Olympians vie for Worlds qualification – watch on BBC
Canada’s Olympic Champions Aaron Brown (left), Jerome Blake (left centre), Brendon Rodney (right centre) and Andre de Grasse (right) will aim for gold in China
Nick Pennington
BBC Sport assistant producer
The world’s best sprinters head to China this weekend to compete for titles and qualification places for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September.
You can watch the action on the BBC as Guangzhou hosts the seventh edition of the World Athletics Relays.
The mixed 4x100m and 4x400m relay events are set to make their global debut in Guangzhou, while athletes will compete in a total of six events, including the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay and the men’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay.
World track stars to look out for
Olympic legends Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Wayde van Niekerk, Letsile Tebogo and Shericka Jackson will join 730 athletes from 43 countries in Guangzhou.
Canada’s men’s 4x100m gold-medal winning squad from Paris 2024 remains unchanged, led by the country’s joint-most decorated Olympian Andre de Grasse.
He and his team-mates will be battling for their nation’s first World Relays title after finishing second to the United States last year.
The USA squad includes Kenny Bednarek and fellow world medallist Erriyon Knighton.
Great Britain will be counting on 60m world indoor champion Jeremiah Azu and Olympian Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake among their 30-strong team.
World Championships qualification up for grabs
60m world indoor champion Jeremiah Azu will line up for Great Britain in Guangzhou
Qualification places for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo are available on both days of action in Guangzhou.
The top 14 teams in each of the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m, as well as the 4x400m relay, will secure their place for September.
The two remaining spots in each event will be determined by the World Athletics ‘top list’, which is the global governing body’s points-based system of ranking athletes.
On Saturday, the top two teams in each of the four heats will progress to the final, while securing their qualification for the Worlds.
The remaining teams will compete on Sunday in the repechage round, with qualifying spots for the top two in each of the three heats – a system introduced at last year’s World Relays in the Bahamas.
World Athletics Relays schedule and BBC coverage
Live coverage of all the action, including the finals of each event, will be available on iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app from 11:50 BST on Saturday, 10 May and from 11:55 BST on Sunday, 11 May.
Saturday, 10 May
Mixed 4x100m relay heats
Mixed 4x400m relay round one
Women’s 4x100m relay round one
Men’s 4x100m relay round one
Women’s 4x400m relay round one
Men’s 4x400m relay round one
Sunday, 11 May
Mixed 4x100m relay final
Mixed 4x400m relay round two
Women’s 4x400m relay round two
Men’s 4x400m relay round two
Women’s 4x100m relay round two
Men’s 4x100m relay round two
Mixed 4x400m relay final
Women’s 4x100m relay final
Men’s 4x100m relay final
Women’s 4x400m relay final
Men’s 4x400m relay final
