World champion&nbsp;Oblique Seville and Olympic champion Gabby Thomas join the already-announced Quincy Hall and Khaleb McRae in being named for the Lone Star Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, in Texas on 6 June.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Seville is set to form part of a loaded 100m field alongside Canada&rsquo;s multiple Olympic and world medallist Andre De Grasse,&nbsp;USA&rsquo;s multiple world medallist&nbsp;Trayvon Bromell, British record-holder&nbsp;Zharnel Hughes and members of USA&rsquo;s victorious 4x100m squad from the recent World Relays:&nbsp;Ronnie Baker, Max Thomas&nbsp;and&nbsp;Pjai Austin.
USA&rsquo;s Thomas, a three-time gold medallist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, is slated to compete in the 200m. The Austin-based sprinter is in top form, having recently broken 11 seconds in a wind-legal 100m for the first time with 10.95 in Gaborone.
She headlines a deep field that includes 2024 NCAA champion and Olympic finalist&nbsp;McKenzie Long, world relay gold medallist&nbsp;Kayla White and Olympic relay silver medallist&nbsp;Jenna Prandini.
Olympic champion Hall&nbsp;will return to the track for a 400m showdown against world short track record-holder&nbsp;McRae.
Hall is set to make his return to competition exactly one year after his last race &ndash; a victory in the 400m at the Rome Diamond League. He is the fourth-fastest man in history at the distance thanks to his 43.40 performance in the Paris Olympic final.
While Hall stepped away from competition, McRae surged on to the global stage. He broke 44 seconds for the first time in 2025 and earned silver as part of USA&rsquo;s 4x400m team at the World Championships. He carried that momentum into 2026, setting a world short track record of 44.52, claiming 400m silver at the World Indoor Championships and anchoring USA to gold in the 4x400m.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited to be part of the Lone Star Grand Prix,&rdquo; said McRae. &ldquo;Competing at a high level in front of a strong Texas crowd is always special and I&rsquo;m looking forward to putting on a great race. It&rsquo;s a great opportunity to keep building momentum this season.&rdquo;
The women&rsquo;s 400m will feature&nbsp;Britton Wilson,&nbsp;Bailey Lear&nbsp;and Alexis Holmes, while the 110m hurdles includes Olympic silver medallist&nbsp;Daniel Roberts&nbsp;alongside&nbsp;Freddie Crittenden.

World champion Oblique Seville and Olympic champion Gabby Thomas join the already-announced Quincy Hall and Khaleb McRae in being named for the Lone Star Grand Prix

