Spain delivered a standout performance at the World Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, securing a silver and a bronze medal, along with a new national record. Jamaica and the United States were the dominant forces, each claiming two victories.
Jamaica triumphed in the mixed 4x100m (39.62, a new world record) and the women’s 4x100m (42.00). The women’s quartet included legendary sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah, who completed Olympic doubles in the 100m and 200m at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
The United States won the mixed 4x400m (3:07.47, a new continental record) and the men’s 4x100m (37.43). In the other two finals, Botswana delighted the home crowd with a victory in the men’s 4x400m (2:54.47, an African record), featuring Olympic 200m champion Tebogo. The only European winner was Norway in the women’s 4x400m (3:20.96).
Now in its eighth edition since 2014, the World Athletics Relays award medals in the traditional gold, silver, and bronze format, but do not carry world championship status, which is reserved for the main World Athletics Championships.
The competition also serves as a qualification event for the next World Championships, scheduled for September 2027 in Beijing. Spain, which has been implementing a National Relay Plan since 2017 to improve in this discipline, secured qualification for Beijing in all relay events except the men’s 4x100m.
A special highlight was the women’s 4x400m team of Paula Sevilla, Ana Prieto, Rocío Arroyo, and Blanca Hervás, who won silver with a time of 3:21.25 – a new Spanish record and the ninth-best European performance in history. Spain’s other medal in Botswana came from the women’s 4x100m relay, which took bronze.
This result is slightly less impressive than last year’s performance in Guangzhou, China, where Spain won gold (women’s 4x400m) and silver (women’s 4x100m).