Guyana’s relay teams faced disappointment at the World Relay Championships in Nassau, Bahamas, as they fell short of securing podium finishes and Olympic qualification spots.
The mixed 4×400 relay team, comprising Daniel Williams, Tianna Springer, Malachi Austin, and Aliyah Abrams, struggled to make an impact in both rounds 1 and 2 of the competition.
Despite their best efforts, they finished outside the top two positions in their final race, clinching 5th place with a best time of 3 minutes 17.65 seconds on Sunday.
In the first round, the mix relay team secured a sixth-place finish but set a new national record with a time of 3 minutes and 17 seconds.
However, this performance was insufficient to secure qualification for the Paris Olympic Games scheduled for July 26 to August 11.
Meanwhile, the men’s 4×400 relay team also faced challenges, finishing 8th in the Olympic Qualifying Round 2 and 5th in Olympic Qualifier 1.
Spain and Poland secured Olympic qualification spots with impressive times of 3.02.39 and 3.02.91 seconds, respectively.
The men’s relay teams included Daniel Williams, Patrick Abel, Malachi Austin, and Simeon Adams in various legs of the race.
Initially, Guyana was set to compete solely in the mixed 4×400 relay.
However, the decision was made to send a men’s 4×400 team after one of the qualifiers withdrew from the event.
The Guyana relay teams, accompanied by Manager James Cole, faced stiff competition, with a total of 70 teams vying for qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
While the disappointment looms large for the Guyanese teams, there is still hope for qualification.
Additional Olympic Games spots in each discipline will be awarded based on top lists during the qualification period from December 31, 2022, to June 30, 2024.
Despite the setback, the teams remain determined to continue their pursuit of Olympic qualification and strive for success in future competitions.