Men's 4×400m Relay Heats 1&2 Round 1| Commonwealth Games 2022 Athletics |5th Aug 2022 |BIRMINGHAM |

just in the last half hour or so Papua New Guinea have withdrawn their squad so we are down to five in this first heat there will be five teams as well in the second heat but yes Jamaica second at the World Championships couple of weeks back bronze medalists in 2018 on the Gold Coast Botswana go in this one as they are the defending champions from games four years back in Australia is the first of just two heats the first three teams in this race and in the second heat would go through by right to Sunday's final with two non-automatic qualifiers will Singapore go out in lane eight their squad Tan, Quek, Dhanarajan and Lee the Botswana squad and then there's Ambiance their best three of five 25 they go in lane six Niambe, Luchembe, Mulinga and Samukonga their quartets the Jamaicans well the bronze medalist four years back always strong with a baton Bartley, Cox, Anderson and Francis and then the Nigerians in lane four Nnamani, Nathaniel and Nathaniel again and Adeyemi is their quartet while the stadium about 98 percent full I would say looking around at the crowds in the arena it's a wonderful level of attendance each of these morning and afternoon sessions of course tomorrow morning session concludes with the men's 1500 meters final and this session this morning no actual finals the capital of course is a final all the time as it rolls through its 10 disciplines so heat one the men's 4x400 meters then five teams out there the first three teams home are guaranteed a place in Sunday's final and they set off strongly with in particular Botswana with Scotch going up really strongly left of picture he's rocketed past the lead-off athlete from Singapore on the outside Tan Scotch going superbly certainly leads at the moment the Jamaicans also having a strong run through these early through these early 100 meters up through Bartley they're probably in second place at the moment but Scotch wow for Botswana the stagger has to unwind of course on the first bend of the second leg and then they can break from lanes but Botswana marginally in the lead here although the Jamaicans will pull up alongside them around this bend I'm sure Jamaica in second going well Nigeria on the inside in the green there and beginning to move through now Zambia down the outside still four teams very much in this Singapore struggling at the back yeah Botswana as you mentioned Tim the defending champions that was a good run by Scotch on their first leg and it was also a good run by Bartley of Jamaica and now we have the battle a reminder just the first three guaranteed a place in that final on Sunday Botswana then with their second leg run up I say so running well but he's being overtaken by the Jamaican cops well the second change over they're less critical in 4x400 meters but it is the Jamaicans who lead Anderson it is on this third leg for Jamaica Botswana closing up on them Persella for Botswana in the light blue in second stretched a little bit back to Nigeria Nathaniel on this third leg for Nigeria will try to close on the leading two teams but out in front Anderson pushing on really strongly through 200 meters one two three four remember only three teams go through by right no time for tactics generally in this sort of race the Jamaican Anderson still leading with three meters lead on the Botswana in second Nigeria and third yeah the final change over athletes are put in the position of where their incoming runner is at the 200 meter point and cannot move it doesn't matter whether there's any changes down the home straights the athletes have to take the battle in that position and it's still a battle between Jamaica and Botswana and this is a good leg here of Dory for Botswana onto the shoulder of Jevon Francis and look behind now Zambia are absolutely flying Sumakonga of course they've got him on that last leg Botswana leading from Jamaica Zambia in third Nigeria struggling now Nigeria in a little bit of trouble here they're not going to get an automatic qualifying spot unless only Yemi can kick hardly down the home straight Botswana looking they are the defending champions Jamaica giving them a run for their money here back to the line they've got two days rest until Sunday but Botswana take it from the Jamaicans Zambia in third Nigeria and fourth Singapore come home a distant fifth and the winning time there well 305.11 for Botswana a little bit of pride at stake there the lanes don't matter nearly as much for the final of course as uh in semi-finals the individual 400 you do see people battling for the win in the 4x400 meters relay Catherine was that a little bit extravagant and unnecessary that battle for the win lane draw does come into account as we know when you go forward to a final I'm just glad to see Samukonga back on the final leg for Zambia because let's not forget he went after his 44.89 fastest qualifying time in the men's 400 meters in a wheelchair and we were worried about the condition and look at the ground that he covered this changeover points Tim a little bit of traffic isn't there with the changeover and Jamaica were in control and battling with Botswana and then all of a sudden it all got really tasty towards the end oh well it was a great man-to-man battle wasn't it uh mano a mano only five teams the traffic not nearly as bad as that changeover as you get sometimes when there's uh eight teams out there many of them close together but yeah four teams out of the five with nearly a mile of running behind them and they're still locked together this like