In the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24, Team USA demonstrated their dominance in the relay events and secured themselves as the team to beat leading up to the Paris 2024 athletics event. The U.S. men and women swept four out of five finals, with Botswana men claiming the title in the 4x400m relay after the Americans were disqualified in the heats.
Leading the charge for Team USA were world champions Noah Lyles and Gabby Thomas, who played pivotal roles in securing wins for their respective teams in the 4x100m races. Thomas also contributed to a world-leading time in the 4x400m for American women, highlighting their impressive performance throughout the event.
Over 1600 athletes gathered at Nassau, Bahamas for this highly anticipated event, including top stars such as Lyles, Thomas, Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, and world champion Femke Bol. The U.S. men’s 4x100m relay team set a world-leading time of 37.40 to secure gold while the women’s team dominated with a championship record of 41.85 in their respective races.
While this event served as a platform to secure Olympic quota spots for most athletes present, it also highlighted that National Olympic Committees have exclusive authority over Olympic Games representation, meaning that an athlete’s participation in Paris 2024 depends on their NOC selecting them for their delegation. Athletes can refer to official qualification systems available for each sport to guide them through this process of representing their country on an international stage.
