Qian Haifeng (CHN) 1:19:05 2 Caio Bonfim (BRA) 1:19:17 3 Toshikazu Yamanishi (JPN) 1:19:37 4 Rhydian Cowley (AUS) 1:19:46 5 Gianluca Picchiottino (ITA) 1:20:46 6 Declan Tingay (AUS) 1:21:01 7 Tomohiro Noda (JPN) 1:21:08 8 Michele Antonelli (ITA) 1:21:28 9 Artur Brzozowski (POL) 1:21:46 10 Kevin Campion (FRA) 1:23:26

Liu Hong triumphs in 1:27:33, Qian Haifeng takes breakthrough win in 1:19:05

Liu and Qian claim Chinese double in Warsaw

The first eight teams to have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in each the five disciplines being contested at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 have been confirmed following the opening day of competition in Nassau.
Fourteen teams in the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x100m and 4x400m plus the mixed 4x400m in Nassau this weekend (4-5 May) automatically qualify for places at the Paris Olympics. 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.
Three nations &ndash; France, Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland and USA &ndash; each qualified four teams for Paris, while another three &ndash; Canada, Italy and Poland &ndash; qualified three each.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/wre-bahamas-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6637c562537764b490458732.png" alt="WRE Bahamas 24 highlights" /></a>
&nbsp;
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The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/bahamas24/news/report/bahamas-24-report-4x400m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mixed 4x400m</a> heats got the session started in record-breaking fashion. In this first round alone, eight teams finished inside the previous championship record that had stood for seven years - USA&rsquo;s 3:11.52 to win heat two topping the lot.
USA also led the first round in <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/bahamas24/news/report/bahamas-24-report-4x100m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">both the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x100m</a>, while Ireland set a national record to top the list of <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/bahamas24/news/report/bahamas-24-report-4x400m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">women&rsquo;s 4x400m</a> qualifiers and Botswana pipped South Africa in a brilliant <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/bahamas24/news/report/bahamas-24-report-4x400m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">men&rsquo;s 4x400m</a> battle.
Teams will compete for prize money and Olympic lane seeding positions in Sunday&rsquo;s finals. All other teams will race in the additional round where the top two teams in each of the three heats will also qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Following the qualification of 14 teams per event in Nassau, the remaining two places for Paris in each discipline will be awarded based on top lists during the qualification period (31 December 2022 to 30 June 2024).
<h2>Teams qualified for Paris</h2>
Women&rsquo;s 4x100m Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Netherlands, Poland, United States
Men&rsquo;s 4x100m Canada, China, France, Great Britain &amp; NI, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, United States
Women&rsquo;s 4x400m Canada, France, Great Britain &amp; NI, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, United States
Men&rsquo;s 4x400m Belgium, Botswana, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, South Africa
Mixed 4x400m Belgium, Dominican Republic, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, United States

The first eight teams to have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in each the five disciplines being contested at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 have been confirmed following the opening day of competition

