Sizzling Rain-Soaked Relay Showdown in China: German Teams Battle for Tokyo Tickets
Rainy Conditions Aided Chinese Team DLV-Aces in Securing Three World Cup Spots
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The International Athletics Federation dishes out World Championships (WM) tickets through relay competitions, and in Guangzhou, China, the German teams delivered a mixed bag of results. Three quadruplets punched their Tokyo tickets, while two will have to fight for a redo, and one celebrated a first-time event.
At the helm of the men's 4x100-meter relay, the speedy Owen Ansah, boasting a 9.99-second record, and two women's relay teams are all set for the Tokyo (13-21 September) WM. The quartet of Kevin Kranz, Owen Ansah, Yannick Wolf, and Lucas Ansah-Peprah clinched second place in 38.33 seconds in their competition heat, securing an early qualification.
The German women's 4x400-meter relay team, composed of Skadi Schier, Johanna Martin, Mona Meyer, and Eileen Demes, also took second place amid a lucky draw, running 3:28.63 minutes. Despite finishing third with a time of 42.98 seconds in the 4x100-meter relay, Nele Jaworski, Jessica-Bianca Wessolly, Rebekka Haase, and Sophia Junk made it to Tokyo via their sixth-fastest time overall. The sprint relay team missed the presence of Gina Lückenkemper, who fetched the German women Olympic bronze in Paris.
The mixed 4x400-meter relay team, composed of Manuel Sanders, Annkathrin Hoven, Emil Agyekum, and Jana Lakner, and the men's 4x400-meter relay team will have to try again on Sunday after placing fourth and sixth, respectively. As 14 countries qualified for the Tokyo WM in the 4x100-meter (men and women) and 4x400-meter (men, women, and mixed) relays, all unlucky teams competing for the remaining spots will face off in heats on Sunday, with two teams from each heat making it to Tokyo.
The German team honed their World Relays skills in a training camp in Kuala Lumpur. The mixed 4x100-meter relay is fresh on the scene, featuring women running the first two legs before handing off to the men. Germany took fourth place in the trial run. Regrettably, the new event will not appear in the Tokyo WM but is scheduled for the 2026 European Championships and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The debut team of Sina Mayer, Sina Kammerschmitt, Aleksandar Askovic, and Chidiera Onuoha clocked in at 41.43 seconds.
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While the German teams displayed enviable potential, the finer details of their qualification journey for the Tokyo WM remain somewhat elusive, as they did not manage a significant upset in the heats of the women's 4x100m relay. In the women's 4x400m heats, the German squad trailed South Africa's national record-breaking squad of 3:28.01. The details of Germany's performance in the new mixed 4x100m relay are yet to be reported, but the event stirred excitement and marked the introduction of the mixed relay format.
To illustrate, Germany's teams demonstrated a fighting spirit, but their path to the Tokyo WM remains relatively unexplained based on available data. Teams that place among the top 14 in their events secure an automatic ticket for the World Championships.
Sources: ntv.de, tsi/sid // Athletics // DLV // World Championships
- The World Championships (WM) tickets for athletics, particularly in relay competitions, are awarded by the International Athletics Federation.
- The German women's 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of Skadi Schier, Johanna Martin, Mona Meyer, and Eileen Demes, competed in the relay event at the World Championships, but trailed South Africa's national record-breaking squad.
- The mixed 4x100-meter relay, a new event on the scene, includes women running the first two legs before handing off to the men. Germany's team, consisting of Sina Mayer, Sina Kammerschmitt, Aleksandar Askovic, and Chidiera Onuoha, displayed excitement in a trial run.
- To secure a ticket to the World Championships, teams need to be among the top 14 in their events, but the specific path of the German teams to the Tokyo WM remains relatively unexplained based on available data.
