Watch out world, the Australian women’s 4x100m relay team means business.
For the first time since Sydney in 2000, the women’s relay team will be back in Olympics action after a record-breaking performance in the opening round of the World Athletics Relay Championships in Nassau, Bahamas.
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The foursome of Ebony Lane, Bree Masters, Ella Connolly and Torrie Lewis stopped the clock at 42.83 seconds to finish second in their heat behind Germany.
Their time was the fifth fastest overall which not only booked their place in the final, but it saw them book their ticket to the Paris Olympics in August.
Teenage sensation Lewis, Australia’s fastest woman, anchored the run as she powered past Cote D’Ivoire’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith to secure a second place finish.
“I saw three people leave at the same time, and I was like ‘oh my god, we have to run!’ and then I saw Ta Lou-Smith go past, and then we were fine, and now we’re going to the Olympics!” Lewis said.
“I think we all had a lot of trust in each other, so we said, you know what, let’s just relax, we’ve done the work and we’ve done this a million times,” Connolly said after the result.
“Let’s just go do this and qualify for the Olympics together.”
Masters added: “I’m so speechless! I had full faith that we could do it, but we actually did it and it’s just wild. To have that automatic Olympic qualification is so, so exciting.”
Their scintillating time betters the 42.94 they set in late March, an effort that broke the Australian record that had stood for 24 years.
“WE ARE GOING TO THE OLYMPICS,” Lewis boasted on Instagram after the race.
“Automatic qualification for Paris and another national record, so proud of all the girls and coaches on the team.”
Lane wrote: “We did it!!! Job’s not done though, onto the final tomorrow.”
Australia’s 4x100m men’s team went agonisingly close to securing automatic Olympic qualification.
The team of Sebastian Sultana, Jacob Despard, Calab Law and Joshua Azzopardi clocked 38.50, only to be pipped for second spot by Jamaica in a photo finish.