There was a question many fans were asking during the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25, particularly in the women&rsquo;s events, as the yellow and orange vests were to the fore in various races: when did Spain get so good at relays?
First, there was their victory in qualification round one of the women&rsquo;s 4x100m, their quartet of Esperanca Cladera, Jael Bestue, Paula Sevilla and Maria Isabel Perez setting a national record of 42.18 to defeat a formidable Jamaican line-up of Tina Clayton, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Tia Clayton and Shericka Jackson.&nbsp;
A day later, they proved it was no fluke. Finishing ahead of Jamaica, and USA, Spain claimed the runner-up spot behind Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland in the final, clocking 42.28.&nbsp;
Then, in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m final, Sevilla, Eva Santidrian, Daniela Fra and Blanca Hervas teamed up to take victory, clocking a national record of 3:24.13 to beat USA (3:24.72) and South Africa (3:24.84).&nbsp;
Before last weekend, Spain had never made the podium at the World Relays. They have only one relay medal in the history of the World Athletics Indoor Championships &ndash; a silver in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m from 2022 &ndash; and no relay medals on the track at the World Athletics Championships or at the Olympics.&nbsp;
But here they were, mixing it with the sprint superpowers, with another national record falling in the mixed 4x400m as David Garcia, Carmen Aviles, Samuel Garcia and Blanca Hervas clocked 3:12.55 to win the second qualification round and book a place at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 later this year.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6820c115d4224faec7754d35.jpg" alt="The Spanish mixed 4x400m team celebrates at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25" />
The Spanish mixed 4x400m team celebrates at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 (&copy; Getty Images for World Athletics)
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So, how did Spain get so good at relays?
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a good question,&rdquo; said Bestue, who was part of the mixed and women&rsquo;s 4x100m teams in Guangzhou. &ldquo;We do a lot of relay camps to improve our relay team because we think it&rsquo;s a big opportunity for us in international championships. We work on the changes and work so hard on the confidence &ndash; to trust in our teammates.&rdquo;
Bestue faced disappointment in the mixed 4x100m in Guangzhou, her handoff to a male teammate, Adria Alfonso, going wrong and seeing them break the zone, but there were no such issues in the women&rsquo;s 4x100m an hour later &ndash; the Spaniards&rsquo; slick exchanges on show as they powered to victory in a national record.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We have a plan, we follow the plan,&rdquo; said Bestue. &ldquo;We do the training camps, we train together, we push each other. We are a good team. We do a lot of activities together; we are like sisters.&rdquo;
Hervas, who anchored Spain to victory and a national record in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m, believes team spirit is key to their rise, with the relay squads coming together several times each year for training camps, working on exchanges but also sharing ideas and feeding off each other.
&ldquo;Obviously, 99% of our work is at home with our coaches, but then getting together and having that really good relationship &ndash; we&rsquo;re in touch the whole year,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;That helps us share our goals.&rdquo;
Santidrian ran the second leg for the women&rsquo;s 4x400m team, splitting their fastest leg of 50.58, and she believes there&rsquo;s more to success than a collection of strong individuals.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The best thing we have is that we&rsquo;re really close friends and I feel like that makes us run all together so if one of us gets better, all of us get better.&rdquo; She said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re young and we&rsquo;re growing together. Also, our national coaches are helping with a lot of training camps.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6824a8b37036f914f175558a.jpg" alt="Blanca Hervas anchors Spain to women's 4x400m victory in Guangzhou" />
Blanca Hervas anchors Spain to women's 4x400m victory in Guangzhou (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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Spain had only ever reached one global championships final in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m &ndash; in 1991 &ndash; and their time of 3:27.57 from that race stood as the national record until last year, when it was broken at the World Relays. They hadn&rsquo;t sent a women&rsquo;s 4x400m team to the Olympics between 1996 and 2021, or the World Championships between 2003 and 2019. But their current success owes much to a seed that was planted a long time ago, then nurtured with investment and a focus on strengthening relay teams.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Basically, it&rsquo;s a lot of work that we started eight, nine years ago,&rdquo; said Jose Peiro Guixot, the national coach with the Spanish athletics federation (RFEA). &ldquo;Thanks to that (investment), we can improve everything and we hope to still have this investment in the relays to continue improving. We created a national relay plan and started to work with all the teams and, slowly, we started to revive things. We&rsquo;re not at the finish line. Despite the success today, we don&rsquo;t want to stop. We want to continue working.&rdquo;
He said the team &ldquo;dreamt of two gold medals&rdquo; in Guangzhou but added that the return of one first place and one second place &ndash; leaving them third overall behind South Africa and USA &ndash; was a &ldquo;very good result&rdquo;.
Andoni Calbano was part of a youthful Spanish quartet that competed in an additional mixed 4x100m race on Sunday and he said the performances of the women in Guangzhou were &ldquo;very inspiring&rdquo; for the entire team.&nbsp;
&ldquo;How they work, how their attitude is for the competition, everything they say,&rdquo; he explained. &ldquo;Individually, we are not the best (nation) so the changes must be good, and you can see that in the women&rsquo;s 4x1 &ndash; they did it perfectly.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6820ddd9d204d2dd6391ad08.jpg" alt="Great Britain wins the 4x100m final at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou" />
Great Britain wins the 4x100m final from Spain and Jamaica at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou (&copy; Getty Images)
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Perez took the baton in front in the women&rsquo;s 4x100m final and while she was passed by British anchor Success Eduan, she held off the formidable challenge of Jamaica&rsquo;s Jackson and USA&rsquo;s Twanisha Terry to claim a memorable second place.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I felt very nervous when I could see the other team is so close,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I was very stressed, and I just told myself to run faster and faster.&rdquo;
Even better was to come in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m final, where the team nicknamed the &lsquo;Golden Bubbles&rsquo; in Spain powered to victory, anchored by a superb 50.59 second leg from Hervas.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Myself and all of them never felt like this before,&rdquo; said Hervas. &ldquo;We are crazy excited: gold medal, World Relays champion, national record, everything. It&rsquo;s my biggest dream. To our coaches, to our families, thank you for everything. This is their medal, too.&rdquo;
It marked a magnificent end to an unforgettable weekend for Spain, and in terms of their rise in relays, it might only be the beginning.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Our mind is always thinking about the Olympics, so our first goal is to get as many teams as possible at the Olympics,&rdquo; said Peiro, the national coach. &ldquo;After that, (it&rsquo;s to) have as many teams as possible in the Olympic finals. After that, after what we have seen today, why not dream of medals?&rdquo;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

World Athletics Relays

Spain mixed it with the superpowers at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25

