UK Relays - State of Play

[carterhatch]

Just noticed in the results section there was a 4x100 for the men won by GB&NI in 38.43. The team in leg order was Jeremiah Azu, Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty & Nethaneel Mitchel-Blake. A seasons best but would need to be much quicker come the worlds.

The very welcome return of form from Reece Prescod poses a relay related question. On paper a sub-10 Prescod would improve any quartet but the 'politics' of the team GB squad, plus apparently not attending practice, makes for tough decisions.

The romantic in me feels Kilty, Gemili and NMB deserve a chance for redemption on their terms this year, with Zarnel Hughes likely their preffered team mate... the pragmatist, well ...

[Occasional Hope]

I'm pretty sure the WC rules mean that anyone picked to run the 100m solo has to be on the relay team on paper, so that limits the other places available for reserves etc. RP just needs to be made to commit to relay practice.

Oh, and we need to keep Zharnel off leadoff leg. It could all be over before it starts.

[Ursus]

TBH whether Kilty thinks Prescod is a 24 carat plonker is irrelevant (and let’s not forget there were plenty who never wanted to see Kilty in a British vest again considering his history of shoving officials and crass use of social media etc). And from a fan’s perspective, deep down, who doesn’t enjoy a bit of spice?

If Prescod commits and is considered to be part of the team that will get the baton round the fastest that should be all there is to it. If Kilty or others don’t like it, well the world will keep turning. You don’t have to like your work mates. And as well as our relay team did pre disqualification in Tokyo they actually lacked some top end speed which a tuned in Prescod could undoubedly bring.

[Runner88]

Richard Kilty should be showing up for some individual 100m and 200m races if he wants to be on the relay team IMO. Nothing this summer from what I can see, just relay runs.

Shouldn’t be on the team just based on history, too many fast guys waiting in the wings who are actually out there running and proving what they’re capable of.

[Loop-guru]

The question arises who would come out of that quartet to make way for Reece and I would have to say Kilty. His fastest times last year was 10.35 for 27th fastest and 20.82 for =11th fastest. I have no idea what time he will run this year but I suspect a differential of 0.5 seconds between Kilty and Prescod is on the cards. Gemili looks rusty but if he could get down to 10.10 I would go with Gemili, Hughes, Mitchel-Blake with Prescod to bring the boys home. Kilty could of course have a role to play and as a grown up adult he could of course mentor the new boy.

[carterhatch]

I must confess that I am one of those who never warmed to Kilty, especially in his early to middle years, but I feel for the 3/4s of the quartet from last year. Given that often a relay can embody the 'whole can be greater than the sum of the parts', and the 'redemption' back story, I'd like one last hurrah for Kilty, NMB, Gemili plus one... yes, you are right, Kilty seems to be saving himself for the relay [maybe he's been given the nod to put all his eggs in this basket] while NMB is slowly improving, and as for Gemili, I am on record multiple times, that his a credit to his generation, but as a fellow 'endomorph' he didnt look in top condition.

[treadwater1]

Richard Kilty should be showing up for some individual 100m and 200m races if he wants to be on the relay team IMO. Nothing this summer from what I can see, just relay runs.

Shouldn’t be on the team just based on history, too many fast guys waiting in the wings who are actually out there running and proving what they’re capable of.

He’s becoming the Martyn Rooney of the 4by1, doesn’t do much in the individual event but more than raises his game in the relay, to his credit he’s been very consistent so deserves his place in the team.

I think there’s a chance Prescod wasn’t that keen on relay duties when his individual 100s weren’t up to standard. He is on funding as a relay athlete so you’d think he’d be duty bound to turn up, I’d like to think that now he’s got a good SB he could be persuaded to attend relay sessions. His top end speed is lethal and would put us into potential gold medal territory even if the US improve their exchanges, where he would fit into the team is another matter

[Loop-guru]

It's also good to see them blooding Jeremiah Azu for the future.

[MysteryBrick]

Azu has real potential - should get into the 10.0x this year, especially as he beat Aaron Brown (double Olympic Relay medallist) in Birmingham.

