US and Kenya get second chance in men's 4x400, South Africa too in 4x100
World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 - Men's 4 x 400m Relay Round 1 - Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - September 20, 2025 General view of athletes in action during heat 1 REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski
TOKYO :The United States and Kenya will run a head-to-head race for an additional place in the men's world 4x400m final on Sunday morning - the day of the final - after both were judged to have been impeded as they failed to qualify from Saturday's heats.
The same lineups for both teams will run at 10.40 a.m. local time and whoever wins, whatever their time, will become the ninth finalist later on Sunday.
After a chaotic night of relay action, South Africa will also be given a second chance in the men's 4x100. The same four men will run alone at 10.33 a.m. local time and if they run 38.34 seconds or better (France's time as the eighth-placed team) they will be entered as the ninth team in the final.
The relays always offer fast and furious action but with, unusually, all four sets of heats being held on the same night, it was unrelenting.
The United States' men, winners of nine of the last 10 world 4x400s, can consider themselves lucky to get a second chance as they were already struggling near the back before the Zambians obstructed them at the second changeover and finished sixth.
Kenya recovered from their barging to finish fourth, with only the first three to automatically qualify.
BOTSWANA WIN SECOND HEAT IN 4x400 METRES
Botswana, the Olympic silver medallists, had three finalists in the individual 400m final on Thursday, though gold medallist Busang Collen Kebinatshipi was rested from the heats.
Their quartet were still strong enough to win the second heat ahead of Belgium and Australia, who set an area record but were disqualified, along with Brazil, for an illegal changeover.
The U.S. had no such problems in the women’s event, emphatically winning their heat as they bid to regain the title after being dethroned from their usual top step by the Netherlands in 2023.
Even without rested superstar one-lapper Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, they posted a world-leading 3 minutes 22.53 – marginally faster than Jamaica, winners of the first heat.
The Dutch, resting 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol, also went through, while Norway ran a national record 3:23.84 to progress.
Britain have won silver or bronze in nine of the past 10 world championships but were never in contention in the first heat, finishing last.
US MEN AVOID CALAMITIES IN 4X100
The U.S. men avoided any calamities in the 4x100 but trailed in second behind a very impressive Canada team, the Olympic champions.
The roof nearly came off the Olympic Stadium in the second heat when a well-drilled Japan, still seeking a first medal on the track after some success in the race walks, finished third in their heat to qualify for the final.
Ghana won it in a national record 37.79.
There were some high-profile failures too as Britain and Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions Italy messed up changeovers. The Italians in the process brought down South Africa, who got their rerun chance as a result.
Jamaica, who claimed first and second in the men's individual 100m, also failed to progress.
Jamaica’s women, featuring a mid-race changeover from one twin to another as Tia Clayton passed to Tina, were impressive winners of their heat in 41.80.
That was quickly surpassed by the United States as Sha'Carri Richardson brought them home in a world-leading 41.60.
Germany and Britain are also likely to be in the mix.
All four finals take place on Sunday, the last night of the championships.