Spain's rise in the relays on show in Guangzhou

Sprint stars Letsile Tebogo and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce are among the 45 reigning world and Olympic medallists who will compete at the Jetour Doha Meeting &ndash; the third leg of this year&rsquo;s Wanda Diamond League series &ndash; on Friday (16).
After racing the 100m at the Diamond League meetings in Xiamen and Shanghai/Keqiao, Botswana&rsquo;s Tebogo will step back up to his favoured distance in Doha. The world athlete of the year won Olympic 200m gold and 4x400m silver in Paris last year and dipped under 20 seconds in nine 200m races in 2024. He will be looking to break that barrier for the first time this year when he makes his Doha Diamond League debut.
&ldquo;Last year was tough both emotionally and physically but I&rsquo;m excited to compete and to see how the season develops,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a very long season, but I&rsquo;m more experienced and mature and I&rsquo;m ready to push my body to its limits and make every moment count.&rdquo;
Challenging him in Doha will be Canada&rsquo;s Aaron Brown and US athletes Courtney Lindsey and Kyree King, who all competed at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou last weekend, plus South Africa&rsquo;s Olympic relay silver medallist Shaun Maswanganyi.
The Jamaican quartet of Fraser-Pryce, Natasha Morrison, Tia Clayton and Tina Clayton also ran at the World Relays and return to individual action in the 100m in Doha. Multiple Olympic and world gold medallist Fraser-Pryce is among the stars making their Diamond League season debuts at the Qatar Sports Club, in what is set to be her final year of competition. They will line up alongside two-time world indoor 60m champion Mujinga Kambundji.
The 400m will pit two-time world medallist Sada Williams against Natalia Bukowiecka, Lieke Klaver and Salwa Eid Naser, while the 400m hurdles features Carl Bengtstrom, who was third in Shanghai/Keqiao, plus CJ Allen and Malik James-King. The 110m hurdles includes a clash of Olympic medallists, as Daniel Roberts and Rasheed Broadbell renew their rivalry.
In the high jump, New Zealand&rsquo;s Hamish Kerr and Jamaica&rsquo;s Raymond Richards will compete again after respectively claiming silver and bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March. The entry list also includes home favourite Mutaz Barshim &ndash; Kerr's predecessor as Olympic champion &ndash; although Barshim did not compete at his own What Gravity Challenge meeting in Doha last week and he may also miss this Diamond League event as he continues to work towards a return later this season. Contenders also include Japan&rsquo;s Ryoichi Akamatsu, who like Richards cleared 2.26m at the What Gravity Challenge.
Doha has hosted many thrilling javelin contests in recent years and the 2025 meeting looks set to offer another. Czechia&rsquo;s Jakub Vadlejch had been the runner-up in Doha the previous two years but in 2024 he beat defending champion Neeraj Chopra by just two centimetres to clinch victory and they both return this year. Vadlejch is a multiple world and Olympic medallist, while India&rsquo;s Chopra is the world and Tokyo Olympic champion, and in Doha they will take on Olympic bronze medallist Anderson Peters, Keshorn Walcott, Julian Weber and Julius Yego.
Big clashes are also on the cards in the discus and pole vault. In the discus, Australia&rsquo;s Olympic bronze medallist Matt Denny &ndash; who moved to second on the world all-time list with his 74.78m throw in Ramona in April &ndash; will compete against Sweden&rsquo;s two-time world champion and Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Daniel Stahl plus Slovenia&rsquo;s 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh, who won in Doha in both 2023 and 2024.
Two Paris Olympic medallists go head-to-head in the pole vault, too, as USA&rsquo;s Katie Moon and Canada&rsquo;s Alysha Newman compete again, joined by Great Britain&rsquo;s 2024 world indoor champion Molly Caudery &ndash; the 2024 winner in Doha &ndash; and USA&rsquo;s Sandi Morris.
Olympic champion Thea LaFond and Olympic silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts will clash in a triple jump field that also features world long jump champion Ivana Spanovic, testing herself in the triple jump for the first time since 2022.
The full Paris Olympic podium will meet in the 3000m steeplechase &ndash; Bahrain&rsquo;s gold medallist Winfred Yavi taking on Uganda&rsquo;s Peruth Chemutai and Kenya&rsquo;s Faith Cherotich in a contest that also includes World Athletics Rising Star award winner Sembo Almayew, who finished fifth in Paris.
The top two from Shanghai/Keqiao &ndash; Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Berihu Aregawi and Kuma Girma &ndash; go in the 5000m against Dominic Lobalu, who finished fourth at the Olympics. The 800m stars another Olympic fourth-place finisher in Bryce Hoppel, as he races Tshepiso Masalela, Slimane Moula and Andreas Kramer. Olympic and world indoor finalist Susan Ejore races her Kenyan compatriot Nelly Chepchirchir plus Adelle Tracey and Jemma Reekie in the 1500m.

Sprint stars Letsile Tebogo and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce are among the 45 reigning world and Olympic medallists who will compete in the Diamond League meeting on Friday

Tebogo and Fraser-Pryce among the many major medallists ready to descend on Doha

A total of 49 titles will be won at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 over nine thrilling days of competition from 13-21 September 2025.
For many athletes, the journey in Japan&rsquo;s capital will begin with qualification rounds and heats &ndash; but when will the leading athletes be going for gold?
Here&rsquo;s a breakdown of when the finals for every event will take place.
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/100-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100 metres</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 100m final: Sunday 14 September, 10:13pm JST Men&rsquo;s 100m final: Sunday 14 September, 10:20pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/200-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">200 metres</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 200m final: Friday 19 September, 10:22pm JST Men&rsquo;s 200m final: Friday 19 September, 10:06pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/sprints/400-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">400 metres</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 400m final: Thursday 18 September, 10:24pm JST Men&rsquo;s 400m final: Thursday 18 September, 10:10pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/800-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">800 metres</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 800m final: Sunday 21 September, 7:35pm JST Men&rsquo;s 800m final: Saturday 20 September, 9:50pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/1500-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1500 metres</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 1500m final: Tuesday 16 September, 10:05pm JST Men&rsquo;s 1500m final: Wednesday 17 September, 10:20pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/5000-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5000 metres</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 5000m final: Saturday 20 September, 10:05pm JST Men&rsquo;s 5000m final: Sunday 21 September, 7:50pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/10000-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10,000 metres</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 10,000m final: Saturday 13 September, 9:30pm JST Men&rsquo;s 10,000m final: Sunday 14 September, 9:30pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/road-running/marathon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marathon</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s marathon: Sunday 14 September, 8:00am JST Men&rsquo;s marathon: Monday 15 September, 8:00am JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/3000-metres-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3000 metres steeplechase</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase final: Wednesday 17 September, 9:57pm JST Men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase final: Monday 15 September, 9:55pm JST
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6824bc8c0f338cb6e9bb5cb2.jpg" alt="Men's steeplechase action at the World Athletics Championships" />
Men's steeplechase action at the World Athletics Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/hurdles/100-metres-hurdles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100 metres hurdles</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles final: Monday 15 September, 10:20pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/hurdles/110-metres-hurdles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">110 metres hurdles</a></h3>
Men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles final: Tuesday 16 September, 10:20pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/hurdles/400-metres-hurdles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">400 metres hurdles</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles final: Friday 19 September, 9:27pm JST Men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles final: Friday 19 September, 9:15pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/combined-events/heptathlon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heptathlon</a></h3>
Final discipline of the women&rsquo;s heptathlon: 800m &ndash; Saturday 20 September, 9:06pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/combined-events/decathlon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Decathlon</a></h3>
Final discipline of the men&rsquo;s decathlon: 1500m &ndash; Sunday 21 September, 8:55pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/jumps/high-jump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">High jump</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s high jump final: Sunday 21 September, 7:30pm JST Men&rsquo;s high jump final: Tuesday 16 September, 8:35pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/jumps/pole-vault" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pole vault</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s pole vault final: Wednesday 17 September, 8:10pm JST Men&rsquo;s pole vault final: Monday 15 September, 8:10pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/jumps/long-jump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Long jump</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s long jump final: Sunday 14 September, 8:40pm JST Men&rsquo;s long jump final: Wednesday 17 September, 8:50pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/jumps/triple-jump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Triple jump</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s triple jump final: Thursday 18 September, 8:55pm JST Men&rsquo;s triple jump final: Friday 19 September, 8:50pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/throws/shot-put" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shot put</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s shot put final: Saturday 20 September, 7:56pm JST Men&rsquo;s shot put final: Saturday 13 September, 9:10pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/throws/discus-throw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Discus throw</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s discus final: Sunday 14 September, 7:10pm JST Men&rsquo;s discus final: Sunday 21 September, 8:00pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/throws/hammer-throw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hammer throw</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s hammer final: Monday 15 September, 9:00pm JST Men&rsquo;s hammer final: Tuesday 16 September, 9:00pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/throws/javelin-throw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Javelin throw</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s javelin final: Saturday 20 September, 9:10pm JST Men&rsquo;s javelin final: Thursday 18 September, 7:23pm JST
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6824bb0a246043b53db03e89.JPG" alt="Haruka Kitaguchi at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23" />
Haruka Kitaguchi at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (&copy; Giorgos Foteinakis for World Athletics)
</div>
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/race-walks/20-kilometres-race-walk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20 kilometres race walk</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 20km race walk: Saturday 20 September, 7:30am JST Men&rsquo;s 20km race walk: Saturday 20 September, 9:45am JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/race-walks/35-kilometres-race-walk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">35 kilometres race walk</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 35km race walk: Saturday 13 September, 8:00am JST Men&rsquo;s 35km race walk: Saturday 13 September, 8:00am JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/relays/4x100-metres-relay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">4x100 metres relay</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 4x100m final: Sunday 21 September, 9:10pm JST Men&rsquo;s 4x100m final: Sunday 21 September, 9:20pm JST
<h3><a href="https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/relays/4x400-metres-relay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">4x400 metres relay</a></h3>
Women&rsquo;s 4x400m final: Sunday 21 September, 8:40pm JST Men&rsquo;s 4x400m final: Sunday 21 September, 8:25pm JST Mixed 4x400m final: Saturday 13 September, 10:20pm JST
&nbsp;
Times stated are local time, JST (Japan Standard Time), and are subject to change. The latest timetable information is available on the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/tokyo25/timetable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WCH Tokyo 25 website</a>
&nbsp;