First 40 relay teams qualified for Paris 2024

Up until the final discipline on day one at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24, it seemed as though sprints powerhouse USA and Paris 2024 Games hosts France would secure Olympic qualification in all five disciplines. But it all came crashing down for both teams in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m.
USA was disqualified from the first heat for moving out of the assigned order at one of the changeovers, while France&rsquo;s second-leg runner Thomas Jordier &ndash; who had contested the mixed relay earlier in the day &ndash; suffered an injury in the fourth and final heat. Both teams will get a second chance in the Olympic qualification round two on Sunday, but they would have preferred to have got the job done today.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/wre-bahamas-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6637c562537764b490458732.png" alt="WRE Bahamas 24 highlights" /></a>
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Botswana &ndash; bolstered by a stunning 43.49 split from world 100m silver medallist Letsile Tebogo on leg two &ndash; produced the fastest clocking of the day in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m heats, prevailing by 0.03 in a close battle with South Africa, 2:59.73 to 2:59.76.
Tebogo had put Botswana into the lead, then world record-holder Wayde van Niekerk regained pole position for South Africa on leg three. But Bayapo Ndori produced a 43.95 anchor for Botswana to give them victory in one of the closest finishes of the evening.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66370befce559ee9034a5369.jpg" alt="Botswana wins their 4x400m heat at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24" />
Botswana wins their 4x400m heat at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 (&copy; Francesca Grana)
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World indoor champions Belgium also impressed. Anchored by world indoor 400m champion Alexander Doom, the Belgian quartet won their heat convincingly in 3:00.09 with Nigeria a distant second in 3:01.70.
In the first of the four heats, USA lived up to expectations by crossing the line in first place. But it later emerged that one of the US quartet had intentionally moved out of the set order for one of the changeovers, landing the team with a disqualification.
It meant that Japan, who had initially crossed the line in second place, were declared winners in 3:00.98 from Germany (3:01.25).
The third heat was the slowest but most competitive with five teams still in contention as they approached the final 100 metres of the last leg.
Italy&rsquo;s Davide Re eventually pulled ahead to win in 3:01.68, while Britain&rsquo;s Lewis Davey found space on the inside to move past Qatar and the Netherlands, claiming the runner-up spot in 3:02.10.
The 23 teams who missed out on Olympic qualification today will have another chance on Sunday of ensuring their place in Paris. The top six teams in the Olympic qualification round two will join the eight automatic qualifiers from Saturday.
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<h2>USA dominate in record-breaking mixed 4x400m round</h2>
Just three minutes and 12.16 seconds after the gun had fired for the first event at the World Relays, a championship record had been broken.
The Dutch quartet &ndash; featuring Femke Bol and Lieke Klaver, world champions in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m indoors and out &ndash; took more than two seconds off the championship record that had stood for seven years.
World indoor silver medallist Klaver moved the team from fourth to second with her 49.57 split on leg two. But the Netherlands still trailed The Bahamas, with Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo running a 49.70 split to give the host nation a lead of 0.78 at the half-way point.
Olympic champion Steven Gardiner then doubled The Bahamas&rsquo; lead on leg three, but the Netherlands still had Bol to come on the anchor leg, while The Bahamas had had to draft in teenager Shania Adderley after Anthonique Strachan had experienced shin pains in warm-up.
Adderley acquitted herself well and held the lead until about half-way through her leg before Bol breezed past. The world 400m hurdles champion ran a 49.54 anchor to finish in 3:12.16.
World 400m champion Marileidy Paulino produced a stunning 48.93 split to take the Dominican Republic from fifth to second and into an Olympic qualifying spot.
Just 11 minutes later, the championship record was smashed again, this time by world champions USA. Matthew Boling, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Ryan Willie and Kendall Ellis teamed up to win in 3:11.52, finishing more than two seconds ahead of Nigeria (3:13.79).
The championship record survived for the remaining two heats, but Ireland was rewarded with a national record of 3:12.50 with their surprise win in heat three.
Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley provided the star power, clocking splits of 49.64 and 50.13 on legs two and four respectively. They held off a strong challenge from Belgium, who took second place in 3:13.18 ahead of world silver medallists Great Britain (3:13.52).
In heat four, meanwhile, Olympic champions Poland showed renewed form to win in 3:13.53, helped by a 49.84 anchor leg from world silver medallist Natalia Kaczmarek. Olympic hosts France claimed the runner-up spot and a place at their home Games in 3:14.71.
While the likes of The Bahamas, Great Britain and Jamaica missed out on an automatic Olympic qualifying place today, they&rsquo;ll have a chance of claiming one of the six remaining places on Sunday.
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<h2>Double duty sees Ireland take top qualifying spot in women&rsquo;s 4x400m</h2>
Less than two hours after setting a national record to win their heat and qualify for the Olympics in the mixed 4x400m, Ireland did exactly the same thing in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m &ndash; thanks, again, to the efforts of Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley.
Running the same legs that they did in the mixed event, Rhasidat went even quicker with a 49.48 clocking, while Mawdsley produced a 50.98 split to hold off the challenge of Britain&rsquo;s Lina Nielsen. Ireland crossed the line in a national record of 3:24.38 while Great Britain finished second in 3:24.89.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66370c15ce559ee9034a536c.jpg" alt="Ireland wins their heat in the women's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24" />
Ireland wins their heat in the women's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 (&copy; Francesca Grana)
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World silver medallist Natalia Kaczmarek was another athlete on double duty. She anchored the Polish team to victory in the third heat in 3:27.11, while an inspired French team claimed the second Olympic qualifying spot in 3:28.06 ahead of Jamaica (3:29.03).
Olympic champions USA ensured they&rsquo;ll be in Paris to defend their title, taking the fourth and final heat in 3:24.76 to finish more than two seconds ahead of their nearest opponents. Norway&rsquo;s Henriette Jaeger ran a 49.94 split to cross the line in second place in a national record of 3:26.89, finishing 0.3 ahead of the more favoured Belgian quartet.
In the first of four heats, Italy pulled off a surprise victory over Canada. A 50.56 split from Alice Mangione gave the Italians the lead, finishing in 3:26.28 to Canada&rsquo;s 3:27.17. World champions Netherlands &ndash; with a team that did not feature Femke Bol or Lieke Klaver &ndash; placed third in 3:28.10.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Two out of three ain't bad for France and USA in 4x400m events

