Photo: VCG

China's men's 4x400m relay team stormed to a national-record time of 3:01.87 at the World Athletics Relays on Saturday, securing direct qualification for the World Championships.  

At the Tianhe Sports Center in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, the Chinese quartet of Liang Baotang, Li Yiqing, Zhang ­Qining, and Fu Haoran delivered a masterclass in endurance and precision, with anchor runner Fu Haoran executing a stunning come-from-behind to overtake Spain in the closing stretch, clinching second place in their heat.  

Persistent rain throughout Saturday's heats complicated conditions, with athletes navigating slick tracks and dealing with reduced visibility. 

With an average age of 21, the team, which includes 20-year-olds Fu and Zhang, highlight the rising tide of youth in Chinese athletics. 

"The first three legs handed me the ticket, but I had to fight to the end," an emotional Fu told reporters after the race. Their time ranks among the world's top four this season, signaling China's emergence as a legitimate contender in middle-distance relays.  

This achievement marks China's first-ever qualification for the men's 4x400m at the World Championships. 

While the men's 4x400m celebrated triumph, both 4x100m teams faced challenges. The men's squad, led by Asian men's 200m record holder Xie Zhenye, clocked a season-best of 38.30 seconds. They finished third in the heat but missed automatic qualification. 

Despite smooth handoffs from Xie, Zeng Keli, and Wang Shengjie, fourth runner Chen Jiapeng was edged out by Italy's final-leg sprinter, exposing lingering gaps in raw speed compared to Japan's Asian record of 37.84. 

In the newly added mixed 4x100m relay - a 2028 Olympic event - China advanced to Sunday's final with a 41.30-second effort, but finished only seventh in the final on Sunday. 

The team of Huang Shuping, Kong Lingyao, Chen Jinfeng, and Chen Guanfeng displayed solid coordination but struggled with the "women-men" baton sequence, which will be officially recognized for world records starting 2026. 

Both the Chinese men's and women's 4x100m relay teams qualified for the Tokyo Worlds, with a time of 38.03 and 43.03 seconds respectively on Sunday.

The women's 4x100m relay suffered a heartbreaking setback on Saturday when a slippery baton exchange between veterans Liang Xiaojing and Ge Manqi led to a fall, leaving them last in their group, a result that caused youngster Chen Yujie, who impressed in the opening leg, to be overlooked. 

China is bidding to becoming a global athletics powerhouse, as the country will host its maiden national athletics youth games in August. 

The country hosted the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, in March, while Beijing is scheduled to host the World Athletics Championships in 2027.