THE heats of the men’s 4x400m relay at the Paris 2024 Olympics were nothing short of dramatic.
While Team GB secured their spot in the final it was a disaster for Trinidad and Tobago and South Africa.
In the first heat, Team GB’s quartet of Samuel Rardon, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Toby Harries, and Charles Dobson delivered a solid performance, finishing in second place in a time of 2:58.88 seconds.
However, the heat was not without its challenges.
Trinidad and Tobago’s veteran runner Renny Quow, 36, faced an unusual predicament when his shoe fell off halfway around the track.
Despite his efforts to complete his leg without the shoe, the mishap cost the team to finish last in their heat.
In a bizarre moment just minutes later in the second heat, South Africa faced a disaster.
At the beginning of the third leg, Antonie Nortje tripped and faceplanted the track which pushed his side into last place.
The heat saw France finish first followed by a photo finish between Belgium and Nigeria heading through into the final.
But after a dramatic turn of events the South Africa relay team was included in the final by the referee after there was an appeal for Nortje’s fall in the race.
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And to make it even more dramatic Chidi Okezie’s comeback to secure Nigeria a spot in the last nine was wiped off after the African nation was disqualified for a lane infringement.
Heading into the final is Botswana, Great Britain, USA, Japan, France, Belgium, Zambia, Italy and South Africa battling it out for the 4x400m men’s relay title.
The battle for gold is set to take place at 8pm on Saturday at the Stade de France.