Global champions Seville and Thomas added to Lone Star Grand Prix lineup

Global medallists Kimberly Garcia, Antonella Palmisano, Paula Torres and Perseus Karlstr&ouml;m headline the Poděbrady Walking &ndash; a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold meeting &ndash; on Friday (8).
The races at the new half marathon distance have again lured the event&rsquo;s finest to the Czech spa town 40km east of Prague.
Italy&rsquo;s 2021 Olympic champion Antonella Palmisano faces 2022 double world champion Garc&iacute;a and world bronze medallist Paula Torres.
Palmisano is a Podebrady devotee. Back for the 12th time, she has climbed the podium 10 times including three wins at different competitions.
However, this is her outdoor debut for the year. The only other notable 2026 result is a swift 11:56.74 to win the 3000m at the Italian Indoor Championships in February.
By contrast, not only did Garc&iacute;a win in Poděbrady two years ago at 20km in a superb 1:27:08, more telling is the Peruvian&rsquo;s victory at the Caixa World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Brasilia 26, where she dominated the half marathon for a 1:35:00 clocking.
At the same championships, Ecuador&rsquo;s Paula Torres likewise dominated the marathon for a 3:24:37 win &ndash; a race she led from gun to tape.
Ecuador&rsquo;s strong race walking tradition brings a season debut for Glenda Morejon, silver medallist in the mixed marathon relay at the 2024 Olympics. Morejon will also count Podebrady among her fond memories. She was second in 1:27:21 to Garcia&rsquo;s speedy win in 2024.
Teammate Johana Ord&oacute;&ntilde;ez has already stood on the Podebrady podium too, when she finished third four years ago.
Elsewhere on the entry list is France&rsquo;s Marine Rottier, who carved out a fine fourth in Dudince for the marathon, and India&rsquo;s Priyanka Goswami, who also has the full distance under her belt after coming second at the Indian Championships in 3:37:25.
The men&rsquo;s race is a mouth-watering prospect.
Late entries see World Race Walking Team Championships winner Francesco Fortunato line up alongside world champion Caio Bonfim.
A bigger surprise is Olympic champion Brian Pintado's name on the start list more than a year after undergoing hip surgery. On social media, Pintado declared he is into week 11 of 127 as he bids for another Olympic gold at Los Angeles 2028.
Karlstr&ouml;m, the 2023 world silver medallist, is racing the one-kilometre loop around Lazensky Park for an incredible 16th time in all competitions, having been a winner in four of them.
It&rsquo;s no surprise that the Swede wants more: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always a very well-organised race with a great atmosphere. In my opinion, it&rsquo;s by far the best course in the world &ndash; it brings out the best in everyone who competes there.&rdquo;
Another Podebrady stalwart, Christopher Linke, also lines up. He too has won four times: twice in 2017 at different competitions.
The 37-year-old German comes into this race off the back of a third-place finish in the marathon at the Race Walking Tour Gold meeting in Dudince in March, and a comfortable half marathon win at the German Race Walking Championships last month (1:28:04).
However, Karlstr&ouml;m raced the half marathon in Dudince where he won in 1:24:58. He also clocked 3:04:50 for the marathon at the US Championships in California in January.
Declan Tingay is ready to upset the pair&rsquo;s apple cart. The Australian is the fastest in the field having clocked 1:23:41 in Taicang in March.
Leo Kopp also arrives in form. The German&rsquo;s fine fourth place at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Bras&iacute;lia&rsquo;s warm conditions was achieved in 1:27:50.
Colombia&rsquo;s 2017 world champion Eider Arevalo, who finished 18th in 1:30:16 in Brasilia, is a late entrant. Finland&rsquo;s Jerry Jokinen is ready to battle the best after finishing second in Dudince behind Karlstr&ouml;m in an isolated 1:28:17.
Mexicans Ever Jair Palma Olivares and Noel Chama, who won the US Championships half marathon in 1:27:28, along with Italians Teodorico Caporaso and Andrea Cosi should also be among the early pacemakers.
There is an intriguing entry from Andres Chocho. The 42-year-old &ndash; who won the 2015 Pan-American Games title but is now better known as coach to Garcia, wife Erica de Sena and Olympic champion Brian Pintado &ndash; hasn&rsquo;t finished a Race Walking Tour Gold meeting since 2023.
Paul Warburton for World Athletics

Global medallists Kimberly Garcia, Antonella Palmisano, Paula Torres and Perseus Karlström headline the Poděbrady Walking

Garcia, Palmisano and Karlström headline Poděbrady fields

Ultimate Legend Usain Bolt urges fans to act quickly to secure their seats in Budapest 
An additional wave of tickets is now on sale for the first-ever World Athletics Ultimate Championship, taking place on 11-13 September in Hungary&rsquo;s capital of Budapest. Tickets can be purchased at <a href="https://ultimateathleticschampionship.com/tickets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ultimateathleticschampionship.com/tickets</a>.
Due to high demand, temporary seating will be added to the Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre, creating an additional 7000 seats per session and increasing total capacity to 21,000 fans per session. These new tickets will enable more fans to be a part of the spectacle in its inaugural edition, including through additional options designed to maximise affordability (from HUF 10,000/&euro;30*).&nbsp;
Usain Bolt, the Ultimate Legend for the global championship, encouraged fans to act quickly.
&ldquo;Tickets to the Ultimate Championship are likely to sell out in record time,&rdquo; Bolt said. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t miss out on this new chance to be in that stadium as the world&rsquo;s best battle for the title of Ultimate champion!&rdquo;
*approximate ticket price conversion in euros

World Athletics Ultimate Championship

Ultimate Legend Usain Bolt urges fans to act quickly to secure their seats in Budapest