a middle distance race except they're going just a tad quicker but uh Botswana well and Dori on this final leg much smaller than the last leg runner Juan Francis of Jamaica is driving so hard and those dark glasses determined to catch the man from Botswana can't quite get there that battle draws him about five meters clear of Zambia good run from Zambia they go through by right Nigeria will have to wait and see 306 36 their time in fourth place do you know what I would love to know what Sam Okonga's split was on that last lap I'm so pleased that he's recovered from being pushed off after his heroics to break 45 seconds he's obviously okay and will look to go well in the four individually let's have a replay here this is a third changeover this is how chaotic it gets as I mentioned look see the athletes are placed at where your incoming runner is when they're at 200 meters and you cannot move and what happens is Tim as you know athletes will go off the track they'll depart the track with no real care or attention and it gets a bit busy people fall and batons can get dropped the daft thing is though those positions are decided for the waiting athletes by the positions at 200 meters of the athletes who are out there running but so much can happen in that last 200 meters why and I thought that it should be with 100 to go is my in my humble opinion but hey what it's only a rule that's been in place for donkey's years doesn't make it right necessarily I've seen teams I think England Australia involved in some controversy at some point when there was a moving in the line and then the team gets disqualified last night we were treated to a very exciting men's long jump final we had four men over eight meters three centimeters separating gold from fourth and this morning the women will get their chance to qualify now we have two groups these are the athletes from group a and coming up are the athletes from group b now there are eight teen women looking to qualify which means we are going to be losing six athletes this morning athletes can take their fate into their own hands by jumping six meters 75 only the top 12 will move on and they'll be getting underway very shortly well let's take a look at the result of that first season with men's 4x4 Botswana Jamaica Zambia they go through by rights close battle between Botswana and Jamaica that'll be a another little dust up come the final little private battle going on there Nigeria we'll have to wait and see if they go through we are starting with the youngest woman in the field Helia Smith of Jamaica she jumps first in group a that's a good start from Smith now she is going to want to make very quick work of this qualification because we're going to see her tonight in the triple jump which will be starting at 8 35 p.m it's quite a tough automatic qualifying distance six meters 75 which is way off the board there whatever she is given that first effort Steph she could have added about 30 centimeters I just caught the wind on that one um plus 3.1 I think the women will probably have to use all three of their attempts just to get that runway right was 6.35 there for uh Akelia Smith Cristobal Nettie of Canada goes next but of course a really strong tailwind can be problematic can't you will jump big step as you know full well but actually it makes the getting a run up right and hitting the board that much more difficult I think the thing it does psychologically is you lose a little bit of confidence in that runway which just make as soon as you start doubting or second-guessing yourself that's when you start to run into problems it's been a tough four years for Cristobal Nettie of Canada but she is the reigning Commonwealth Games champion she's jumped a pb recently oh that looked pretty good well just an indication of how tough that qualifying mark 6.75 is she is the Commonwealth champion but her season's best is 6.80 only a couple of inches further than the 6.75 automatic qualifying distance am I am I saying a plus six for the wind in that one surely not that is Brett Lumley her coach he was actually my very first long jump coach very strange to see him competing or to see him coaching here six meters 45 for first attempt I suspect she'll be taking another one and that wind even stronger plus 3.3 the blustery weather may well play a part in the second of our heats for the men's 4x4 Barbados Kenya Trinidad India and Turks and Caicos battling for the three automatic spots battling for the right to join Botswana Jamaica and Zambia Turks and Caicos on the outside they might find this a little bit tough Angelo Garland on the lead leg for them to go out very very hard indeed Jaya of India was in the long jump final yesterday leading the Indians who will be hoping to avoid their fate of not finishing in 2018 Trinidad and Tobago just off the podium in Eugene they've got a bronze back in Glasgow just missed out on a medal on the gold coast Kenya Mutunga and Muresa on the third and fourth legs Kenyans were disqualified in the final back on the gold coast and Barbados will start on the inside in three look for Jonathan Jones on the second leg for them the brilliant 400 meter runner who made the world championship final a couple of weeks going Eugene so Barbados in three Kenya four Trinidad five India six Turks and Caicos in seven there are the rest of the athletes there's Cedinho with the bald head he was just fourth in the Rio final he only ran something like a couple of hundreds of a second outside 44 and just missed out on a medal behind that world record from Wade van Niekirk so watch for the Trinidadian on the third