Olympic hopes dashed for men’s 4x400m team after elimination at European Championships
The dream of the relay team in the 4×400 meters burst like a bubble on Tuesday afternoon at the European Athletics Championships in Rome. The Netherlands will not be competing in Paris this summer in the event where they surprisingly won Olympic silver three years ago in Tokyo.
The ninth place in the series, with a time of 3:03.50, and a rejected protest marked the abrupt end of the journey that was supposed to end in the French capital. After the series, the Dutch athletes waited anxiously for nearly three hours, hoping for a possible chance to redeem themselves.
The Dutch Athletics Union filed a protest against the result, claiming that anchor Isaya Klein Ikkink was obstructed by a British opponent during the final handover. However, the protest was dismissed by the race officials. The hope for the relay team turned into disappointment.
According to the race officials, video evidence showed that Klein Ikkink had the opportunity to take an open route on the outside but chose to go inside instead, leading to the hindrance. This decision ultimately cost them a spot in the final.
The team expressed their frustration at missing out on the Olympic qualification and felt that they were unfairly obstructed by the British team. The disappointment was heightened by the fact that they missed a chance to secure an Olympic berth.
The men’s 4×100 meter team had a better performance, clocking 38.34 to qualify for the final. They will have another opportunity to secure a spot in Paris by running under 38.30 in the final race.
The women’s 4×100 team also advanced to the final with a time of 42.39, finishing behind France. They will have a chance to qualify for the Olympics later this month if they do not succeed at the European Championships.
It remains to be seen if the Netherlands will make another attempt to secure an Olympic spot before the deadline on June 30. The athletes will have to regroup and aim for a strong performance in the upcoming competitions to fulfill their Olympic aspirations.