Additional Ultimate Championship tickets now on sale

Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles and world U20 200m record-holder Gout Gout have been announced for the Ostrava Golden Spike, where they are both set to contest the 150m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting on 16 June.
USA's Lyles &ndash; who will be making his first appearance at the Czech meeting &ndash; is aiming to break the world best for the distance of 14.92 which was set recently by Kishane Thompson, the Jamaican who finished second to Lyles in the 2024 Olympic 100m final.
Australia's 18-year-old Gout &ndash; who recently set a world-leading world U20 200m record of 19.67 &ndash; will return to the scene of his previous PB of 20.02 he set to win in Ostrava last year.&nbsp;
The meeting will also welcome back Gianmarco Tamberi, the 2021 Olympic and 2023 world champion. The Italian high jumper won in Ostrava in 2022 and is set to return for his fourth appearance at the meeting, where he is due to face Czech high jumper Jan &Scaron;tefela.
Other athletes announced for Ostrava include 100m hurdlers Tobi Amusan, Devynne Charlton and Nadine Visser, pole vaulters Emmanouil Karalis and Katie Moon, 1000m hopeful Josh Hoey and European silver medallist Mohammed Attaoui, plus javelin throwers Anderson Peters and Adriana Vilagos.
Home athletes Karol&iacute;na Maňasov&aacute;, Lurdes Gloria Manuel, Am&aacute;lie &Scaron;v&aacute;b&iacute;kov&aacute;, Tom&aacute;&scaron; Staněk and Nikola Ogrodn&iacute;kov&aacute; are also among those named in the line-up.

Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles and world U20 200m record-holder Gout Gout have been announced for the Ostrava Golden Spike

Lyles and Gout set for 150m in Ostrava

The first relay teams have qualified for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26 after the mixed 4x100m and mixed 4x400m finals at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 on Sunday (3).
The top six teams in each mixed relay event secured automatic qualification for the Ultimate Championship, which will be held in Budapest on 11-13 September.
Jamaica improved on their own world mixed 4x100m record from the heats, clocking 39.62 in the final. Canada, who had set a world record in the first heat on Saturday, finished second in the final. The USA were convincing winners of the mixed 4x400m final in Gaborone, smashing the championship record with 3:07.47. Jamaica finished second in a national record of 3:08.24.
The World Relays also confirmed 72 automatic qualifiers &ndash; 12 in each of the six relay disciplines contested in Gaborone &ndash; for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27. The first 48 automatic places were secured on Saturday, while the final 24 places were decided through Sunday&rsquo;s second qualifying round. The finals, meanwhile, decided prize money and preferential lane seeding positions for Beijing.
Hosts Botswana provided the most memorable moment of the weekend with victory in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m, not only securing their place at the World Championships, but also smashing the competition record with 2:54.47, the third-fastest clocking in history.
The competition record was almost broken in the men&rsquo;s 4x100m as USA triumphed in 37.43. Jamaica stormed to victory in the women&rsquo;s event in 42.00, while Norway were surprise winners of the women&rsquo;s 4x400m in a world-leading national record of 3:20.96.
The remaining relay places for the Ultimate Championship (two in each of the mixed relay disciplines) and the World Championships (four in each of the relay disciplines) will be determined by the top lists at the end of the respective qualifying periods. 
<h3>Teams qualified for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26</h3>
Mixed 4x100m: Canada, Germany, Jamaica, Nigeria, Spain, United States
Mixed 4x400m: Great Britain &amp; NI, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Spain, United States 
<h3>Full list of teams qualified for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27 through the World Relays</h3>
Women&rsquo;s 4x100m: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Italy, Jamaica, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Spain
Men&rsquo;s 4x100m: Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, China, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain &amp; NI, Jamaica, Netherlands, South Africa, United States
Women&rsquo;s 4x400m: Australia, Canada, Czechia, France, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain
Men&rsquo;s 4x400m: Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Zimbabwe
Mixed 4x100m: Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Italy, Jamaica, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United States
Mixed 4x400m: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Great Britain &amp; NI, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Poland, South Africa, Spain, United States

World Athletics Relays

The first relay teams have qualified for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26 after the mixed 4x100m and mixed 4x400m finals at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 on Sunday (3).