World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025

Find out when will the leading athletes be going for gold in Tokyo

Focus on finals at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25

With breathtaking baton exchanges, lightning-fast anchor legs, and edge-of-your-seat finishes, the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25&nbsp;delivered everything we could have hoped for.
We asked you to decide &ndash; and&nbsp;South Africa has been voted the best team at the World Relays!
The options were:
🏆 Spanish women's team Surprising everyone, the 4x400m team took the win with a national record, while the 4x100m team came second in the final, having set a national record of 42.18 in the heats. Paula Sevilla ran in both relays, with just 20 minutes between them.
🔥 South Africa team They won both men&rsquo;s relay finals (4x100m and 4x400m) and placed third in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m.
⚡ USA's mixed 4x400m team USA smashed the championship record and are cruising towards defending their title at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 this September.
&nbsp;

There couldn’t have been a better way to end the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25.

South Africa voted best team at the World Relays

A further 30 teams have qualified for relay events at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 following the final day of action at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 on Sunday (11).
Six teams in each of the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x100m and 4x400m plus the mixed 4x400m booked their places for Tokyo on day two. The&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/press-releases/first-40-relay-teams-qualified-wch-tokyo-25" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first 40 qualified teams were confirmed on Saturday</a>&nbsp;and the final 30 on Sunday, following a second World Championships qualifying round for teams that missed out on day one.
Teams that qualified on Saturday also progressed to their respective World Relays finals in Guangzhou, when they raced for prize money and preferential World Championships lane seeding positions.
Four federations &ndash; Belgium, France, Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland and USA &ndash; each qualified a full five teams for Tokyo, while another five &ndash; Canada, China, Germany, Italy and Poland &ndash; qualified four each.
USA set a championship record of 3:09.54 to win the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/report/guangzhou-25-report-4x400m-final" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mixed 4x400m</a>, while Spain&rsquo;s athletes stormed to another national record to win the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/report/guangzhou-25-report-4x400m-final" target="_blank" rel="noopener">women&rsquo;s 4x400m</a> in 3:24.13. South Africa won the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/report/guangzhou-25-report-4x400m-final" target="_blank" rel="noopener">men&rsquo;s 4x400m</a> in a world lead of 2:57.50, while the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/report/guangzhou-25-report-4x100m-finals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">4x100m</a> crowns were claimed by Great Britain &amp; NI for the women in 42.21 and South Africa for the men in a world lead of 37.61.
The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/report/guangzhou-25-report-4x100m-finals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mixed 4x100m</a> also made its global debut in Guangzhou and Canada claimed the inaugural World Relays crown, winning the final in 40.30.
While most of the relay tickets for Tokyo have now been secured, teams that missed out in Guangzhou do still have a chance to qualify. A further two World Championships places in each of the five disciplines will be awarded based on top lists during the qualification period (25 February 2024 to 24 August 2025).
<h3>The full 70 teams qualified for WCH Tokyo 25 in Guangzhou</h3>
Women&rsquo;s 4x100m Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Italy, Jamaica, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, United States
Men&rsquo;s 4x100m Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain &amp; NI, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Poland, South Africa, United States
Women&rsquo;s 4x400m Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United States
Men&rsquo;s 4x400m Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, China, France, Great Britain &amp; NI, Jamaica, Kenya, Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, South Africa, United States
Mixed 4x400m Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Poland, South Africa, Spain, United States
World Athletics

A further 30 teams have qualified for relay events at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 following the final day of action at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25

WCH Tokyo 25 relay fields take shape at World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25

