by Stuart Weir
British 4×400, Clark, Turner, Pipi, Knight, photo by Dan Vernon, World Athletics
Ama Pipi, 4×400, photo by Dan Vernon, World Athletics
In story 5, Stuart Weir writes on Team GB in Silesia.
GB at the World Relays
Relays are important to us in Britain. The financing of track and field in our country is determined by meeting medal targets at the Olympics and World Championships to secure government funding. At the 2017 World Championship, we medaled in all four relays. In 2019 it was just two from five but with two fourth places. At the Rio Olympics two medals, a fifth-place, and a controversial DQ. We currently fund 23 athletes in relay squads.
British 4×400, Clark, Turner, Pipi, Knight, photo by Dan Vernon, World Athletics
That said, we always have an equivocal attitude the World Relays. The positive – in a normal year – is the opportunity of taking a relay squad away for a week of practice. The negative is the recognition that May is very early this season when athletes may not be ready to go all out. Britain has never shown any interest in the non-championship distances 4 by 200/200/1500, 2X2X400, or shuttle. Participation is totally about preparation for the next championship. As an athlete by athlete, a British team is not as fast as, say, an American one – drills, tactics, and slick changes are very significant.
In 2021 we decided only to enter the three 400 relays. We came away with a bronze medal in the women’s and fourth place in mixed. In the men’s prelim, James Williams was just completing his lap when he tangled with another athlete and fell. Up to that point, we were very much in the race. Ironically both the women and the mixed team run faster in the prelim than in the final. The mixed team’s prelim time would have been enough for silver in the final. Ironically athletes were switched between the women’s and the mixed teams after the prelims – making both slower!
Ama Pipi, 4×400, photo by Dan Vernon, World Athletics
Of the four men who had reached the final in Doha 2019, none was in the men’s relay in Poland last weekend, although Rabah Yousif and Lee Thompson were in the mixed team. The women’s team included Ama Pipi and Jessie Knight, both in their first year of representing GB. The mixed team also included an athlete competing internationally for the first time.
I loved the comment by Lavaia Nielsen who ran the first leg in the women’s final “we went out there with a winning mindset”. Nielsen handed over the lead to Ama Pipi (one of the rookies) who held the lead. Emily Diamond battled well on the third leg and it seemed that four teams were in a line at the start of the final leg. Jessie Knight held the lead most of the way round but was overtaken, holding off the strong Dutch for silver.
Women’s 4 x 400, Emily Diamond to Jesse Knight, photo by Krzysztof WesoÅ‚owski / World Athletics Relays Silesia 2021
The mixed team put in a solid performance to make the final and finish fifth. While it is more about performance and preparation than placing, running a better time in the prelim than the final is annoying.
The men were quite inexperienced. It is incredibly frustrating to be tripped in a race when you are in contention but again it is a learning experience.
Jesse Knight, photo by Krzysztof Wesołowski / World Athletics Relays Silesia 2021
It was a successful operation in terms of allowing management to see what some new athletes can do, knowing that there are senior athletes like Jodie Williams, Eilidh Doyle, and Martyn Rooney to be added to the squad for Tokyo. Switching athletes between women’s and mixed and changing the running order seemed sensible in terms of giving valuable experience to young athletes.
Photos
© Krzysztof Wesołowski / World Athletics Relays Silesia 21
© Dan Vernon for World Athletics