Budapest and Beijing qualifiers confirmed at Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 

Botswana brought the curtain down on the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 in unforgettable fashion on Sunday (3), winning the men&rsquo;s 4x400m in a competition record of 2:54.47 as the National Stadium erupted for the host nation.
Running in the final event of the weekend, the world champions delivered the performance the home crowd had come to see &ndash; and then some. Their time was not only a national record and the fastest ever recorded at the World Relays, but also the third-fastest performance in history.
By the time the baton reached the closing stages, the noise inside the stadium had become almost overwhelming. Botswana had carried the expectation of a nation into the last race of the programme, and they responded with a performance of authority, precision and nerve to seal one of the defining moments in World Relays history.
It was a fitting finale to the first World Athletics Series event to be held in Botswana, a weekend that had already produced world leads, area records and national records across the relay disciplines. But nothing matched the emotion of the closing race, as Botswana&rsquo;s 4x400m quartet turned home support into history.
Lee Eppie gave the home team an early lead with a 44.26 leg before handing over to Letsile Tebogo. The Olympic 200m champion strode out along the back straight but, despite running a 43.50 split, was caught by Lythe Pillay towards the end of the second leg after the South African managed a sensational 42.66 split - the fastest in 4x400m history.
Reece Holder moved Australia into contention too with a 43.12 effort on the second leg and it soon became clear that the host nation wouldn&rsquo;t have it all their own way.
Botswana&rsquo;s Bayapo Ndori chased South African teenager Leendert Koekemoer on the third leg, while Australia&rsquo;s Thomas Reynolds edged closer to the lead pair. There was little to separate the three leading teams as they embarked on the final leg.
Fortunately for Botswana, they still had world champion Collen Kebinatshipi to call upon. He moved level with South Africa&rsquo;s Zakithi Nene and Australia&rsquo;s Aidan Murphy with 200 metres to go and they ran together for the next 100 metres before Kebinatshipi broke free from his challengers on the home straight.
Roared on by the vocal home crowd, he charged through the line in 2:54.47, smashing the championship record by almost three seconds. South Africa placed second in 2:55.07 and Australia were third in 2:55.20, the fifth and sixth fastest performances in history.
"We wanted to break the world record, we didn't care about the gold," said Eppie, Botswana's first-leg runner. "We polished the mistakes before we got into the race and everything was perfect from start to finish.
"This was the best moment in my career," said Tebogo. "I'm sure there is more to come but this has been my biggest highlight so far. It is not about the medals at the Olympics or World Championships but how the crowd has held us together."
Further back, Portugal held off Zimbabwe to finish fourth in 2:59.75 to Zimbabwe&rsquo;s 2:59.79. The Netherlands (3:00.13) and Belgium (3:00.69) were sixth and seventh, while Qatar were disqualified.
In the second World Championships qualifying round, Senegal emerged as surprise winners of a hotly contested first heat in 3:01.28 ahead of Spain (3:01.37). The second heat was similarly competitive with Japan coming out on top in 3:00.19 ahead of Brazil (3:00.45).
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics 
Result: 1 Botswana 2:54.47, 2 South Africa 2:55.07, 3 Australia 2:55.20, 4 Portugal 2:59.75, 5 Zimbabwe 2:59.79, 6 Netherlands 3:00.13, 7 Belgium 3:00.69, Qatar DQ.
The eight finalists have qualified for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27, with their finishing order determining their lane seeding positions.
The other teams to qualify for Beijing through Sunday&rsquo;s additional round were:&nbsp;Brazil, Japan, Senegal, Spain.

Botswana brought the curtain down on the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 in unforgettable fashion on Sunday (3), winning the men’s 4x400m in a competition record of 2:54.47 as the National Stadium erupted for the host nation.