The USA chopped more than a second off the championship record they set last year, winning the mixed 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 in 3:09.54.
It was redemption of sorts for the world record-holders, who missed out on gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, but here in Guangzhou their dominance was on full display as they won by almost three seconds.
The race was close at the half-way point with Australia and Kenya both contending for the lead alongside the USA. But a 44.16 effort from Johnnie Blockburger on the third leg gave the USA a comfortable lead ahead of Australia and Kenya.
Lynna Irby-Jackson, a regular fixture on USA&rsquo;s relay teams in recent years, extended the lead on the final leg with a stunning 49.53 split, crossing the line in 3:09.54, the eighth-fastest performance in history.
Australia finished second in an Oceanian record of 3:12.20 and Kenya held on to third place in 3:13.10 ahead of world and Olympic medallists Great Britain &amp; NI (3:14.74).
Earlier in the session, Spain and Italy won their respective heats in the second World Championships qualifying round.
Host nation China got off to a terrific start in the first heat with an opening leg of 44.91 from Liang Baotang. Germany, Jamaica and Spain were all in close contention on the following legs until Spain&rsquo;s Blanca Hervas pulled clear on the final stage to win for Spain in a national record of 3:12.55. Germany (3:13.35) and China (3:13.39) claimed the other World Championship qualifying spots, the latter with a national record.
The second heat was a three-way tussle between Italy, France and Canada. Less than half a second separated the three nations at the end as they claimed the coveted top three spots, Italy winning in 3:12.53 ahead of France (3:12.66) and Canada, who set a national record of 3:12.95.
<h3>Qualified for World Championships</h3>
Round 1 qualifiers: USA (3:09.54), Australia (3:12.20), Kenya (3:13.10), Great Britain &amp; NI (3:14.74), South Africa (3:16.29), Belgium (3:16.45), Poland (3:16.48), Ireland (3:19.64). Round 2 qualifiers: Italy (3:12.53), Spain (3:12.55), France (3:12.66), Canada (3:12.95), Germany (3:13.35), PR of China (3:13.39).
<h2> South Africa gains revenge in men&rsquo;s 4x400m</h2>
Less than half an hour after winning the men&rsquo;s 4x100m, South Africa notched up another victory, this time in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m.
With memories still fresh of the men&rsquo;s 4x400m at last year&rsquo;s World Relays, South Africa went into Sunday&rsquo;s final keen to avenge the defeat they suffered on that occasion at the hands of Botswana. Lee Bhekempilo Eppie gave Botswana an early lead on the first leg, handing over just ahead of Great Britain &amp; NI.
By the half-way point, Botswana continued to lead but South Africa was close behind in second, thanks to a 44.24 leg from Udeme Okon. Leendert Koekemoer maintained South Africa&rsquo;s pace on the third leg with an almost identical 44.23, which carried them into the lead towards the end of that stage with Botswana close behind.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6820be97374a1ec37f73008a.jpg" alt="South Africa leads the men's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25" />
South Africa leads the men's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 (&copy; Getty Images for World Athletics)
</div>
Zakithi Nene then pulled clear on the last leg for South Africa and powered through the line in 2:57.50, smashing the national record they set when finishing fifth in the Olympic final last year. Behind him, 2024 world indoor champion Alexander Doom had navigated his way through the field with a late charge, taking second place in 2:58.19 while Botswana held on for third in 2:58.27.
France, the world silver medallists, placed fourth in 2:58.80 and Kenya took fifth place in a national record of 2:59.29, assisted by a 43.59 leg by Boniface Mweresa. It was the first time outside of World Championships or Olympics that five teams had broken 3:00 in one race &ndash; and that was without the USA being in it.
As was the case last year, the USA had to race in the &lsquo;round two&rsquo; heats to try to secure their place at the World Championships. They managed to do that successfully, breaking free from an early challenge from Australia before going on to win by a second in 2:58.68. Australia finished second in 2:59.73, just 0.03 outside the national record set at the 1984 Olympics. Qatar secured the third World Championships qualifying place in that heat in a national record of 3:00.29.
The first heat in round two was a lot closer. The Netherlands managed to pull clear on the third leg, but Brazil reeled them back in the closing stages to win in 3:01.14. Netherlands held on to second (3:01.32) while Jamaica took the third qualifying spot (3:02.00).
<h3>Qualified for World Championships</h3>
Round 1 qualifiers: South Africa (2:57.50), Belgium (2:58.19), Botswana (2:58.27), France (2:58.80), Kenya (2:59.29), Great Britain &amp; NI (3:03.46), Portugal (3:04.52), PR of China (3:06.33). Round 2 qualifiers: USA (2:58.68), Australia (2:59.73), Qatar (3:00.29), Brazil (3:01.14), Netherlands (3:01.32), Jamaica (3:02.00).
<h2> Spain reigns in women&rsquo;s 4x400m</h2>
Of all of the surprising performances by the Spanish team in Guangzhou &ndash; and there were several &ndash; their victory in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m final was perhaps the most unexpected.
For context, Spain has only ever reached one global championships final in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m, and that was back in 1991. Their time of 3:27.57 from that race stood as the Spanish record up until last year when it was broken at the World Relays. And they hadn&rsquo;t sent women&rsquo;s 4x400m teams to the Olympics between 1996 and 2021, or the World Championships between 2003 and 2019.
Today in Guangzhou, though, Spain toppled the mighty USA to claim the women&rsquo;s 4x400m crown at the World Relays.
They did so with a stunning performance, smashing their national record by a second to win in 3:24.13.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6820becc374a1ec37f73008d.jpg" alt="The Spanish team after winning the women's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25" />
The Spanish team after winning the women's 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 (&copy; Getty Images for World Athletics)
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Paula Sevilla got the team off to a strong start with an opening leg of 51.84. Karimah Davis responded on the second leg with 50.03 to put the USA in the lead, but Spain were never far behind, nor were South Africa.
Daniela Fra regained the lead for Spain towards the end of the third leg, only for USA&rsquo;s Bailey Lear to kick back at the start of the anchor leg. But just when it seemed as though Lear would coast to a predicted victory for USA, Spain&rsquo;s Blanca Hervas &ndash; contesting her second race of the evening after competing in the mixed 4x400m earlier in the session &ndash; came storming down the home straight to pull clear and take the win in 3:24.13.
USA finished second in 3:24.72 while South Africa was close behind in third, setting a national record of 3:24.84. There was also a national record for Norway in fourth, helped by a 49.71 anchor from Henriette Jaeger.
The times achieved by the nations in the second World Championships qualifying round would have been competitive in the main final, but instead they had to compete for their places in Tokyo after missing out on automatic places in yesterday&rsquo;s first round.
Belgium, Poland and Great Britain &amp; NI were locked in battle for most of the way in the first heat. Britain&rsquo;s Nicole Yeargin managed to hold off strong challenges from Belgium&rsquo;s Helene Ponette and Poland&rsquo;s Natalia Bukowiecka to win in 3:24.46 ahead of Belgium (3:24.52) and Poland (3:24.56).
In the second heat, Ireland and Australia exchanged leads several times, but Sharlene Mawdsley eventually managed to pull clear on the final leg to win for Ireland in 3:24.69. Australia (3:27.31) and Switzerland (3:32.37) took the other two qualifying spots.
<h3>Qualified for World Championships</h3>
Round 1 qualifiers: Spain (3:24.13), USA (3:24.72), South Africa (3:24.84), Norway (3:25.35), Italy (3:26.40), France (3:26.87), Canada (3:27.84), Germany (3:29.65). Round 2 qualifiers: Great Britain &amp; NI (3:24.46), Belgium (3:24.52), Poland (3:24.56), Ireland (3:24.69), Australia (3:27.31), Switzerland (3:32.37).
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

The USA chopped more than a second off the championship record they set last year, winning the mixed 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 in 3:09.54

