Why Kenya’s 4×4 mixed relay team was disqualified from True Athletes Classics Meeting
By Joel Sang, July 30, 2023Kenya’s 4x400m mixed relay team was disqualified from the True Athletes Classics Meeting in Leverkusen, Germany, on Saturday, July 29, 2023, for breaching World Athletics’ Technical Rule (TR) 24.19.
The team, comprising a promising combination of Wycliffe Kinyamal, Boniface Mweresa, Mary Moraa, and Naomi Korir, was in Germany with the hope of improving their time and also rising through the ranks ahead of the World Athletics Championship in August in Hungary’s capital city, Budapest.
Technical breach
However, they were disqualified after a technical breach of the rules. The said rule stipulates that athletes are not permitted to begin running outside their takeover zones.
“TR 24.19 is for all takeovers where athletes are not permitted to begin running outside their takeover zones. If an athlete does not follow this rule, their team is disqualified,” the rule clarifies.
After they were disqualified, Mweresa maintained hope despite the setback suffered at a critical competition for the mixed relay team.
“We have done our best, but it was not our day. We fight and strike again when God wants us to,” Mweresa, the national 200m champion, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s teams won the race in three minutes and 14.22 seconds. The winning team was inspired by Joseph Brier, Ama Pipi, Rio Mitcham, and Victoria Ohuruogu and improved the time for Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the previous time of 3:14.27; however, they are now tied for 14th place in the world ranking with Switzerland.
Hope
Kenya remain in 16th place as their previous time was 3:14.64, and their hope is that their position does not change by midnight on Monday in order for them to qualify through ranking for the World Athletics Championships.
By July 31, the top 16 ranked nations will automatically earn qualification tickets for the global showpiece scheduled for August 19 and 27, and Kenya hope that no team strikes them from their current 16th position.
The country is also hopeful of having the men’s 4x400m team compete in the Budapest championship by virtue of the Kenya Police Team’s time of 3:02.02, which is currently placed 16th in the world ranking. This time was posted during the national championship when Kenya Police won the 4x400m race.