Botswana bring World Relays to epic close with historic men’s 4x400m win

Josefine Tomine Eriksen Aks, Amalie Iuel, Astri Ertzgaard and Henriette J&aelig;ger teamed up to make history for Norway at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26, running a world-leading national record of 3:20.96 to win the women&rsquo;s 4x400m final on Sunday (3).
That quartet finished sixth in the world final in Tokyo last year but they went almost three seconds faster in Botswana &ndash; first running a national record of 3:22.78 in the heats and then improving that mark again to clinch the crown ahead of defending champions Spain, who also ran a national record of 3:21.25. Canada finished third in 3:22.66.
Spain had the lead after the first leg &ndash; Paula Sevilla handing the baton to Ana Prieto, ahead of Great Britain, Italy and Canada.
Lauren Gale moved Canada to the fore at the break, chased by Iuel for Norway and Prieto for Spain. Iuel had the strongest finish and put Norway ahead at the changeover, handing the baton to Ertzgaard.
Spain&rsquo;s Roc&iacute;o Arroyo passed Ertzgaard at the end of that third leg before anchor runner Blanca Herv&aacute;s strode away in the lead for the defending champions. But she was tracked by 2025 world indoor 400m bronze medallist J&aelig;ger who surged in front down the back straight and couldn&rsquo;t be caught.
That 48.91 anchor leg by J&aelig;ger secured Norway the win ahead of Spain, while Olympic 400m hurdles finalist Savannah Sutherland moved Canada up to third place.
Olympic bronze medallists Great Britain finished fourth ahead of world bronze medallists the Netherlands and Italy, who equalled their national record.
&ldquo;We have also qualified for the World Championships in Beijing and that's what matters the most to us,&rdquo; said Iuel. &ldquo;Two years ago, we finished fifth, and last year, we finished fourth. This year we all agreed that we needed to get on that podium and we did it.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We knew that we had a strong team and I knew that we were about to do something crazy. We had a run through yesterday, everyone was really nervous, but today, we had a confidence booster because we had set a national record. We were all surprised and we knew we could still run faster. We left it all out there. This is our first time getting a gold medal in the relays and this medal has a special place in our hearts.&rdquo;
A powerful anchor leg by Sharlene Mawdsley helped Ireland to a first heat win in the earlier additional round, securing their qualification for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27 in style.
France led until the final leg, trailed by Jamaica and Ireland. But Arlene Crossan put Ireland in a strong position on the third leg, leaving Mawdsley ready to kick past her rivals off the final bend and power over the finish line in 3:23.83.
France held on to the runner-up spot, Amandine Brossier running the anchor to secure the second World Championships qualification place in 3:24.48 to deny Jamaica in 3:25.38.
World and Olympic medallists Justyna Święty-Ersetic and Natalia Bukowiecka helped Poland to a second heat win, Bukowiecka reaching the finish line in 3:26.52 to confirm her team&rsquo;s place for Beijing. She held off Australia&rsquo;s Ellie Beer, the quartet clocking 3:26.92 to also qualify for the World Championships ahead of South Africa.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics 
Result: 1 Norway 3:20.96 WL NR, 2 Spain 3:21.25 NR, 3 Canada 3:22.66, 4 Great Britain &amp; NI 3:22.77, 5 Netherlands 3:23.12, 6 Italy 3:23.40 =NR, 7 Czechia 3:28.97, 8 Germany 3:29.37
<div>
The eight finalists have qualified for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27, with their finishing order determining their lane seeding positions.
The other teams to qualify for Beijing through Sunday&rsquo;s additional round were: Australia, France, Ireland and Poland
</div>

Report on the women's 4x400m at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26

Norway run world lead to win women’s 4x400m in Gaborone

The United States turned the tables on South Africa, the nation that upstaged them at last year&rsquo;s event, by winning the men&rsquo;s 4x100m at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 on Sunday (3).
In a near repeat of the final from Guangzhou twelve months ago, the USA and South Africa were locked in a head-to-head battle for glory down the home straight, but this time victory went to the United States who prevailed in 37.43 ahead of South Africa, who set an African record of 37.49 in second.
USA&rsquo;s 2018 world indoor bronze medallist Ronnie Baker powered out of the blocks and handed on to Max Thomas. South Africa, led off by Mvuyo Moss and Cheswill Johnson, were positioned well throughout, while Germany were also close behind.
Canada, the Olympic champions and one of the best-drilled relay squads in the world, were taken out of contention when second-leg runner Jerome Blake was struck by injury. He strode gallantly towards Brendon Rodney to complete his leg before Andre De Grasse brought them home as the last team to finish in 40.06.
Out in front, though, USA&rsquo;s Lance Lang battled against South Africa&rsquo;s Bradley Nkoana on the third leg with Germany&rsquo;s Owen Ansah giving chase. Pjai Austin then anchored USA down the home straight, holding off a strong challenge from the ever-reliable Akani Simbine, who anchored South Africa to victory last year.
This time, however, the title went to the USA in 37.43 &ndash; the third-fastest time ever at the World Relays and just 0.05 shy of the competition record. South Africa finished second in an African record of 37.49. It&rsquo;s just the second time in history that two teams have broken 37.50 in the same race.
"The noise from the crowd at the World Championships in Tokyo last year was loud, but here it was crazy," said Baker, USA's first-leg runner. "The atmosphere was truly amazing - the crowd had us hyped and ready to go."
"Since 2024 I've tried to let go of chasing medals simply to prove to the world that I'm a great sprinter when my results speak for themselves," added Simbine, who has been running sub-10 for 100m for a span of 11 years. "Now it's just me on the track running free, feeling the love from everybody that has supported me."
Germany finished third in 37.76, backing up the 37.67 national record they set in the first round. Australia (38.00) and the Netherlands (38.17) were next to finish ahead of the host nation Botswana (38.35), running without Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo as he was focusing on the 4x400m. Canada was next, while Great Britain failed to finish.
In the second World Championships qualifying round, China powered away from the field to win the first heat in 37.85 ahead of Ghana (38.09). Kenya finished outside of the qualifying spots in third but were rewarded with a national record of 38.27.
Jamaica enjoyed an even bigger winning margin in the second heat, winning in 38.14 to secure their place in Beijing. Belgium produced a national record of 38.40 to grab to final qualifying spot.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics 
Result: 1 United States 37.43, 2 South Africa 37.49, 3 Germany 37.76, 4 Australia 38.00, 5 Netherlands 38.17, 6 Botswana 38.35, 7 Canada 40.06, Great Britain &amp; NI DNF
The eight finalists have qualified for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27, with their finishing order determining their lane seeding positions.
The other teams to qualify for Beijing through Sunday&rsquo;s additional round were: China, Belgium, Ghana, Jamaica.

