China in group of death at IAAF World Relays

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China's male sprinters have been placed in a "group of death" at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Relay Championship preliminaries in Yokohama, Japan this weekend.

In the men's 4x100-meter relays, China is in Heat 3 alongside the U.S., Canada, Nigeria and the hosts. Also in the heat are Finland, the Dominican Republic and Chinese Taipei.

Under the rules, only the top two teams of each heat and the next two fastest will qualify for the finals.

China won a bronze medal of men's 4x100m relays at the 2017 World Relays in Nassau, Bahamas. Its team in the Japanese city will probably comprise Su Bingtian, Xie Zhenye, Liang Jinsheng and Wu Zhiqiang.

Justin Gatlin of the U.S. crosses the finish line to win men's 100 meters at the 2018 IAAF Golden Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan, May 20, 2018. /VCG Photo

The U.S. has sent a strong team led by 37-year-old Justin Gatlin, with Mike Rodgers, Noah Lyles and Cameron Burrell also in the lineup. Last time in Nassau, the Americans won the men's 4x100m title in 39.43 seconds.

Neither Canada nor Japan is to be underestimated. Canada have double Olympic medalist 24-year-old Andre De Grasse leading their team which has a best of 37.64 seconds.

Ryota Yamagata (R) and Yoshihide Kiryu of Japan compete in the men's 100-meter race at the 2019 Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, April 21, 2019. /VCG Photo

Japan's Yoshihide Kiryū has run the 100m in under 10 seconds.

The truth is, the U.S., Canada, Japan and China are all capable of competing for medals this time but one or two of them may not make the finals.

In the women's 4x100m, China is again in the same heat with Japan and the U.S. Though Japan does not post a major threat in this race, it does not mean that Chinese athletes will have a picnic. The U.S., Ukraine, and Trinidad and Tobago have the best records of 40.82 seconds, 42.04 seconds and 42.03 seconds respectively, all better than China's 42.23.

The preliminaries take place on Saturday night and the finals on Sunday night.