[CAML]

Gemini,Hughes,Kilty and NMB is a unit with a sniff of a bronze in Eugene. With Makoyawo back after injury and Dobson's Instagram showing he's training, an Azu, Makoyawo,Dobson,Prescod combo would be an interesting watch.

[Loop-guru]

Also Ojie Edoburun's out of nowhere very early season marker and then nothing 10.07/10.02W marks him out as one to watch at the trials and if he makes the team surely he makes the relay squad.

[Ladyloz]

Ojie I remember took himself out of relay contention back in 2019 - I don't know if he has got back involved at all more recently

[Ladyloz]

In theory including a 9.9x runner in the relay squad is a no brainer. But the telling stat for me is that Reece has never run a relay for GB and didn't turn up for practice just 2 weeks ago. He has seemingly never really been committed to the relay. It's not something I understand. Yes you can have individual ambitions but that shouldn't preclude making yourself available for relay duty. Dina always puts her hand up - nobody would have blamed her if she had flown home early from Tokyo but she stayed despite huge personal disappointment regarding Individual ambitions because she didn't want to let the team down.

So in the short term it's a no from me but I think Christian Malcolm and Darren Campbell should try & persuade him to get involved and fully commit over the next 2 years. But he needs to fully commit and run in some relays outside of major champs first - just chucking him in at a major champs is asking for a dropped baton.

[Occasional Hope]

Bad blood in the team is also a dropped baron waiting to happen, followed by unseemly row.

[Ladyloz]

2015 vibes 😵

[justrunfast]

Leaving a 9.9 runner off a team when there's a chance,,, a chance... everyone's SB could be 10.00 or above would be insane... remember Ujah was in the team last year with 10.03

[justrunfast]

I only say because we need to factor in teams will get better... can't win if ours stays the same

[Ladyloz]

I will start off by saying that I have never been sold on the idea of a mixed 4x4 relay in major championships. However in the era of medal targets, I wonder if GB could & should look at prioritising this in Eugene. And by that I mean running our best possible team in the final.

Looks like we won't have a Men's 4x4 qualified. And also looks like we won't have the 2021 Jodie Williams capable of a 49.xx leg, With the US being out there as usual; Jamaica always tough and Poland looking stronger with more depth than ever it will be very tough for the women to challenge for a medal in their event.

In contrast with our best team, we could be right up there in the Mixed. The Olympic champions Poland will be tough to beat and they take it very seriously, probably the most serious of all the top countries. Last year showed that the US B/C team means nothing is a given for them. Their top guns will not participate I'm sure and I'm not seeing crazy depth amongst the US outside of their very best and their women's team is mostly made up of non specialists. This presents the best opportunity for medals for our 400 runners.

Obviously for MHS in particular it will be tempting for him to 'save himself' for the individual, even more so in a busy summer. But not having to concern himself with a relay at the end of the programme in Eugene, why not? Let's be honest he could break the European record and finish 5th or 6th. This presents the best opportunity for a medal and having MHS is probably the best chance of making a difference between GB finishing 4th/5th or 2nd/3rd. Joe Brier and Haydock-Wilson can run in the Heats with one of them making way for MHS in the final.

[treadwater1]

There’s a chance Hudson-Smith could be persuaded, the final of the mixed relay is on the Friday evening, the 400 heats don’t start until the Sunday morning, the other side of the equation is that it is a long season with 3 championships tightly bunched together and MHS will be eyeing up a potential gold in Birmingham on his home track

Unusual scheduling of the mixed relay with the heats in the morning session and the final in the evening, which favours the Americans at the expense of the Poles and the Dominican’s

[Ladyloz]

We'll see what times are run at the US trials but I'd favour Poland in the mixed at the moment. Can't see the likes of Mu; McLaughlin or Felix doing it nor Norman; Kerly or Benjamin. And outside of Felix the open 400 rankings in the US are dominated by college kids like Talitha Diggs and Britton Wilson who may not be at their quickest for worlds.