USA, Spain and South Africa claim 4x400m titles in Guangzhou

South Africa proved they will be a powerful force at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo as they stormed to the men&rsquo;s 4x100m title at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 on Sunday (11).
Great Britain &amp; NI won a thrilling women&rsquo;s 4x100m final, holding off surprise package Spain, while Canada made history by winning the inaugural World Relays mixed 4x100m crown. Earlier in the session, another 12 teams qualified for the 4x100m events at the World Championships in Tokyo, including China in both the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s events, much to the delight of the passionate and vocal home crowd at the Tianhe Sports Centre stadium.
Ahead of the competition, South African sprint star Akani Simbine had expressed how <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/feature/akani-simbine-relay-4x100m-guangzhou" target="_blank" rel="noopener">camaraderie is the key when it comes to relay success</a>. His squad&rsquo;s team spirit was on show in Guangzhou again on Sunday evening, as the world indoor 60m bronze medallist combined with Bayanda Walaza, Sinesipho Dambile and Bradley Nkoana to run a world lead of 37.61 &ndash; just 0.04 off the African record South Africa set when securing Olympic silver in Paris.
They denied USA by just 0.05, with Olympic champions Canada finishing third this time in 38.11.
The 19-year-old Walaza, who claimed 100m and 200m gold at the World U20 Championships in Lima last year, got things started for South Africa &ndash; up against Courtney Lindsey for USA, Aaron Brown for Canada and Naoki Okami for Japan.
Walaza handed over to Dambile and Brown to Jerome Blake, while two-time Olympic and world 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek took over for USA.
Nkoana and Kyree King ran the third legs for South Africa and USA, respectively, and let go of the batons at the same time &ndash; leaving the race down to Simbine and Brandon Hicklin. While Simbine seemed a fraction back as they approached the finish line, he timed his lean to perfection.
Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse completed Canada&rsquo;s full Olympic title-winning team in Guangzhou and De Grasse chased the top two over the finish line to secure third place ahead of Japan.
"Once I got the baton and I saw that USA was in front of us, I just said to myself, 'I need to catch the guy in front'," said Simbine. "I knew I could do it, and I just chased him. I feed from chasing, I feed from being able to chase. So it's really great to be able to be in that position and get through it and get to the line first."
Earlier in the evening, China ran the leading time in the second qualifying round for World Championships places. Shi Junhao, Zeng Keli, Wang Shengjie and He Jinxian claimed a heat three win in 38.03 ahead of Australia, with world indoor 60m silver medallist Lachlan Kennedy on the first leg, and they both achieved qualification for Tokyo.
They will be joined at the World Championships by France and Ghana, who respectively clocked 38.31 and 38.32 in a thrillingly close first heat, and Belgium and Kenya, who were also locked in an intense battle in the second heat &ndash; Belgium winning in a national record of 38.49 to Kenya&rsquo;s 38.51. There was another record for Korea as the team ran 38.51 and they were the fastest to not qualify.
The qualification dreams of Jamaica also came to a devastating end as the team was unable to get the baton around for the second time this weekend. After a failed changeover on day one, this time Julian Forte pulled up before he could hand the stick to Yohan Blake and Forte later left the track in a wheelchair. They will now hope to qualify by achieving a leading time in the world top lists during the qualification period.
<h3>Qualified for World Championships</h3>
Round 1 qualifiers: South Africa (37.84), Japan (37.84), United States (37.86), Canada (38.15), Italy (38.16), Great Britain &amp; NI (38.18), Germany (38.33), Poland (38.43). Round 2 qualifiers: China (38.03), Australia (38.31), France (38.31), Ghana (38.32), Belgium (38.49), Kenya (38.51). 
<h2>GB wins as Spain springs surprise</h2>
Success Eduan lived up to her name as she ran a blistering leg to anchor Great Britain and NI to victory in the women&rsquo;s 4x100m final.
The 20-year-old received the baton just behind Spain&rsquo;s Maria Isabel Perez and Jamaica&rsquo;s Shericka Jackson, but she overpowered them both and also held off USA&rsquo;s Olympic 4x100m champion Twanisha Terry to take the title.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6820ddd9d204d2dd6391ad08.jpg" alt="Great Britain wins the 4x100m final at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou" />
Great Britain wins the 4x100m final at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Nia Wedderburn-Goodison got a solid start and handed over to Amy Hunt, part of Great Britain&rsquo;s Olympic silver medal-winning team in Paris. Bianca Williams, who ran in the heats in Paris, took over for the third leg, before passing the baton to Eduan, making her senior international debut.
Perez took off in the lead, having been put in a great position by her teammates Esperanca Cladera, Jael Bestue and Paula Sevilla, who also ran in the victorious women's 4x400m team. One day after setting a national record of 42.18 to lead the heats, that same quartet clocked 42.28 to secure the runner-up spot ahead of Jamaica.
That Jamaican team also included Natasha Morrison, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Tina Clayton, and together they ran 42.33 for third place ahead of USA. Canada &ndash; with Sade McCreath and Marie-Eloise Leclair who formed part of the winning mixed 4x100m team earlier in the evening &ndash; ran a national record of 42.46 to finish fifth.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t even know what happened &ndash; I just went past them. That is all I did," said&nbsp;Eduan. "We have worked hard for this. I was just so confident in these girls and what we are here for. I have a winning mentality, and I was always going to go for the gold."
The early session action had also seen China delight the home crowd by cruising to the quickest women&rsquo;s 4x100m time in the second qualifying round for World Championships places. Chen Yujie, Li Yuting, Zhu Junying and Ge Manqi clocked 43.03 to win the second heat ahead of Switzerland (43.35) and Poland (43.38) and they all secured their spots for the World Championships. They will not be joined by Australia, however, as the team &ndash; the fastest non qualifiers in Saturday&rsquo;s heats &ndash; struggled on the final changeover and couldn&rsquo;t recover, eventually being disqualified.
Emotions were at the other end of the spectrum for Chile, as the quartet of Anais Hernandez, Maria Ignancia Montt, Isidora Jimenez and Antonia Belen Ramirez followed their national record-breaking performance on Saturday by qualifying a women&rsquo;s 4x100m team for the World Athletics Championships for the first time in history.
After running 43.64 on day one, they were just a tenth of a second slower in the first heat on day two and finished third behind France and Italy to all secure their tickets for Tokyo. Chloe Galet managed to narrowly hold off Alessia Pavese to clinch top spot for France &ndash; 43.06 to 43.12.
<h3>Qualified for World Championships</h3>
Round 1 qualifiers:&nbsp;Spain (42.18), Jamaica (42.51), Belgium (42.80), United States (42.86), Great Britain &amp; NI (42.92), Germany (42.98), Canada (43.11), Netherlands (43.13). Round 2 qualifiers: China (43.03), France (43.06), Italy (43.12), Switzerland (43.35), Poland (43.38), Chile (43.74). 
<h2>Inaugural mixed title for Canada</h2>
The mixed 4x100m had its global debut in Guangzhou and the Canadian quartet of Sade McCreath, Marie-Eloise Leclair, Duan Asemota and Eliezer Adjibi made the most of the opportunity. They combined to clock 40.30, Adjibi holding off Jamaica&rsquo;s anchor Bryan Levell who brought his team home in 40.44. Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland finished third in 40.88.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6820909f5659d7622224f0dc.jpg" alt="Eliezer Adjibi anchors Canada to the mixed 4x100m title in Guangzhou" />
Eliezer Adjibi anchors Canada to the mixed 4x100m title in Guangzhou (&copy; World Athletics)
</div>
Canada, Australia and Jamaica got the strongest starts and as McCreath handed over to Leclair, Australia&rsquo;s Olivia Dodds passed the baton to Carla Bull and Jamaica&rsquo;s Krystal Sloley took over from Serena Cole.
The third changeover, from woman to man, went smoothly and Great Britain were well in the mix as Jeriel Quinoo ran the third leg, up against Asemota for Canada and Javari Thomas for Jamaica.
Canada&rsquo;s final changeover was not quite as slick as Jamaica&rsquo;s, but Adjibi got away quicker and Jamaica&rsquo;s Bryan Levell had no response. As Adjibi celebrated victory, he was followed by Levell and Joe Ferguson, who anchored Great Britain to third place ahead of Australia.
A day after a baton exchange mishap put paid to their hopes of making the mixed 4x100m final, USA won the earlier additional race on Sunday in 40.78 &ndash; faster than all the times <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/report/guangzhou-25-report-4x100m-heats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">achieved in the heats on Saturday</a>.
That fumble came on the second changeover &ndash; during the woman to man baton exchange between Jada Mowatt and Kendal Williams. They both returned to the track for the additional race and there were no problems this time as they combined with Cambrea Sturgis and Pjai Austin to win, Austin narrowly holding off Germany&rsquo;s anchor, Julian Wagner, who finished in 40.84.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

South Africa proved they will be a powerful force at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo as they stormed to the men’s 4x100m title at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25

South Africa, Great Britain and Canada claim 4x100m crowns in Guangzhou

The first eight teams to have qualified for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in five of the events being contested at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 have been confirmed following the opening day of competition.
A total of 14 teams in each of the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x100m and 4x400m plus the mixed 4x400m in Guangzhou this weekend (10-11 May) automatically qualify for places at the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
In the men&rsquo;s 4x100m and men&rsquo;s 4x400m, 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 tickets for Tokyo. In the women&rsquo;s 4x100m, women&rsquo;s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m, the first two teams in each of the three heats plus the two teams with the next fastest times all qualified.
Three federations &ndash; Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland, South Africa and USA &ndash; each qualified four teams for Tokyo.
The session started with the heats of the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/report/guangzhou-25-report-4x100m-heats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mixed 4x100m</a>, making its global debut in Guangzhou, and was followed by the first World Championships qualifiers in the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/report/guangzhou-25-report-4x400m-heats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mixed 4x400m</a>. USA lived up to their status as the favourites, winning their heat by more than a second to secure their place in Tokyo.
USA also led the first round in the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/report/guangzhou-25-report-4x400m-heats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">women&rsquo;s 4x400m</a>, while South Africa topped the list in the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/report/guangzhou-25-report-4x400m-heats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">men&rsquo;s 4x400m</a>. Spain surprised in the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/report/guangzhou-25-report-4x100m-heats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">women&rsquo;s 4x100m</a>, running a national record, while South Africa and Japan ran the same world-leading time to win their <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/report/guangzhou-25-report-4x100m-heats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">men&rsquo;s 4x100m</a> heats.
In the finals on Sunday, teams will compete for prize money and preferential World Championships lane seeding positions. All other teams will race in the additional round to attempt to qualify for Tokyo.
Following the qualification of 14 teams per event in Guangzhou, the remaining two places for Tokyo in each will be awarded based on top lists during the qualification period (25 February 2024 to 24 August 2025).
<h3>Teams qualified for Tokyo and competing in the finals on Sunday</h3>
Women&rsquo;s 4x100m Belgium, Canada, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Jamaica, Netherlands, Spain, United States
Men&rsquo;s 4x100m Canada, Italy, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Japan, Poland, South Africa, United States
Women&rsquo;s 4x400m Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, South Africa, Spain, United States
Men&rsquo;s 4x400m Belgium, Botswana, China, France, Great Britain &amp; NI, Kenya, Portugal, South Africa
Mixed 4x400m Australia, Belgium, Great Britain &amp; NI, Ireland, Kenya, Poland, South Africa, United States
World Athletics

