Rani Vincke, Rani Rosius, Elise Mehuys and Delphine Nkansa (6th two years ago) indeed completed their 4×100 m relay in 42.85 (4th place) in the heats, a time which allows them to qualify on time for the final but above all to place itself in a favorable position (15th) in the race for Paris 2024. We will have to stay there until June 30.
gullWhen we saw the numbers appear, we went crazy.
”Finally under 43 seconds! Before the race, we told ourselves that we were going to give everything to achieve a small 42.99 and then, when we saw the numbers displayed, we went crazy!” smiles Delphine Nkansa, who concluded the group work. “It’s incredible. We hope that this still virtual place for the Games will be confirmed.”
“In the Bahamas, last month, transmission errors cost us dearly, and we knew that by improving this point, a good time was possible”adds Rani Rosius who took a second sprint, spikes in hand, towards her teammates to celebrate this performance.
This is, in fact, the third Belgian time in history that this new generation of sprinters has equaled. A time corresponding, to the nearest hundredth, to the time achieved by Kim Gevaert and her teammates in the Osaka World Series (2007), before doing a tenth better in the final. Enough to give some ideas…
”The Belgian record (42.54) is also only three tenths away, who knows? says Elise Mehuys. This is the time saving that we have just achieved.”
However, this seems very complicated without Delphine Nkansa who had agreed with those responsible to be released before the final in order to take a law exam in France this Wednesday morning. “I want to miss my plane”, she confessed in the interview area, before heading to the airport anyway. “Anyway, we still have one more race together in Geneva on June 22 to do better.”
Delphine Nkansa could miss the 4x100m final because of an exam: “I want to miss the plane”
The Falcons confident
As for the men’s relay, there was also satisfaction. With a Belgian record improved by 13 hundredths (38.55), Kobe Vleminckx, Ward Merckx, Antoine Snyders and Simon Verherstraeten demonstrated that they still had room to spare. To do better than their sixth place in 2018?
”It was important to regain confidence after our disqualification in the Bahamasestimates Liégeois Snyders. We had some good runs, a very good race and we will be in the fight with the other nations. In a 4x100m relay, a lot of things can happen and we will give our all to achieve the best possible result.”
A time of 38.29 likely to qualify them for the Paris Olympics must be the objective!