leg for them Barbados Kenya Trinidad India Turks and Caicos looking to join Botswana Jamaica and Zambia in the 4x4 final top three will do so automatically the fastest loser times 306.3 for Nigeria always plenty of drama in the a tough first leg good start from Mokobi the Kenyan trying to close up on Dwight St-Hilaire and Jaya the Indian long jump specialist has gone past Garland from the Turks and Caicos we would have expected that now St-Hilaire coming around that bend and putting the Indian under pressure with Mokobi of Kenya closing in on the Trinidadian the other two teams quite a way out of this at the moment the disappointment from the Barbados athlete I wonder if he's got an injury Griffith he's virtually coming to a standstill Trinidad Kenya India and then a long way behind the Barbadian quartet Turks and Caicos also just about level with them I wonder whether there was a problem there I'm not sure what it was but Barbados have got a mighty job to try and get back in contention down the back straight this is really good from Lara with Ryan of Kenya trying to close him down it's pretty spaced out isn't it this second heat Trinidad and Tobago putting his foot down on the second leg Lara pulling away from the Kenyan a little breakaway of two teams here hands held high by the incoming runner I'm here mate pass me the baton Sardinio from Matunga and now we have Nicholas for Barbados that was a brilliant second leg from Jonathan Jones who's got 800 meter speed to burn and he's got the Barbadians right back in contention they're in third with Varia Thody of India bringing them into the mix and four into three doesn't necessarily go although remember the Sri Lanka the Singapore's time from the first of the semifinals was quite weak so we may well get all four of these teams through Sardinio though he's such a mighty looking athlete coming up past the shoulder of Matunga and look at this leg by the Barbadian Nicholas India still in the mix in this one passing over that's nice and clean a foreigner in the background as the baton's passed over Kenya now Matunga looking good here but as you say Rob four into three doesn't go the different styles of baton carrying look at it down the back straight 250 to go an absolute tear-off expected here for these automatic three places well this is a great recovery by Barbados who were dead last at the end of the first leg Gale looking to bring them home securely in the top three the reality is on time all four of these teams should make it but they'll want to make absolutely certain great finish by Moraisa showing fabulous speed endurance here Kenya from India and Trinidad and Barbados just miss out on the automatic spot finishing in fourth but judging by the winning time of 306 plus bits it will be Barbados and Nigeria as the non-automatic qualifiers as Reyes the anchor leg runner for Turks and Caicos gets a great reception Sardinio ran well on the third leg for Trinidad as we thought they would Kenyans came through excellent finish from Moraisa and one of the best legs of all was Jonathan Jones of Barbados on the second leg for them getting the island right back into contention and I know they didn't take an automatic spot but 307.23 will be good enough for them to go through as non-automatic qualifiers yeah always exciting the relays and as you say Moraisa of Kenya took the baton from Matunga from the third leg and the shortest in that little battle there between the final leg athletes that the Kenyan powering through the penultimate event of the track action here at the Commonwealth Games will be the men's 4x400 meter relay on Sunday it's always eagerly anticipated well Barbados athlete Gale on the last leg he was full out he had nothing left Rob and let me tell you there's nothing worth with 50 meters to go into 400 meters I'm thinking I'm running on empty here his eyes are in the sky for Gale but at 307.23 run as you say we'll get them into the final Kenya again though looking strong well and I wonder whether they'll bring Emmanuel Correa in for the final he'll be hugely disappointed that he was disqualified for stepping on the inside of the line in the heats of the individual 400 Moraisa ran really well there the two legs that I'd love to see times for were Jonathan Jones of Barbados on the second leg in this semi-final for Barbados and Zakonga of Zambia on the uh on the third leg on the anchor leg for them in the first of the semi-finals they were eye-catching legs that's for sure and Cedinho ran really well for Trinidad on the third leg in this race well all the athletes have transponders that sit behind their front bib which gives us statistical information it's not an official timing system but we saw trouble with one of the decathletes yesterday morning when our 100 meter heats were slightly delayed so transponders give us that information so hopefully we'll find that out because they were flying Rob he'd take one of the non-automatic places the other went to the fourth team in the opening heat Nigeria so this is how they will line up for the final what a great showdown it promises to be there was virtually nothing in it between Botswana and Jamaica when you throw in the last leg heroics of the Zambians and you bring the Kenyans into the mix perhaps with Emmanuel Carrere and maybe Trinidad and Tobago bring in Jereme Richards the world indoor champion over 400 meters Barbados with Jonathan Jones great final in prospect on Sunday night in the men's 4x4. This is our first look at Brooke Bushcool the woman who tops the world rankings at 7 meters 13 and I watched her in warm-up she is looking very springy.