The World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 is the main qualifying competition for relay events at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25

First 40 relay teams qualified for WCH Tokyo 25

Nine months on from winning all three 4x400m relays at the Olympic Games, relays superpower USA couldn't quite match that feat in the heats at the&nbsp;World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25.
They were still one of the most outstanding nations in action on the first evening of the competition, winning their heats in the women's and mixed 4x400m with the fastest times of the day, but their luck ran out in the men's 4x400m as they failed to qualify for the final.
USA lived up to their status as the favourites in the mixed relay, winning their heat by more than a second to secure their place at the World Championships.
It was only in the second half of their heat, though, that the world record-holders started to pull away. After a relatively even start, Poland pulled ahead on the second leg, thanks to Olympic bronze medallist Natalia Bukowiecka. USA&rsquo;s Courtney Okolo and Ireland&rsquo;s Rhasidat Adeleke were close behind, but Chris Robinson put the US in the lead on the third leg before handing over to anchor leg runner Lynna Irby-Jackson, who brought the team home in 3:11.37 &ndash; the fastest ever heat time at the World Relays.
Ireland&rsquo;s Sharlene Mawdsley overtook Poland&rsquo;s Justyna Swiety-Ersectic to claim the all-important second place in 3:12.56. Poland&rsquo;s time in third (3:12.70) proved to be enough to advance to tomorrow&rsquo;s final.
The other two heats were much closer. In the first heat, Belgium and Australia exchanged leads several times before Helena Ponette pulled away from Alanah Yukich on the final leg to win for Belgium in 3:11.83 ahead of Australia, whose 3:12.34 clocking was an Oceanian record. Kenya&rsquo;s 3:13.41 run in third was enough to advance to the final on time.
There were similar scenes &ndash; and exactly the same winning margin (0.51) &ndash; in the third and final heat, this time between Olympic bronze medallists Great Britain and South Africa.
The two teams went into the final leg level. Britain&rsquo;s Nicole Yeargin had the better position on the inside of the lane while South Africa&rsquo;s Zeney van der Walt was on Yeargin&rsquo;s outside. They were still level up until the final bend, then Yeargin pulled clear to win in 3:13.28. South Africa held on for second place, while Spain finished third and missed out on a place in the final.
<h3>Qualified for World Championships and progressing to World Relays mixed 4x400m final</h3>
Ht 1: Belgium (3:11.83), Australia (3:12.34), Kenya (3:13.41) Ht 2: USA (3:11.37), Ireland (3:12.56), Poland (3:12.70) Ht 3: Great Britain &amp; NI (3:13.28), South Africa (3:13.79)
<h2> USA and Spain the standouts in women&rsquo;s 4x400m heats</h2>
The main themes of the day &ndash; easy automatic qualification for the USA and a surprising performance from Spain &ndash; continued in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m heats.
It wasn&rsquo;t the strongest of starts for the USA, though, as they were in seventh place after the first leg. But a solid effort of 50.56 from Karimah Davis on the second leg gave USA the lead at half way ahead of Norway and France.
Australia and Canada&nbsp; moved into second and third respectively on the third leg as USA&rsquo;s lead came under threat, but the Olympic champions pulled clear again on the final leg, thanks to a 50.47 run from Bailey Lear, giving the USA victory in 3:26.05.
Louise Maraval moved into second for France (3:26.46), holding off a storming 49.79 effort from Norway&rsquo;s Henriette Jaeger, whose final time of 3:26.61 was enough for Norway to advance to the final, as was Canada&rsquo;s 3:27.28 in fourth.
Spain produced a gun-to-tape victory in the second heat. Belgium, Italy and Great Britain all tried their best to make inroads on Spain&rsquo;s early lead, but they could not be caught and ultimately won with a comfortable margin, clocking 3:26.25.
Italy claimed second place in 3:27.03 ahead of Britain. Despite utilising four of the eight squad members that earned Olympic bronze last year, Britain&rsquo;s 3:27.47 wasn&rsquo;t enough to advance to the final.
In the third and final heat, South Africa moved into the lead on the second leg and managed to maintain it to the end. Hurdles specialist Zeney van der Walt, who had raced in the mixed 4x400m just 90 minutes prior, ran a strong anchor leg to bring the team home in a national record of 3:28.01.
Germany took second place in 3:28.63 ahead of Ireland (3:30.06). Somewhat surprisingly, Poland and Jamaica &ndash; usually among the strongest nations in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m &ndash; finished fifth and sixth.
<h3>Qualified for World Championships and progressing to World Relays women&rsquo;s 4x400m final</h3>
Ht 1: USA (3:26.05), France (3:26.46), Norway (3:26.61), Canada (3:27.28) Ht 2: Spain (3:26.25), Italy (3:27.03) Ht 3: South Africa (3:28.01), Germany (3:28.63)
<h2> History repeats for USA as South Africa and China impress in men&rsquo;s 4x400m heats</h2>
For the second World Relays in a row, the USA failed to advance automatically to the men&rsquo;s 4x400m final.
The world and Olympic champions were beaten into third place in their heat, and with just the top two teams in each of the four heats advancing to the final, it means the USA will have to achieve a top-three finish in the second round of races tomorrow to secure their place at the World Championships in Tokyo.
France, the world silver medallists, put forward a full-strength team and were rewarded with victory in 3:00.30, helped by a 44.45 leg from Loic Prevot. Kenya came through to take second place in 3:00.88, while the USA finished third (3:01.23).
Their time would have been enough to win the third heat. Instead, that came down to a thrilling three-way battle between Belgium, Great Britain and Qatar on the final leg.
The three teams were within one stride of each other going into the final leg. Qatar&rsquo;s Ammar Ismail Yahia Ibrahim tried to force his way between Belgium&rsquo;s Alexander Doom and Britain&rsquo;s Charlie Dobson but was ultimately unsuccessful. The latter two ran side by side down the home straight as Belgium took the win in 3:01.35, 0.03 ahead of Britain.
In the first heat of the round, South Africa produced a world-leading run of 3:00.00. Anchor leg runner Zakithi Nene already had a comfortable lead, but that didn&rsquo;t stop him running a 43.97 split to secure their victory.
Behind them, China came through to take second place &ndash; much to the delight of the home crowd, smashing their national record with 3:01.87 and booking their place at the World Championships ahead of Spain (3:02.04).
Despite not having several of the team members that contributed to their Olympic silver medal, Botswana still managed to come away with victory in their heat, clocking 3:01.23. Portugal took a brief lead towards the end of the third leg, and they held on to second place at the end, clocking a national record of 3:01.78.
USA wasn&rsquo;t the only relays powerhouse to miss out on the final. The likes of Poland, Jamaica and the Netherlands &ndash; all of whom are often in contention at major championships &ndash; will have to try again in round two on Sunday.
<h3>Qualified for World Championships and progressing to World Relays men&rsquo;s 4x400m final</h3>
Ht 1: South Africa (3:00.00), PR of China (3:01.87) Ht 2: Botswana (3:01.23), Portugal (3:01.78) Ht 3: Belgium (3:01.35), Great Britain &amp; NI (3:01.38) Ht 4: France (3:00.30), Kenya (3:00.88)
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

USA lived up to their status as the favourites in the mixed relay at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25

