After four editions in the Bahamas, one in Japan and another in Poland, the world Relays This year are organized for the first time in China. They are the first major meeting of the year for outdoor athletics. And the obligatory passage to the Tokyo Worlds in September, the highlight of the season.
Belgium, with the exception of Cynthia Bolingoalways indelicating with its tendons will align all its best elements. A team in each event with the ambition of winning as many qualifying tickets as possible (ideally 5) for Tokyo. For the mixed 4×100 meters, a new event which will be added to the programs of the big championships from the Euro of 2026 and which will be Olympic in Los Angeles in 2028, it will be a natural grade test in the idea of building a project around this team.
“The relay Worlds, it’s more fun than the other championships because we are between relay teams ” explain Dylan Borlée, Big fan of this competition format. “The atmosphere is more relaxed. It is certainly less prestigious than the world championships but we have fun really well.”
Have fun but perform, this is obviously the objective of Tornadoswhich have already won the bronze medal for these World Relas (2015, 2019, 2024) 3 times which offer charms but no title of world champion. But the goal is above all the qualifier for Tokyo. Since the 32 countries engaged in each event will compete for 14 of the 16 plane tickets for the Worlds organized after the summer in the Japanese capital (the last two will return to the fastest unskilled countries on the deadline for qualification at the end of August). The tornados who line up in China in full, they who have already succeeded in the transition to the post Kevin and Jonathan Borlée by winning bronze at the Euro in the Apeldoorn room last March. The 8 athletes (Alexander Doom, Dylan Borle, Christian Iguacel, Florent Mabille, Robin Vendermors, Jonathan Sacor, Julien Watrin et Daniel Segers) will compete for the four holders of holders.
-“There is a huge density and competition in the team“Confirm Dylan Borlée.”There is a very big level, everyone wants and we will have to fight to have their place in this team which lived a very good year 2024. The return of Julien Watrin at the highest level, it is a very big victory for him and which is good for the whole group. His resilience has worn us a lot.“
The new runners are a real added value
For them Cheetahs of Carole Bamit will be necessary to avoid living the same mishap as to the Bahamas last year when the 4×400 female relay had granted itself a small fear by missing the direct qualification (it had finally qualified in a draft). The coach who integrates two new runners, Ilana Hanssens and Manon de MAREZ. “The arrival of these new runners will bring a new dynamic, especially in the absence of Cynthia. These are girls who deserve their place in this team. They both constitute a real added value. These Worlds are a must to qualify for the Worlds. It has become a key competition for the relays and we take it very seriously. The fact that the 4×100 teams are also present. The proof that Belgium is more than ever a relay land“
But the main difficulty, as always, will be to fix the priorities between the mixed and the other races since the first round takes place the first of the two competition evenings.
