World Relays: Jamaica fourth in men’s 4x100m heat, will have to wait to qualify for World Champs
Jamaica’s Odaine McPherson competes in the men’s 100m semifinal heat 1 of the Pan American Games Santiago 2023 at the National Stadium in Santiago, on October 30, 2023. François-Xavier MARIT / AFP
May 2, 2026
Jamaica’s men’s 4x100m team will have to wait for Sunday’s second qualifying round of the World Athletics Relays to book their ticket to next year’s World Athletics Championships after finishing fourth in their semi-final heat in 38.08 seconds on Saturday’s opening day of competition in Gaborone, Botswana.
Rohan Watson, Odaine McPherson, Adrian Kerr and Rasheed Foster failed to grab one of the top two automatic qualifying spots that were taken by Canada, 37.56 seconds, and Germany who ran a national record 37.67 seconds.
They became the first Jamaican team on the day to not win their heat and earn an automatic qualifying berth, after the mixed 4x100m, mixed 4x400m and the women’s 4x100m did so earlier.
The rules of the competition allow all teams that did not qualify in the fist round to get a second chance on the final day of the two-day competition.
-Paul A Reid
