Some Tips for what its worth.
Assuming every team gets the baton around!
HEAT ONE
USA are certainties to go through with only Trinidad & Tobago likely to get close.
Be interesting USA team - does Gay get a start or do they go with Paton, Dix, Crawford & Spearmon in the final? I’d assume Dix would be rested in the heat given he made both finals so Gay will probably get a heat start at least.
T&T have two guns in 100m silver medallist Richard Thompson and fellow finalist Marc Burns. Darrel Brown bombed out in the QF with 10.93 suggesting he might be injured. Hopefully he’s OK. 4th runner likely to be Rondell Sorrillo who ran 20.63 in the 200m QF.
The third spot is up for grabs between Brazil & Nigeria. Morella (10.32) & De Lima (10.31) were in the quarter finals of the 100m and Brazil have some handy back ups in Viana and DeBarras. They tend to be better drilled in realy changes than Nigeria who on paper have the fastest squad with Fasuba, Metu & Emedolou all running in the 100m prelim heats. However Nigeria are notoriously hit & miss in the baton changing and would need everything going OK.
Japan are an outside chance for 4th with their gun Naoki Tsukahara coming off a 10.16 in the 100m semi. With Asahara in the 100m & Takahiri and Suetsugu running in the 200m heats they have the runs on the track to give them confidence to give it a crack, The Japanese are traditionally pretty good at the baton exchanges so could be an outside chance.
Poland have always been very efficient in the relays but don’t seem to have 4 blokes fast enough to really press for a place.
TIPS:
1 USA
2 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
3 BRAZIL
4 NIGERIA
5 JAPAN
HEAT TWO
Jamaica look too good in this, even without 100/200 gold medallist Usian Bolt who is likely to be rested from the heat. With Frater & Powell they enough fire power to get through comfortably. They probably won’t win by much as the British team looks strong but at worse they will finish top two and qualify.
Great Britain had three runners all run reasonably well in the 100m - Edgar, Williamson & Pickering. Teamed up with Devonish or Malcolm and they will be right behind the Jamaicans all the way. (unless Bolt runs then the Jamaicans will win by a street!)
Canada & France should fight out third spot and the automatica qualifier. France have the faster two athletes in Mbandjock and Pognon but I fancy the Canadians have the depth with runners like Pierre Brown, Anson Henry & Jared Connaughton to overcome the French.
Either way both teams should advance to the final.
Only Unger (Germany) and Collio (Italy) ran in the 100m quarters so I think Germany & Italy will struggle to finish top 4 as they don’t have the depth to match the squads with the faster athletes.
1 JAMAICA
2 GREAT BRITAIN
3 CANADA
4 FRANCE
5 ITALY