World relay relay in the Bahamas: Bol and Klaver run for Olympic tickets | Olympics

There are five relay events in athletics at the Games: the 4×100 meters for men and women, the 4×400 meters for men and women and the 4×400 meters for mixed teams (two women and two men per team).

The Netherlands wants to secure the maximum number of Olympic starting places on Saturday and Sunday in the Bahamas. The Dutch relay teams have serious medal chances in Paris, especially in the 4×400 meters. The women – with Bol and Klaver as eye-catchers – are the reigning world champions in that event, while the men took silver in the 4×400 meters at the Games in Tokyo three years ago.

In Paris, sixteen countries are allowed to participate in all relays. Fourteen of those sixteen tickets will be distributed at next weekend’s World Cup relay. If things go wrong for a Dutch team in the Bahamas, there is still a back door. The last two tickets per relay go to the unplaced countries with the best times in the qualifying period (December 31, 2022-June 30, 2024).

The Dutch teams will get their first chance at Olympic qualification on Saturday. A place in the top two of the heat is enough for a ticket to Paris. On the opening day of the World Championships there are four heats per number. This means that eight of the fourteen available starting places will be filled on day 1. These eight countries will also qualify for the finals of the World Cup on Sunday.

On Sunday there will be a second chance for Dutch teams that do not yet have a ticket to Paris. A place in the top two of a repechage round also results in an Olympic qualification. The final day of the World Championships starts with three repechage rounds per relay. In this way, six more seeded teams will be added for all numbers. These countries no longer compete for medals at the world championships.

A total of 893 athletes from 54 countries traveled to the Bahamas. Among the men, the competition is fiercest for the Dutch teams, with 32 teams in the 4×100 meters and the 4×400 meters. There are 30 registrations for the 4×100 meters for women, as well as for the 4×400 meters mixed. The Netherlands is one of 27 teams in the 4×400 meters for women. This means that more than half of the teams present will qualify for Paris on this track.

In the World Cup finals, the teams compete for a favorable track layout at the Games, medals and prize money. The five teams that win gold can each divide 40,000 dollars (about 37,500 euros). A world record even earns 50,000 dollars (46,800 euros). Silver (18,700 euros) and bronze (9,400 euros) are also good for quite a bit of prize money.

The Netherlands is at full strength in the Bahamas. Top players such as Bol, Klaver, Liemarvin Bonevacia and Churandy Martina have prepared for the World Cup relay in Curaçao in recent weeks. 39-year-old Martina hopes to participate in the Games for the sixth time in Paris. This is most likely only possible through a place in the 4×100 meter relay team.

Due to the time difference, the World Cup relay races take place in the Dutch night. The program of day 1 is on the night of Saturday to Sunday between 1:05 AM and 4:15 AM Dutch time. The matches on the final day are on the night of Sunday to Monday between 1:05 am and 4:30 am (see boxes).

The World Cup relay has existed since 2014. The sixth edition will take place this weekend at the Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau. The previous world championships were three years ago in Chorzów, Poland. The Netherlands then won two medals: gold in the 4×400 meters for men and bronze in the 4×100 meters for women.