Two wins out of three for USA in 4x400m heats in Guangzhou

Japan, South Africa and Spain stormed into the 4x100m finals and secured spots for the World Championships, while the mixed 4x100m launched in dramatic fashion to kick off the first day of competition at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 on Saturday (10).
There was plenty at stake on a warm and rainy evening in Guangzhou, with eight teams in the first round of the men&rsquo;s 4x100m and women&rsquo;s 4x100m automatically qualifying for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in September.
South Africa and Japan both ran 37.84 &ndash; the fastest time in the world so far this year &ndash; to top the list of qualifiers in the men&rsquo;s event, while Spain set a national record of 42.18 to lead the way in the women&rsquo;s event.
Canada, Italy and Jamaica won their respective heats in the mixed 4x100m, but there were the expected thrills and spills as the event made its global debut in Guangzhou. 
<h2>Japan and South Africa dominate</h2>
Japan may already have had a place for the World Championships secured as the host nation, but that didn&rsquo;t stop the men&rsquo;s 4x100m quartet from giving it their all in the heats.
With World Relays titles, prize money and preferential World Championships lane seeding positions up for grabs for the finalists in Guangzhou, Abdul Hakim Sani Brown combined with Rai Atago, Towa Uzawa and Naoki Inoue to dominate the third men&rsquo;s 4x100m heat. They clocked 37.84 to match the time achieved by South Africa in the previous heat and finish clear ahead of Olympic champions Canada.
The full Olympic gold medal-winning quartet was in action for Canada and Andre De Grasse ran a powerful anchor to secure the runner-up spot, a place in the final and World Championships qualification in 38.15.
The South African squad starred three of the four members of the team that got Olympic silver behind Canada in Paris &ndash; Akani Simbine, Bayanda Walaza and Bradley Nkoana joined this time by Sinesipho Dambile. Simbine anchored them to the heat two win, chased by Lucas Ansah-Peprah who secured second place for Germany with a storming finish.
Kenya set a national record of 38.35 but were denied a place in the final by just two hundredths of a second, while there was disappointment for Jamaica &ndash; the squad including Yohan Blake and Kishane Thompson &ndash; as the baton never reached Thompson on anchor.
"We came in here as a team and this is our first race as a team together. We went well," said Simbine. "Tomorrow we just need to make sure we're cleaner with the exchanges to get the win."
USA&rsquo;s Courtney Lindsey, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Brandon Hicklin kept USA&rsquo;s World Relays title defence on track by winning heat four in 37.86 ahead of Italy in 38.16, in a heat that saw Botswana set a national record of 38.49 to finish fifth, while Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland will join them in advancing as they won the first heat in 38.18 from Poland in 38.43. Korea's record of 38.56 placed them fourth.
<h3>Qualified for World Championships and progressing to World Relays men's 4x100m final</h3>
Ht 1: Great Britain &amp; NI (38.18), Poland (38.43) Ht 2: South Africa (37.84), Germany (38.33) Ht 3: Japan (37.84), Canada (38.15) Ht 4: United States (37.86), Italy (38.16) 
<h2>Spain in the spotlight with national record run</h2>
The focus might have been on Jamaica, with multiple global gold medallists Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson in the line-up, but it was Spain who stole the spotlight in the first round of the women&rsquo;s 4x100m.
Esperanca Cladera, Jael Bestue, Paula Sevilla and Maria Isabel Perez combined to run a national record of 42.18 to win the second heat ahead of Jamaica, that team anchored by Jackson in 42.51 after legs by twins Tia and Tina Clayton plus Fraser-Pryce. Germany, with Rebekka Haase on the final leg, clocked 42.98 for third place in a race that saw Poland and hosts China disqualified. That time was enough for Germany to progress as the fastest non automatic qualifier.
"This result is beyond our expectations," said&nbsp;Cladera. "We are now in May and not even at our greatest or fastest version yet. Seeing this mark gives us tremendous security, and we hope to enjoy it."
Fraser-Pryce said: "We came out here to qualify, that was the intention. We do have a mix of experiences on the team, we are used to relays. We just had a good run, we finished healthily. We have to stick around and trust each other. We know what to do for tomorrow."
There was a powerful last leg by Delphine Nkansa to carry Belgium to a heat one win, the team &ndash; also featuring Rani Vincke, Rani Rosius and Lien Torfs &ndash; clocking 42.80 to pip Olympic silver medallists Great Britain, anchored by Desiree Henry in 42.92. Chile set a national record of 43.64 in fifth.
The US team, which featured Olympic 4x100m champion Twanisha Terry on the last leg, clinched victory in the third heat despite a challenging final handover. She finished clear ahead of Canada&rsquo;s Audrey Leduc, who brought her team home in 43.11, and they will be joined in the final &ndash; as well as at the World Championships &ndash; by the Netherlands who qualified thanks to their time of 43.13 for third place.
<h3>Qualified for World Championships and progressing to World Relays women's 4x100m final</h3>
Ht 1:&nbsp;Belgium (42.80), Great Britain &amp; NI (42.92) Ht 2:&nbsp;Spain (42.18), Jamaica (42.51), Germany (42.98) Ht 3: United States (42.86), Canada (43.11), Netherlands (43.13) 
<h2>Mixed 4x100m makes debut</h2>
The session had started in historic style as the mixed 4x100m was held at the World Relays for the first time.
Samuele Ceccarelli anchored Italy to a first heat win, the 2023 European indoor champion holding off France&rsquo;s Antoine Thoraval as they clinched the top two spots to qualify for the final &ndash; 41.15 to 41.28.
But there was disappointment for USA and Poland, as USA fumbled on the second changeover &ndash; during the new woman to man baton exchange between Jada Mowatt and Kendal Williams &ndash; and Poland struggled on the third and failed to finish.
The new event features a running order of woman, woman, man, man, and Jamaica got off to a strong start in the second heat through multiple global relay gold medallist Natasha Morrison and Krystal Sloley. Javari Thomas then handed over to Rasheed Foster and although Great Britain&rsquo;s Joe Ferguson finished fast, Foster held him off by just 0.01 to triumph in 41.04. Host team China was third in 41.30 &ndash; enough to clinch them a place in the final on time.
Canada went quicker to win the third heat, Eliezer Adjibi storming down the home straight to overpower Belgium&rsquo;s Rendel Vermeulen and Australia&rsquo;s Josiah John.&nbsp;
John and Vermeulen had been pretty evenly matched at the last handover before Adjibi powered past and John chased him down to clinch the second automatic place for the final. Belgium will join Canada &ndash; whose quartet also included Gabrielle Cole, Jacqueline Madogo and Duan Asemota &ndash; and Australia in that final as the fastest non automatic qualifying team.
"It was exciting to be in a brand new event," said&nbsp;Asemota. "So, no matter what we do, we're gonna make history. Our team just won the Olympics, so it's a rich tradition for 4x100m."
<h3>Progressing to World Relays mixed 4x100m final</h3>
Ht 1:&nbsp;Italy (41.15), France (41.28) Ht 2: Jamaica (41.04), Great Britain &amp; NI (41.05), China (41.30) Ht 3:&nbsp;Canada (40.90), Australia (41.15), Belgium (41.24) 
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

The mixed 4x100m launched in dramatic fashion to kick off the first day of competition at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25

Japan, South Africa and Spain lead 4x100m heats, mixed relay makes dramatic debut in Guangzhou