Mixed fortunes for USA and France in 4x400m heats at WRE Bahamas 24

Both US teams made a statement in the first round of the 4x100m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24 on Saturday (4), dominating their heats to storm into Sunday&rsquo;s finals and &ndash; more importantly &ndash; secure their spots for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
With the top two teams in each of the four heats automatically qualifying for Paris, it was all to race for. Olympic hosts France also ensured they&rsquo;ll have two teams on the start line in Paris, their men&rsquo;s quartet clinching a heat win and their women&rsquo;s team finishing runner-up to USA.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos/playlist/wre-bahamas-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6637c562537764b490458732.png" alt="WRE Bahamas 24 highlights" /></a>
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In the first round of the men&rsquo;s competition, fans were treated to a clash between Olympic champions Italy and world champions USA. Courtney Lindsey started things off for USA and he handed the baton to Kenny Bednarek. It was Olympic 200m silver medallist against Olympic 100m champion on the second leg, as Bednarek went head-to-head with Marcell Jacobs.&nbsp;
Kyree King took over from Bednarek before Noah Lyles &ndash; the treble world champion &ndash; ran the anchor. As Lyles sprinted away, Filippo Tortu was left to chase him home as USA won in a world-leading 37.49, more than half a second ahead of Italy in 38.14. The 2019 World Relays winners Brazil finished third in 38.79.
Since the last World Athletics Relays in 2021 in Silesia, where Italy won the men&rsquo;s 4x100m, there have been three major global titles on offer. Each was won by a different nation and the third of those victorious teams &ndash; 2022 world champions Canada &ndash; also finished on top in Nassau.&nbsp;
Anchored by Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse, Canada comfortably won the third heat, clocking 38.11, but there was a fierce battle for second. Australia had the advantage at the final handover but Jamaica&rsquo;s Sandrey Davison came through to pip Joshua Azzopardi by just four thousandths of a second, with both teams clocking 38.50. It means Australia will be among the teams running in Sunday&rsquo;s &lsquo;Olympic qualifying round 2&rsquo;, where the top two teams in each race will also qualify for Paris.
France didn&rsquo;t seem satisfied to only secure their spot for the home Olympics &ndash; they wanted to do so in style. The team was up against 2017 world champions Great Britain in heat two and Aymeric Priam held off Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, who also brought the baton home during GB's world title win, 38.32 to 38.36.
&ldquo;We have been working on this for two years, so I am glad we achieved the qualification,&rdquo; said Jeff Erius, France's second leg runner. &ldquo;All French teams have qualified so far. It&rsquo;s a great start.&rdquo;
The fourth and final heat came down to a battle between Japan and China. While Japan led into the final leg, China had by far the smoother changeover, but as China&rsquo;s Chen Jiapeng challenged, Japan&rsquo;s Sota Miwa responded to win by 0.15 in 38.10.
Among those joining Brazil and Australia in fighting for Paris places again on Sunday will be Trinidad and Tobago, who finished third in heat two, and South Africa, third in heat four.
<h2>Paris place secured, USA eyes faster time in final</h2>
When it comes to the women&rsquo;s 4x100m, either the United States or Jamaica had won at the three global championships held since the last World Athletics Relays. While world champions USA cruised through the first round in Nassau, Olympic champions Jamaica didn&rsquo;t enjoy such a smooth ride and they will also be among the teams returning on Sunday to have another go at Olympic qualification.
