Omanyala, Team Kenya fare dismally in 4×400 metres to miss out on Olympics ticket

Kenya’s 4x400m team led by Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala was among the 23 nations, who failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games after a disappointing outing at the World Athletics Relays 24 in Bahamas on Sunday.

The 28-year-old Omanyala, who holds Africa’s record in the 100 metres with a time of 9.77, which he set in 2021 to become the ninth fastest man of all time, anchored Team Kenya that included Hesbon Ochieng, Mark Otieno and Meshack Babu, but they performed dismally after finishing last in the race with a time of 39.38.

In Kenya’s heat which was hotly contested, it was Japan, who won the race followed by China and the two nations automatically qualified for the Olympics. South Africa managed a third place finish and the outcome could not hand them a qualification ticket to Paris after clocking 38.83.

The mixed relays team of Kennedy Kimeu, Mercy Chebet, Kevin Kipkorir and Maureen Thomas also finished last in their heat, clocking 3:19.90, a race won by Ireland while Belgium was second, with both earning Paris slots.

Meanwhile, Botswana – bolstered by a stunning 43.49 split from world 100m silver medallist Letsile Tebogo on leg two – produced the fastest clocking of the day in the men’s 4x400m heats, prevailing by 0.03 in a close battle with South Africa, 2:59.73 to 2:59.76.

Tebogo had put Botswana into the lead, then world record-holder Wayde van Niekerk regained pole position for South Africa on leg three. But Bayapo Ndori produced a 43.95 anchor for Botswana to give them victory in one of the closest finishes of the evening.

World indoor champions Belgium also impressed. Anchored by world indoor 400m champion Alexander Doom, the Belgian quartet won their heat convincingly in 3:00.09 with Nigeria a distant second in 3:01.70.

The 23 teams who missed out on Olympic qualification will have another chance on Sunday of ensuring their place in Paris. The top six teams in the Olympic qualification round two will join the eight automatic qualifiers from Saturday.

32 teams were entered for the men’s 4x100m and 30 for the women’s event while 32 teams battled it out in the men’s 4x400m with 27 in the women’s event. 30 teams were entered in the mixed relay.