On May 3, local time, at the 2026 World Athletics Relay Championships held in Gaborone, Botswana, the Chinese men’s 4x100m relay team secured the top spot in their heat during the second round of preliminaries with a time of 37.85 seconds, earning a berth for the 2027 Beijing World Athletics Championships. The previous day, the Chinese women’s 4x100m relay team had also secured their direct qualification spot for the same championships.
The World Athletics Relay Championships, organized by World Athletics, feature a high-profile series of relay events including the 100m and 400m relays.
In the women’s 4x100m relay preliminaries on May 2, the Chinese team fielded a lineup mixing experience with youth. Liang Xiaojing established an early lead on the first leg, followed by smooth baton exchanges from Liu Guoyi, Zhu Junying, and Chen Jueying, who maintained the advantage to the finish. They won their heat with a time of 42.62 seconds, advancing to the finals and securing their ticket to the 2027 Beijing World Athletics Championships.
In the first round of the men’s 4x100m relay preliminaries, the Chinese team composed of Shi Junhao, Zeng Keli, Wang Shengjie, and He Jinyong finished third in their heat with a time of 38.02 seconds, just 0.01 seconds behind the British team, preventing them from directly qualifying for the Beijing championships.
During the second round of preliminaries on May 3, the same Chinese men’s lineup adjusted their performance, delivering a flawless baton exchange and showcasing impressive individual abilities to clock 37.85 seconds, winning their heat. According to the regulations, the top two teams from each of the two heats in the second round of preliminaries qualify for the World Championships. This achievement secured the Chinese men’s team their entry into the Beijing World Athletics Championships.
Notably, this time of 37.85 seconds was just 0.06 seconds shy of the national record of 37.79 seconds, set by the Chinese team led by Su Bingtian and Xie Zhenye at the Tokyo Olympics where they won bronze. It marks the first time the Chinese team has broken the 38-second barrier since then, highlighting the impressive capabilities of the new generation of Chinese sprinters.
