by Deji OgeyingboSouth Africa Delivered, Jamaica Faltered, and Spain Stunned Us All
This weekend was all about the world relays in Guangzhou. World Athletics has used this as an event to select the top 14 teams that will compete at every major championship since the turn of this decade, with the other two slots open to teams that couldn’t secure qualification or make it to the World Realys.
Here’s we do a break down of the major talking points from China.
South Africa’s relay team showed up to the party
South Africa’s men’s 4x100m team delivered one of the most composed and electrifying performances of the meet, storming to gold at the World Relays in Guangzhou with a world-leading 37.61. The team was made up of Bayanda Walaza, Sinesipho Dambile, Bradley Nkoana, and Akani Simbine. They executed their handoffs cleanly and kept their cool under pressure, edging the United States by just 0.05 seconds. Walaza, only 19, held his own against more experienced starters. Dambile and Nkoana maintained the momentum with smooth transitions, but it was Simbine who once again stole the moment.
By the time Akani Simbine grabbed the stick, South Africa was just a step behind. But if there’s one thing Simbine has mastered, it’s reading a race under pressure. “I feed from chasing,” he said afterward. And chase he did. Staying relaxed, he reeled in the American anchor down the stretch, waited for the right moment, then leaned into the finish with the confidence of someone who’s done it before.
The clock read 37.61, a world lead and a performance just shy of their African record. Canada, loaded with their Olympic squad, came in third.
The men’s 4x400m relay came to the party too, but with a bit of unfinished business. The memory of last year’s 4x400m final in the Bahamas, where Botswana edged them out, still lingered. Clocking 2:57.50, they not only secured the win in Guangzhou but also shattered their own national record, improving on the time that placed them fifth at the Tokyo Olympics. Coming less than half an hour after their 4x100m victory, the result showed the country’s growing strength in both sprint and long relay events.
No doubt, this double triumph signals a shift for South Africa, a team traditionally strong in individual sprinting now proving it can consistently deliver on the relay stage. The depth and consistency across both events suggest a well-rounded program that’s maturing at the right time, especially with the World Championships in Tokyo on the horizon.
What happened to Jamaica?
Team Jamaica arrived in Guangzhou with high expectations, but left with mixed emotions and more questions than answers. For a country that has long been synonymous with sprint dominance, securing just two qualifying spots for the Tokyo 2025 World Championships felt like a missed opportunity. While there were moments of promise, particularly in the women’s 4x100m and mixed 4x100m the broader picture showed a team still searching for rhythm and reliability.
The women’s 4x100m team, anchored by Shericka Jackson and featuring legends like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and rising star Tina Clayton, managed to secure bronze with a time of 42.33. It was a respectable result but fell short of the usual Jamaican standard. In the mixed 4x100m, the quartet of Cole, Sloley, Thomas, and Levell showed grit, taking silver behind Canada. Still, the event won’t be contested in Tokyo, which limited the long-term value of that performance.
The real concern was on the men’s side, particularly in the 4x100m. Two days, two failed baton exchanges, and zero progress toward qualification. For a nation that once made sprinting look effortless, watching Julian Forte pull up twice and Yohan Blake left reaching for a baton that never came was tough. Even their 4x400m squad had to scramble in the repechage to earn a spot in Tokyo. Guangzhou didn’t erase Jamaica’s legacy, but it did underline how fragile dominance can become without execution.
Spain Shocked the world
Spain’s outing at the World Relays in Guangzhou may go down as one of the most surprising and impressive performances of the entire meet. A nation not traditionally known for its dominance in sprint relays walked away with two silver medals and one stunning gold, rewriting their own history in the process. For a team that hadn’t even qualified for global finals in the women’s 4x400m for decades, this felt like a turning point.
The biggest shock came in the women’s 4x400m final, where Spain toppled the United States to win the title in a national record of 3:24.13. It was a performance built on belief and rhythm, not star power. Paula Sevilla gave the team a composed start, and by the time Blanca Hervas powered past USA’s anchor down the home straight, the stadium felt it too as this wasn’t a fluke, it was earned. Hervas had already run the mixed relay earlier in the night, but she found another gear when it mattered most.
The women’s 4x100m team added to the magic. After setting a national record in the heats, they backed it up in the final with another crisp run, finishing second behind Great Britain and ahead of Jamaica and the United States. The core of the team made up of Cladera, Bestue, Perez, and Sevilla had also run in the 4x400m. That kind of versatility and grit is rare, and it gave Spain a weekend they’ll be talking about for years. For a country long overlooked in the sprint relay conversation, Guangzhou was more than a breakout. It felt like a beginning.
