Relays have always delivered a unique blend of speed, strategy, and unpredictability, and the upcoming World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 promises to raise that excitement another level with the introduction of a brand-new event: the mixed 4x100m relay. Scheduled for both days of competition on May 10-11, this innovative event will make its global debut, attracting some of the sport’s biggest sprint stars eager to leave their mark on history.
Jamaica headlines the lineup with an impressive roster, led by three-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, joined by 2011 world 100m champion Yohan Blake. Their inclusion signals the nation’s intent to bring serious star power to this new relay format. Canada, too, enters the event with strength and depth, featuring all four members of their men’s 4x100m team that won gold at the Paris Olympics, as well as key members of their women’s 4x100m squad, which reached the Olympic final last year.
A total of 18 federations have confirmed participation in the mixed 4x100m, which will follow a running order of woman, woman, man, man. This new relay is set to feature at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in 2026.
Fresh from claiming the women’s and men’s Olympic 4x100m titles in Paris, Team USA and Canada both head into the mixed relay with confidence. USA’s squad boasts two-time Olympic 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek, along with Courtney Lindsey and Kyree King, all part of the victorious men’s 4x100m squad from the previous World Athletics Relays. They could potentially combine with Twanisha Terry, who ran a decisive second leg in the USA’s gold medal-winning women’s 4x100m team in Paris, as well as 2022 world indoor 60m silver medallist Mikiah Brisco. Pjai Austin and Kayla White round out a powerful American contingent.
Canada’s squad options are equally formidable. They can call upon Olympic relay champions Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, and Brendon Rodney, alongside Olympic women’s 4x100m finalists such as Sade McCreath, Jacqueline Madogo, Marie-Eloise Leclair, and Audrey Leduc.
Jamaica, always a sprinting powerhouse, features Olympic 100m silver medallist Kishane Thompson and two-time world 200m champion Shericka Jackson in their 4x100m squads. Both could feature in the mixed relay alongside Fraser-Pryce and Blake, while Ackeem Blake and Natasha Morrison provide additional options.
Great Britain & Northern Ireland brings a competitive mix to the event, with five-time global 4x100m medallist Asha Philip and European 100m medallist Romell Glave specifically named for the mixed 4x100m. Their overall relay squads include Paris Olympic relay silver medallists Amy Hunt, Desiree Henry, and Bianca Williams, as well as bronze medallist Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake.
Italy’s team features three members of their Tokyo Olympic 4x100m gold medal-winning squad — Filippo Tortu, Lorenzo Patta, and Eseosa Fostine Desalu. They’ll be joined by Dalia Kaddari, Irene Siragusa, and Arianna de Masi, who earned Italy a spot at the Paris Olympics during last year’s World Relays in The Bahamas.
Host nation China will look to impress in front of a home crowd, with Olympic relay finalist Chen Jiapeng and Li Yuting among their athletes. Nigeria will miss the 2025 World Athletics Relays after the Chinese embassy denied visas to the entire national relay team, forcing their withdrawal.
Other teams confirmed for the new event include Australia, featuring world indoor 60m silver medallist Lachlan Kennedy and Bree Rizzo, alongside entries from Germany and France.
With heats scheduled for day one and the final on day two, teams will aim for clean baton exchanges as they adapt to new race strategies and mixed-gender dynamics.