The US quartet of Tamari Davis, Gabby Thomas, Celera Barnes and Melissa Jefferson dominated from start to finish to win the first heat in 42.21.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6636f180e4618185cd8ff528.jpg" alt="USA's 4x100m women celebrate their Olympic qualification" />
USA's 4x100m women celebrate their Olympic qualification (&copy; Francesca Grana)
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Davis got a strong start and she handed the baton to her world title-winning teammate Thomas, the individual Olympic and world 200m medallist, with a narrow lead. Thomas maintained the advantage and the team was unchallenged from there, as Barnes took over and then Jefferson brought them home to secure the first Olympic 4x100m place of the competition.
France were challenged by Nigeria in the closing stages, with a fast-finishing Tima Godbless chasing French anchor Mallory Leconte, but Leconte managed to hold on to claim the second qualification spot - 43.09 to 43.15.
&ldquo;We came together and made it happen in such a short time,&rdquo; said Thomas. &ldquo;Tomorrow, I believe we will do better and can be faster.&rdquo;
There was no hiding Poland&rsquo;s delight following their heat two win. The team started well but China, Italy and Canada soon started to make their presence felt. At the final changeover, those four teams were pretty evenly matched and they ran in a row down the home straight. But Ewa Swoboda, Poland&rsquo;s world indoor 60m silver medallist, proved the most poweful and she overcame her rivals to win in 42.81. Canada secured second in 42.98, 0.05 ahead of China, with 2021 winners Italy finishing fourth.
Germany won the women's 4x100m when The Bahamas last hosted the World Athletics Relays in 2017 and seven years later they got their campaign off to a successful start. Two of the nation&rsquo;s 2022 world bronze medal-winning team members &ndash; Rebekka Haase and Gina Luckenkemper &ndash; were on the team again this time and Haase crossed the finish line to win the third heat in 42.72.
While Australia&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s team missed out on an automatic qualifying spot for Paris by thousandths of a second, the women&rsquo;s team clinched one by the same margin as Ebony Lane, Bree Masters, Ella Connolly and Torrie Lewis clocked an Oceanian record of 42.83 to deny Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire by 0.003. That was despite a strong anchor leg from multiple global medallist Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, that initially looked as though it may have been enough.
There were huge cheers as athletes took to the start line for the fourth and final heat, with world indoor 60m hurdles champion and world record-holder Devynne Charlton leading off for the host nation.&nbsp;
It was Liberia, through Ebony Morrison, that seemed to get the best start, but Great Britain soon looked in control. Asha Philip handed over to Imani Lansiquot before Bianca Williams took over. From there, it was down to Amy Hunt to get the baton home and she did so in the second-quickest time of the day &ndash; 42.33.&nbsp;
The Netherlands, anchored by Tasa Jiya, secured second in 42.88, finishing ahead of Liberia with a national record of 43.15.
The Bahamas, finishing fourth, will return to the track on Sunday for another shot at a Paris spot, along with teams such as heat one third-place finishers Nigeria, Jamaica and Ecuador, who ran a national record of 43.67 for fifth in their heat.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Both US teams made a statement in the first round of the 4x100m at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24

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