As anticipation builds for the men’s 4x100m relay at the World Relay Championships in Guangzhou, the storyline is shaping up to be one of fierce rivalry. Traditionally, the USA enters such global relay events as the undisputed favourites. Yet, as history has repeatedly shown, the men’s 4x100m is one of the most unpredictable events in athletics.
Team USA arrives in Guangzhou without world champion Noah Lyles, who famously anchored their victorious runs at the 2023 World Championships and 2024 World Relays. In his absence, the spotlight shifts to Kenny Bednarek, a two-time Olympic 200m silver medallist, who has been in blistering form this season. Bednarek recently clocked a wind-assisted 9.79 in the 100m and a world-leading 19.84 in the 200m at the Grand Slam meeting in Miramar. He will also be seeking personal redemption after a costly early takeover in the 4x100m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics contributed to the USA’s disqualification. Alongside him, Erriyon Knighton, the world 200m silver medallist, 9.93 sprinter Brandon Hicklin, and Courtney Lindsay — who anchored a rapid 37.47 heat win in Paris.
Standing firmly in their way is the Canadian team, the reigning Olympic champions, who stunned the world with a 37.50 victory in Paris. That winning quartet of Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney, and Andre de Grasse remains intact for Guangzhou. The Canadians have already displayed promising early-season form, clocking 37.90, a mark that places them second on the 2024 world list, trailing only Australia’s record-setting 37.87.
World indoor silver medallist Lachlan Kennedy headlines Australia’s sprint relay squad as they aim to redeem themselves after their Paris heartbreak. Drawn in a brutally tough semifinal, they finished sixth in 38.12 — a time that would have easily won the other semifinal and secured a spot in the final.
Also vying for glory is South Africa, who claimed Olympic silver just 0.07 seconds behind Canada in Paris. Led by world indoor bronze medallist Akani Simbine — unbeaten in all three of his international 100m races this year — the team will feature three of its Olympic quartet, looking to build on that impressive performance.
Great Britain & Northern Ireland, Olympic bronze medallists in Paris, will also be in the mix, though notably without world indoor 60m champion Jeremiah Azu, who withdrew through injury. Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake steps up to lead the British charge, determined to keep their nation in the medal conversation.
No discussion of sprinting powerhouses is complete without Jamaica. The world bronze medallists will unleash a formidable squad, featuring Olympic 100m silver medallist Kishane Thompson, 2024 world indoor bronze medallist Ackeem Blake, 9.91 sprinter Rohan Watson, and veteran Yohan Blake.
Italy, France, China, and Japan, all of whom reached the Olympic final last year, return with ambitions of upsetting the traditional giants and seizing a podium finish.