The United States turned the tables on South Africa, the nation that upstaged them at last year’s event, by winning the men’s 4x100m at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 on Sunday (3).

USA regain men’s 4x100m title in Gaborone

Elaine Thompson-Herah made a golden return to the global stage, anchoring Jamaica to the women&rsquo;s 4x100m title at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 on Sunday (3).
Continuing her comeback after injury, the five-time Olympic champion teamed up with Briana Williams, Jodean Williams and Lavanya Williams to clock 42.00 &ndash; Thompson-Herah easing up as she reached the finish line ahead of Canada and Spain.
The Canadian quartet &ndash; including two members of the nation&rsquo;s mixed 4x100m team that finished runner-up just 20 minutes earlier: Marie-&Eacute;lo&iuml;se Leclair and Audrey Leduc &ndash; stormed to a national record of 42.17 for another second-place finish, while Spain chased them over the finish line to complete the podium in 42.31.
Briana Williams started off for Jamaica, handing the baton to Jodean Williams. The second changeover wasn&rsquo;t quite as smooth but Lavanya Williams got to Thompson-Herah in second place, just behind Canada.
Sad&eacute; McCreath, Leduc and Leclair set things up well for their anchor runner Donna Ntambue, who stormed away in the lead for Canada. But Thompson-Herah was fast in pursuit and she overpowered her rival down the home straight, securing a second 4x100m victory for Jamaica in Gaborone after the nation&rsquo;s mixed success.
The Canadian quartet improved on their national record of 42.38 set in the heats of the World Championships in Tokyo to finish just ahead of Spain.
There was a fight for fourth place &ndash; Italy, China and Germany all clocking 42.61, separated by just 0.007.
"I'm grateful that I crossed the line healthy," said&nbsp;Thompson-Herah after racing in her first major international event since the 2023 World Championships. "Coming down the home straight, I felt like my leg was heavy &ndash; like a hamstring &ndash; but I knew that I had to bring the team home because we were looking forward to that.
"We came here in high spirits and I'm satisfied to walk away with the gold. I came here hungry for more and it worked out perfectly."
France and Nigeria enjoyed huge celebrations after the first women&rsquo;s 4x100m heat of the additional round earlier in the session. Their quartets respectively clocked 42.92 and 42.94 to secure the top two spots and, as a result, qualify for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27. Hungary set a national record of 43.32 in third.
Australia won the second heat in 42.88 to join the list of Beijing-qualified teams along with Great Britain and NI, whose disqualification on day one put paid to their hopes of defending their World Relays title. They rebounded by running 42.90 for the runner-up spot, Success Eduan chasing down Australia&rsquo;s Georgia Harris and Switzerland&rsquo;s C&eacute;line B&uuml;rgi, who anchored her team to third place in 42.92, narrowly missing out on automatic qualification for the World Championships.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics 
Result: 1 Jamaica 42.00, 2 Canada 42.17 NR, 3 Spain 42.31, 4 Italy 42.61 5 China 42.61, 6 Germany 42.61, 7 Poland 43.23, Portugal DQ
<div>
The eight finalists have qualified for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27, with their finishing order determining their lane seeding positions.
The other teams to qualify for Beijing through Sunday&rsquo;s additional round were: Australia, France,&nbsp;Great Britain &amp; NI and Nigeria
</div>

