Aussies take mixed 4x400m silver in World Relays

11-05-2025

Australia's 4x400m mixed relay quartet of Luke van Ratingen, Ellie Beer, Terrell Thorne and Carla Bull are celebrating the country's second ever silver medal at the World Athletics Relays championship in China after another record-breaking run.
The Aussie foursome couldn't match the American champions in Guangzhou on Sunday but, for the second day running, lowered the national and Oceanian record to take the silver in 3min 12.20sec.
On a fine final session of the two-day event, their medals were the icing on the cake as four Australian teams booked their places for the world championships in Tokyo, including the men's 4x100m, who could feature both sprint stars Lachlan Kennedy and Gout Gout in Japan.
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED 🇦🇺⚡Australia's 4x100m men have held their nerve at the World Athletics Relays to book their ticket to the World Athletics Championships, with the team of Lachlan Kennedy, Joshua Azzopardi, Christopher Ius and Prince Jackson clinching second place in… pic.twitter.com/h35wBnsU2P— Australian Athletics (@AustralianAths) May 11, 2025
The mixed, women's and men's 4x400m teams also all made it to the global showpiece in September.
Pride of place, though, went to the mixed quartet, which demonstrated its strength in depth in the final, being much changed from the foursome of Bull, Cooper Sherman, Reece Holder and Alanah Yukich who had broken the Oceanian record in 3:12.34 in the heats on Saturday.
The American quartet of Chris Robinson, Courtney Okolo, Johnnie Blockburger and Lynna Irby-Jackson were in a class of their own as they broke the championship record in 3:09.54, but the Australians matched the nation's best ever result in the seven editions of the event.
The only other silver they had won was in 2019 in Yokohama when Catriona Bisset and Josh Ralph finished second in the 2 x 2 x 400m relay.
"I couldn't be any more stoked. We were so ecstatic to make the final and coming away with a silver medal, we are just so happy. We got all of our 400m crews to the world championships which is so exciting," said Beer, Gold Coast's 22-year-old Olympian who had earlier also helped the women's 4x400 qualify.
Queenslander Bull's big night saw her also just miss out on another medal as the youthful mixed 4x100m team - alongside Olivia Dodds, Connor Bond and Josiah John - clocked 41.22sec to finish fourth in the final behind the victorious Canadian four.
The men's 4x100m outfit of world indoor 60m silver medallist Kennedy, Joshua Azzopardi, Christopher Ius and Prince Jackson clocked 38.31sec to claim second place in qualifying round 2 and book the Australian place at the global championships.
"We are really stepping up our standards this year coming off the national record of 37.8 in Sydney," said Azzopardi, who know the team could be bolstered by 17-year-olf Gout Gout in September.
"We feel like we can really push for those medals and that will be the goal. We will be ready come the world championships in September and that's the main thing."
The men's 4x400m - Sherman, Reece Holder, Aidan Murphy and Tom Reynolds - clocked 2:59.73 to clinch their place in Tokyo, just 0.03sec outside the venerable 41-year-old Australian record.
The international highlight came with Britain's 4x100m women's team - Nia Wedderburn-Goodison, Amy Hunt, Bianca Williams and Success Eduan - stunning both Jamaica, whose team included Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, and the USA to claim victory.

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Ryan Daniels: Inside Harley Reid's contract talks and the multi-million dollar offers on the table

West Australian

3 minutes ago

West Australian

Ryan Daniels: Inside Harley Reid's contract talks and the multi-million dollar offers on the table

It wasn't quite high-powered Wall Street execs in Armani suits, marching in to close a billion-dollar deal — but the stakes, in a footy sense, were just as high. Harley's Melbourne-based manager Nick Geischen rolled into town, and while he didn't utter the words 'Show Me the Money', he didn't need to. The phrase was emanating from his $24 million smile. It's been a hectic week in Harley-world, with a somewhat surprising shift in the situation. Earlier this year, the Eagles put forward multiple contract options to Harley's team. Three, five, seven-year deals — a pick-your-own-adventure approach. Nothing came of it. which had people thinking — he's gone. Even before the Eagles drafted him, there was talk Harley would bail. That the Eagles would be better off trading the pick. Victorian journalist Sam McLure now famously declared 'they won't pick him, Mitch (Cleary)' — suggesting West Coast would be better off passing on one of the most prodigious talents the draft has seen in years — just to avoid the inevitable messy exit. It's always been perceived as a matter of when Harley will leave, not if . Then, the twist. Geischen had come bearing gifts — a proposal for West Coast. An 11-year deal. $2.2 million per year, on average. $24 million all up. The largest deal in AFL history. More money per year than Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins. Unprecedented numbers across the board. While it sounds like monopoly money, in 11 years, $2.2 million won't be as crazy as it sounds right now. By then, Harley will be 32 and potentially edging out of his prime — but with the growth of the AFL's salary cap, he might end up a bargain at some stage. Remember, back in 1994 Alastair Lynch signed a ten-year deal for $1 million — at $100,000 per season, people lost their minds at the money. By the time Lynch retired, he was woefully underpaid. As part of this proposed deal, Harley would have the option to leave after two years. If not, he'd be here until the end of 2037. Let that sink in. In 2037 we might actually have flying cars and robot slaves. Or we'll be slaves to the robots. I'll be 54 years old. Bring me a pair of warm slippers, a glass of prune juice, and cap it off with a few episodes of Murder She Wrote. Maybe my idea of what it's like to be 54 is a little dated — but you get the point — 2037 is an eternity away. Harley's people bringing this to the table signals his intention to stay — if terms can be agreed. So, what's changed? Nothing, really. All along we've heard Harley, the Eagles, even his management declare the young midfielder was taking his time, happy in Perth. In recent weeks Reid's form has elevated, he's exhibiting an edge, leadership around the club. He's forming strong bonds with teammates. My understanding is he's told Andrew McQualter he wants to stay. At 20, he's living on his own, cooking, cleaning, he's got a dog. He's handling the media/fan pressure superbly. Some 20-year-olds can barely remember to flush the toilet. This kid is settled. Credit to the Eagles for an environment where a country kid from the other side of Australia feels comfortable, happy. Saying that, nothing is guaranteed here. The new proposal isn't quite a gun to the head, an ultimatum — but it's not miles off it. This is how keeping Harley Reid looks. If that's too rich, there will be other suitors. It's a fairly simple situation — other than the overwhelming commitment. That's the holdup, if there is one. No one saw this coming. Not even the Eagles. The deal, or at least the sheer enormity of it, has blindsided West Coast. They've taken a pause. In the month following the contract proposal landing in their inbox, there's been no response. Some meals take a lot longer to digest, and this is like going to a steak joint and being served an entire cow. Don't panic Eagles fans, they know what they have in Harley. They love him. If they believe they've found the sun which all other planets can rotate around, that he could be their Dustin Martin, their Patrick Dangerfield, then they need to do it. Maybe it's a slight variation of this proposed deal, a happy compromise, but they can't get too cute here. Harley could be the AFL's best player within a few years. Yes, a deal that long, with that kind of financial commitment comes with risk. In my opinion, it's a risk worth taking. This kid is special. He wants to be here and he's box office. After a disastrous four years at the West Coast Eagles, the signature of Harley Reid would be a significant victory and a sign that things might finally be turning around. Years of endless chat about a move back to Victoria for Harley, now the Eagles have a chance to keep their man. They just need to sign on the dotted line.