Jamaica falls short in final men’s 4x400m qualifying attempt

Jamaica will not field a team in the men's 4x400m at the Paris Olympics as the quartet of Raheem Hayles, Jevaughn Powell, Kimar Farquharson, and Tarees Rhoden fell just short of the qualifying mark at the NACAC New Life Invitational on Sunday.

Despite a spirited performance, it was not enough to secure their flight to the Olympics as Jamaica stopped the clock in 2:59.75s.

They finished first on the night, ahead of Barbados 3:03.65.

Jamaica needed to better Zambia's time of 2:59.12, which stands as the final qualifying mark heading into the Games.

Jamaica's hopes for an Olympic berth in the event was hinged on this final performance, having failed to secure qualification at the World Athletics Relays earlier in May.

Then, the team finished just outside the qualifying standard in the first round of qualifiers, where their best time of 3:02.46 saw them finish third in their heat and ninth overall.

With another chance of qualification in the repechage rounds, the team had a less impressive showing as their time of 3:05.09 saw them placing 15th overall.

Jamaica previously finished fifth in the men's 4x400m final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, with the nation's most recent medal in the event being a silver medal at Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

- Gregory Bryce

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