Report on the women's 4x100m at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26

Thompson-Herah anchors Jamaica to 4x100m win in Gaborone

The United States underlined their supremacy in the mixed 4x400m at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26, winning the final on Sunday (3) in 3:07.47.
Their time not only took two seconds off the competition record they set last year, it also came within 0.06 of the world record set by the USA at the 2024 Olympics.
Bryce Deadmon, who was also part of USA&rsquo;s mixed 4x400m team at the 2024 Olympics and the 2025 World Championships, got the team off to a strong start, but Jamaica, Kenya and Britain were close behind at the end of the first leg.
Paris Peoples started to carve out a slight lead over Jamaica&rsquo;s Shana Kaye Anderson on the second leg before Jenoah McKiver took up the running for the USA. He kept Jamaica&rsquo;s 2023 world 400m champion Antonio Watson at bay on the third leg, while France, Britain and Kenya battled it out a few strides behind.
On the final leg, Bailey Lear extended USA&rsquo;s advantage to cross the line in 3:07.47. Jamaica were rewarded with a huge improvement on their national record in second place, clocking 3:08.24 &ndash; making them the fourth-fastest nation ever for the event.
"This victory for me represents resilience, perseverance and consistency," said USA's Peoples. "Even when you can't see the end of the finish line, you have to just keep going."
Yemi Mary John ran a storming anchor leg to elevate Britain into third place in 3:09.84 ahead of Kenya (3:09.93). Italy and Spain were fifth and sixth, securing their place in this event at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26.
Australia placed seventh while Poland failed to finish, but all eight finalists have qualified for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27.
In the second World Championships qualifying round earlier in the day, Canada produced a national record of 3:12.43 to overtake Belgium in the closing stages. Belgium, the world indoor champions in this event, finished second in 3:12.79 to secure their place in Beijing.
South Africa passed Nigeria on the home straight of the second heat as both teams secured qualifying spots for Beijing, 3:12.77 to 3:12.88.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics 
Result: 1 United States 3:07.47, 2 Jamaica 3:08.24, 3 Great Britain &amp; NI 3:09.84, 4 Kenya 3:09.93, 5 Italy 3:10.52, 6 Spain 3:13.05, 7 Australia 3:13.07, Poland DNF
<div>
The top six teams have qualified for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26. All eight finalists have qualified for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27, with their finishing order determining their lane seeding positions.
The other teams to qualify for Beijing through Sunday&rsquo;s additional round were:&nbsp;Belgium, Canada, Nigeria and South Africa.
</div>

The United States underlined their supremacy in the mixed 4x400m at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26, winning the final on Sunday (3) in 3:07.47.

