WILLEMSTAD - The hope for Dutch sprinters to compete in the 4x100 meters relay in Paris has vanished. Churandy Martina, the 39-year-old sprinter from Curaçao, will not conclude his impressive career at the 2024 Olympic Games. The Dutch relay team has been overtaken in the world rankings, losing their chance to qualify.
During the African Championships in Cameroon, Botswana ran a time of 38.19, faster than the Netherlands' 38.30. This performance secured Botswana the crucial sixteenth place in the world rankings, necessary for Olympic qualification. Until last weekend, the Netherlands held this position, but Botswana's achievement pushed them down to the seventeenth spot.
In May, the Dutch sprint quartet failed to secure one of the fourteen direct entry spots for the Paris Olympics during the World Relays in the Bahamas. The last two Olympic tickets will be awarded to the countries that hold the fifteenth and sixteenth places in the world rankings on June 30. With the current standings, participation seems unattainable for the Netherlands.
Earlier this month, Elvis Afrifa, Taymir Burnet, Xavi Mo-Ajok, and Nsikak Ekpo won silver in the 4x100 meters at the European Championships in Rome but did not achieve a faster time. An ultimate attempt to improve their time in Geneva failed last week. In pouring rain, the sprinters recorded a time of 38.75, insufficient to improve their world ranking position.
For Churandy Martina, this means he will not be able to end his career at the Olympic Games in Paris. Martina, who was a reserve runner for the relay team, has not qualified for an individual event at the world's largest sporting event and is not expected to do so. However, he was present at the previous five Olympics, a testament to his long and successful career.