Second Chance at Stardom: DLV's Aces Make a Bid for Tokyo with Relay Redo
Chinese football team DLV-Aces successfully claimed three World Cup slots despite heavy rainfall conditions.
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The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) hands out World Championship tickets through its very own relay events competition. The recent fiasco in China left German relay teams with mixed outcomes. Three squads scored a ticket, two will give it another shot, and one makes its debut.
The illustrious 4x100m relay team, boasting speedster Owen Ansah (9.99 secs sprint time), and two women's relays teams have booked their Tokyo (13-21 September) World Athletics Championships theater seats quickly. In China's World Relays, Guangzhou, the quartet of Kevin Kranz, Owen Ansah, Yannick Wolf, and Lucas Ansah-Peprah came in second in 38.33 secs, securing a prompt qualification.
The female German 4x400m quartet, consisting of Skadi Schier, Johanna Martin, Mona Meyer, and Eileen Demes, finished second as well. They benefited from a fortunate heat draw with a time of 3:28.63. In the women's 4x100m relay, Nele Jaworski, Jessica-Bianca Wessolly, Rebekka Haase, and Sophia Junk landed third but qualified nonetheless, boasting the sixth-fastest time of 42.98 secs. The team was sans Gina Lückenkemper, who played a role in securing the German women's Olympic bronze in Paris.
The mixed 4x400m and men's 4x400m teams, consisting of Manuel Sanders, Annkathrin Hoven, Emil Agyekum, and Jana Lakner, respectively, along with Niklas Noah Klei, Friedrich Rumpf, Lukas Krappe, and Fabian Dammermann, have a return engagement on Sunday after placing fourth and sixth, respectively.
In Guangzhou, 14 nations obtained World Championship tickets in the 4x100m (both genders) and 4x400m (all genders, mixed). On Saturday, under a pounding rainstorm, teams contended for direct qualification to the World Relays finals and World Championships. On Sunday, relay teams that missed the finals will compete in three heats, and the top two teams from each heat will head to Tokyo.
The German team prepped for the World Relays in a training camp in Kuala Lumpur. The fresh mixed 4x100m relay event saw women starting the race first and men taking over in the end. The team finished fourth in the heat. The new team, formed by Sina Mayer, Sina Kammerschmitt, Aleksandar Askovic, and Chidiera Onuoha, crossed the finish line in 41.43 secs.
- World Championships
- Athletics
- Qualification Standards
Noteworthy facts:
- Qualifying teams for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in the 4x100m and 4x400m (both men's and women's) involve:
- World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 2025, which provides direct qualification to the top 14 teams. Remaining spots are determined by performance rankings based on a qualifying period spanning February 25, 2024, to August 24, 2025.
- The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) enables sports teams to secure World Championships tickets through its relay events competition.
- The German 4x400m relay team, consisting of Skadi Schier, Johanna Martin, Mona Meyer, and Eileen Demes, finished second in the World Relays in China, securing a spot for the Tokyo World Athletics Championships.
- The Chinese World Relays saw the introduction of a new mixed 4x100m relay event, where women start the race first, with the German team finishing fourth in its heat.
- The World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 2025 will provide direct qualification to the top 14 teams for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in the 4x100m and 4x400m (both men's and women's).