USA smash competition record in mixed 4x400m in Gaborone

Jamaica&rsquo;s Ackeem Blake, Tina Clayton, Kadrian Goldson and Tia Clayton stormed to their second mixed 4x100m world record* of the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26, running 39.62 to win the final on Sunday (3).
Two world records* were achieved on the first day of action in Botswana &ndash; Canada and Jamaica opening the competition by setting respective world records of 40.07 and 39.99 in the heats, improving on the world best of 40.30 run by Canada when the mixed 4x100m made its global debut at last year&rsquo;s World Relays in Guangzhou.
The two teams went head-to-head in a thrilling final, in battle for the World Relays title, top prize money and qualification for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September.
Just like in the heats &ndash; using the running order of man, woman, man, woman &ndash; 2024 Diamond League 100m champion Blake handed the baton to Tina Clayton, who then passed it on to Goldson before Tia Clayton ran the anchor leg, crossing the finish line in&nbsp;another world record to secure the title in style ahead of Canada in 40.23 and USA in 40.33.
The Canadian team again featured Eliezer Adjibi, Marie-&Eacute;lo&iuml;se Leclair, Duan Asemota and Audrey Leduc, while USA was represented by men's world 4x100m champion Courtney Lindsey, Jada Mowatt, Kyree King, and E'Lexis Hollis.
The top six teams automatically secured their spots for the Ultimate Championship &ndash; Jamaica, Canada and USA joined by Germany, Spain and Nigeria &ndash; while all the finalists had already qualified for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27 by safely advancing from the heats.
"The world record was not in our minds because our main aim was to qualify for the Ultimate Championship and get the baton around, though two world records in one event feels great," said world 100m silver medallist Tina Clayton, who also formed part of Jamaica's world silver medal-winning women's 4x100m team alongside her twin sister Tia in Tokyo last year.
"The world will definitely see us in Budapest at the Ultimate Championship."
After running in the women&rsquo;s 4x100m on day one, world indoor 60m champion Zaynab Dosso again anchored Italy to a heat victory on day two &ndash; crossing the finish line in 40.69 to win the first heat of the mixed 4x100m additional round to qualify for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27.
The top two teams in each of the two heats automatically qualified for Beijing and Portugal finished fast to finish second place in 40.76. As a result &ndash; after their women&rsquo;s 4x100m and men&rsquo;s 4x400m performances on day one &ndash; the nation qualified all three of their teams in Gaborone for Beijing.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Australia and Switzerland secured World Championships places from the second heat, respectively clocking 40.78 and 41.02.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics 
Result: 1 Jamaica 39.62 WR, 2 Canada 40.23, 3 United States 40.33, 4 Germany 40.52, 5 Spain 41.05, 6 Nigeria 42.03, Great Britain &amp; NI DNF, Netherlands DNF
The top six teams have qualified for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26. All eight finalists have qualified for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27, with their finishing order determining their lane seeding positions.
The other teams to qualify for Beijing through Sunday&rsquo;s additional round were: Australia, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland.
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

Report on the mixed 4x100m at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26

Jamaica improve mixed 4x100m world record to 39.62 in Gaborone

The first eight teams in each relay event at the&nbsp;Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26&nbsp;have secured their places for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27 following the opening day of competition on Saturday (2).&nbsp;
Across the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x100m, women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x400m, mixed 4x100m and mixed 4x400m, the top two teams in each heat, plus the next two fastest teams in each event, qualified for Beijing and advanced to Sunday&rsquo;s finals in Gaborone.&nbsp;
The remaining teams return for an&nbsp;additional&nbsp;qualifying round on Sunday, where four teams &ndash; the top two in each heat &ndash; will secure the final automatic qualification places available for the 2027 World Championships.&nbsp;
The finals, meanwhile, will&nbsp;decide&nbsp;prize money and preferential lane seeding positions for the World Championships.&nbsp;
The mixed relay events in Gaborone also serve as the main qualification route for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship Budapest 26. The top six teams in each of the mixed 4x100m and mixed 4x400m finals on Sunday will automatically qualify for Budapest.&nbsp;
The competition got off to a&nbsp;stunning start with Canada breaking the world record in the mixed 4x100m. Moments later, Jamaica bettered the mark with 39.99.&nbsp;Olympic champions Canada&nbsp;were&nbsp;fastest overall in the men&rsquo;s 4x100m (37.57)&nbsp;while Jamaica were the standouts in the women&rsquo;s event (41.96).&nbsp;
Great Britain &amp; NI posted the fastest times in the mixed 4x400m (3:09.69) and women&rsquo;s 4x400m (3:21.28), while Australia smashed the Oceanian record to lead the qualifiers in the men&rsquo;s event (2:57.30).&nbsp;
<h3>Teams qualified for WCH Beijing 27 and competing in the finals on Sunday:&nbsp;</h3>
Women&rsquo;s 4x100m:&nbsp;Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Poland, Portugal, Spain&nbsp;
Men&rsquo;s 4x100m:&nbsp;Australia, Botswana, Canada, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Netherlands, South Africa, United States&nbsp;
Women&rsquo;s 4x400m:&nbsp;Canada, Czechia, Germany,&nbsp;Great Britain &amp; NI, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain&nbsp;
Men&rsquo;s 4x400m:&nbsp;Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, South Africa, Zimbabwe&nbsp;
Mixed 4x100m:&nbsp;Canada, Germany, Great Britain &amp; NI, Jamaica, Netherlands, Nigeria, Spain, United States&nbsp;
Mixed 4x400m: Australia, Great Britain &amp; NI, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Poland, Spain, United States&nbsp;

The first eight teams in each relay event at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 have secured their places for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27

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