&ldquo;First and foremost, it&rsquo;s team camaraderie,&rdquo; says Akani Simbine when asked about the art of relay running. &ldquo;If a team actually get along, then they are able to make it work.&rdquo;
After anchoring South Africa to men&rsquo;s 4x100m silver at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Simbine returns to relay action at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 this weekend (10-11 May), where he will be joined by two of his teammates from that final in Paris &ndash; Bradley Nkoana and Bayanda Walaza.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/681edfab3d035d357dfd6706.jpg" alt="Akani Simbine and Bradley Nkoana at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25" />
Akani Simbine and Bradley Nkoana at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 (&copy; World Athletics)
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The aim is to qualify for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September and make another statement following that medal-winning performance in Paris.
&ldquo;The big thing with the placing of the guys &ndash; everybody wants to be the anchor, because they feel like the anchor gets all the limelight," he adds, explaining what makes a successful relay team. "But every position works with different strengths, and every athlete has different strengths. As a coach, when you're putting together a team, it's putting together the guys according to their strengths and not according to egos.
&ldquo;You can have the fastest guys in the world at that time running, but if you don't get the stick around, and you don't have the guys in their best positions running, then it's not going to work out.&rdquo;
It worked out very well in Paris, where world U20 100m and 200m champion Walaza ran the first leg, Shaun Maswanganyi the second, Nkoana the third and Simbine the anchor to clock an African record of 37.57 and secure silver, just 0.07 behind champions Canada.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66cf58a4df54f5b53f83496c.jpg" alt="Akani Simbine, Bradley Nkoana, Shaun Maswanganyi and Bayanda Walaza receive their Olympic medals in Paris" />
Akani Simbine, Bradley Nkoana, Shaun Maswanganyi and Bayanda Walaza receive their Olympic medals in Paris (&copy; Mattia Ozbot)
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&ldquo;It's the camaraderie and everybody just wanting to be part of the team and starting to believe in a relay culture in South Africa,&rdquo; explains Simbine, &ldquo;because before that, we didn't have a relay culture &ndash; it was always just &lsquo;show up and run&rsquo;. Now people are actually believing in getting medals and the importance of getting medals from the World Championships or from the Olympics, and making it a priority. That's a big thing for us now.&rdquo;
After two consecutive Olympic fourth-place finishes in the individual 100m, plus a fifth place in 2016 and one fourth- and two fifth-place 100m finishes at the World Championships, it was Simbine&rsquo;s first global major medal.
&ldquo;South Africa went crazy and went nuts for the medal,&rdquo; he says with a smile. &ldquo;I think it was also a big thing because of me getting a medal at a major championship &ndash; I was able to get a medal, but South Africa was also able to get a medal. That was a great thing. South Africa just loves relays now &ndash; it's a big thing for the sport.&rdquo; 
<div style="padding: 15px 20px 5px 20px; border: 2px solid #adf375;">
<h2>Debut of the mixed 4x100m</h2>
The mixed 4x100m makes its global debut at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 and while South Africa won&rsquo;t be fielding a team this time, Simbine will be watching with interest.
&ldquo;It brings a different taste to athletics. Now, it is not just about having the fastest men or the fastest women, it is about having the fastest team. The relay is a team event in an individual sport and that&rsquo;s the most exciting part of it. I am going to be watching and supporting, to see how it works out.&rdquo;
<h3>Akani Simbine&rsquo;s mixed 4x100m dream team:</h3>
Leg 1: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) Leg 2: Shericka Jackson (JAM) Leg 3: Yohan Blake (JAM) Leg 4: Akani Simbine (RSA)
</div>
 Since then, Simbine has added a first major international individual medal to his CV as he claimed 60m bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March. He is also unbeaten outdoors so far this year &ndash; following his season opener in Botswana with Diamond League wins in Xiamen and Shanghai/Keqiao.
Having won in Botswana in 9.90, and followed that with 9.99 in Xiamen and 9.98 in Shanghai/Keqiao, Simbine has dipped under 10 seconds for 100m in each of the past 11 years.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/681edfd13d035d357dfd6709.jpg" alt="Akani Simbine at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25" />
Akani Simbine at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 (&copy; World Athletics)
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And the 31-year-old believes that medal in Paris was just the start.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s bringing a lot of momentum, the winning momentum,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It's not like I didn't have confidence, but I have more confidence in myself. I'm also at a place where I'm very content. I'm not making getting a medal my sole purpose &ndash; it's more about perfecting the craft of running, perfecting the craft of sprinting, and trying to make it as best as I can.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

“First and foremost, it’s team camaraderie,” says Akani Simbine when asked about the art of relay running. “If a team actually get along, then they are able to make it work.”

Simbine: camaraderie the root of the relay

Athletics Kenya has been selected as the winning Member Federation of the Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day challenge after contributing almost a quarter of the participants in the &lsquo;Relay Around the World&rsquo;.
Around the globe, more than 600,000 children across all six continental areas participated in over 1200 activations to promote Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day &ndash; a global day dedicated to celebrating children and young people being active by participating in athletics.&nbsp;&nbsp;
This year&rsquo;s theme, Relay Around the World, was inspired by the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, taking place this weekend. The challenge, which ran from 6 April to Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day on 7 May, was the biggest, most inclusive Kids&rsquo; Athletics participation activity yet &ndash; with a target of 500,000 kids participating across the world &ndash; and was designed to inspire the athletes of tomorrow and get kids everywhere moving.
The final baton was handed to world and Olympic medallist Su Bingtian, the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 ambassador, at an event today (9) with 100 Guangzhou schoolchildren.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/681dee47115a6df0bafdf0f6.JPG" alt="Kids' Athletics Relay Around the World Challenge" />
Kids' Athletics Relay Around the World Challenge (&copy; Getty Images for World Athletics)
</div>
Member Federations were encouraged to participate in the Relay Around the World Challenge, with the organiser of the best activations &ndash; measured by a combination of participation rates, social media engagement levels and overall innovation &ndash; receiving the prize of a US$10,000 award to be used to promote and activate Kids&rsquo; Athletics (or an equivalent youth activity) in their country.&nbsp;
Of the 120 participating Member Federations, Kenya emerged on top. Six hundred coaches, teachers and volunteers from schools and clubs from multiple counties across the country organised Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day relay events, reaching more than 140,500 children.
With an additional focus on sustainability, kids across Kenya planted trees as a way of promoting a conducive sporting environment and mitigating effects of climate change. Most activations also used or created equipment from sustainable and recyclable sources. For example, batons were made from cardboard, and hurdles were made from hay bales and grass stacks. Athletics Kenya was able to reach so many children thanks to partnerships with County Governments and the Ministry of Education.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/681df6f0ef56aa974ea3c89d.jpeg" alt="Sustainability as part of the Kids' Athletics Relay Around the World Challenge in Kenya" />
Sustainability as part of the Kids' Athletics Relay Around the World Challenge in Kenya (&copy; Athletics Kenya)
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World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re extremely proud we have smashed our target and over 600,000 kids participated in relays across all six continental areas in over 1200 activations.
&ldquo;Congratulations to Kenya and all the Member Federations that took part in the challenge but also to every athletics club, school and individual who participated. We couldn&rsquo;t have done this without you.&rdquo;
Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei said: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re delighted to be named the winner of the Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day Member Federation Challenge. With the support of our nationally trained Kids&rsquo; Athletics instructors, Athletics Kenya mobilised thousands of children through schools and community partnerships, offering children opportunities to engage in structured athletics, promoting physical development, teamwork and a spirit of fun.
&ldquo;The Kids&rsquo; Athletics programme in Kenya has become a cornerstone of our grassroots development strategy, playing a vital role in talent identification and instilling a lifelong appreciation for sport and healthy living.&rdquo;
Costa Rica and Norway were named runners-up, each receiving US$5,000 to support Kids&rsquo; Athletics in their countries. Costa Rica celebrated with nationwide relays, engaging more than 106,000 children. In almost one day, Norway hosted a school relay across the whole country, reaching more than 98,000 children.
Kids&rsquo; Athletics Day is the cornerstone of World Athletics&rsquo; grassroots participation programme, Kids&rsquo; Athletics. It aims to inspire children globally to be active, develop skills and confidence, and connect with sport for life.&nbsp;
Member Federations, clubs and schools are encouraged to join the Kids&rsquo; Athletics programme year-round. More information can be found on the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/kids-athletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics website</a>.
World Athletics

Athletics Kenya has been selected as the winning Member Federation of the Kids’ Athletics Day challenge after contributing almost a quarter of the participants in the ‘Relay Around the World’

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Record watch at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25