By Mitch Phillips
PARIS (Reuters) – The United States’ gamble of starting their 4×400 metres relay team with 16-year-old Quincy Wilson almost backfired spectacularly on Friday, until Chris Bailey rescued the red-hot favourites on the last leg to secure progress to the final.
There was drama for Botswana too after lead-off Leungo Scotch got injured in the warm-up, leading to the last-minute – and highly successful – addition of Letsile Tebogo, who was at the track only to loosen up after his 200m victory on Thursday night.
Wilson trailed in a distant seventh, leaving Vernon Norwood and Bryce Deadmon to work their way through, but they still needed Bailey to come from a fourth to overtake Japan and snatch the third automatic qualifying slot.
For Saturday’s final they have newly crowned individual champion Quincy Hall and 2022 world champion Michael Norman on the sidelines ready to beef things up as they seek to continue their dominance of an event they have won 18 times.
Tokyo bronze medallists Botswana look well-equipped to challenge them and were led out brilliantly by Tebogo. They won the first heat in 2:57.76 minutes, ahead of world championship bronze medallists Britain (2:58.88), who have 400m silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith in their ranks.
“I thought I wasn’t running today, so I just brought my shorts to the track so I could just ease up my body after last night, and do the warm-up, and give them motivation,” said Tebogo, the first African to win the 200m.
“I went to the bathroom and when I came back I found that Leungo had his head down and was hurt. So I had to think what was the best thing to do. They told me, ‘One of the guys has a knock, so can you please step up?’.
“So I rushed back to my room, got my stuff and I made it.
“I believe I’ll run the final tomorrow looking at the circumstances.”
The crowd went crazy in the second heat as Fabrisio Saidy ran a storming last leg to win it for France in 2:59.53. With their women’s team also qualifying, the last two track events of the athletics programme on Saturday night will lift the Stade de France roof.
Although botched changeovers and dropped batons are far less common than in the sprint relay, disqualifications do happen, as the U.S. know all too well after being ejected from the World Relays earlier this year for standing in the wrong position on one of the changeovers.
South Africa, too, suffered on Friday as Antonie Matthys Nortje crashed to the track following a collision shortly after the second changeover, leaving them to trail in last.
However, they were later added to the final lineup, when nine teams will race.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips; Editing by Alison Williams)
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