The World Athletics Federation announced in 2022 that the Paris 2024 Olympics will feature repechage rounds for track events ranging from 200m to 1500m, including hurdles. This is a significant change for the sport as it marks the first time repechage, a familiar format in combat sports such as wrestling, judo, and taekwondo, will be introduced in athletics. Repechage essentially provides athletes who fail to advance from preliminary rounds a second opportunity to compete for a medal. The rationale behind this change is that sometimes, athletes might face exceptionally strong opponents early on in the competition, making it difficult for them to progress.
While the concept of repechage is similar across various sports, its specific application differs. In athletics, the traditional format involved a preliminary round, a semifinal, and a final. The top three finishers in each race moved on to the next round, with additional slots reserved for the fastest athletes who finished outside the top three, referred to as ‘q’ qualifiers, compared to ‘Q’ for direct qualifiers. This ‘q’ qualification system has now been eliminated, and non-qualifiers from the prelims will now participate in repechage rounds, providing them with a chance to reach the semifinals. Consequently, events from 200m to 1500m will now have four rounds – prelims, repechage, semifinals, and finals. This shift ensures every athlete will compete in at least two races at the Olympics.
In combat sports, the repechage rules are slightly different. Athletes who lose to the finalists in their respective competitions remain in contention for a bronze medal. This effectively gives them a second chance if they were eliminated by a particularly strong opponent due to an unfavorable draw. For instance, in wrestling, if wrestler ‘A’ defeats ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’ to reach the final, then ‘B’ and ‘C’ will compete in the first round of repechage, with the winner facing ‘D’ for the bronze medal. The same process applies to wrestlers who lost to the second finalist, leading to the awarding of two bronze medals in combat sports.
The repechage system in rowing closely mirrors the format employed in track events. The three fastest rowers or teams from each heat advance to the quarterfinals. Those who don’t make the cut move on to the repechage rounds. The top two finishers from each repechage race also qualify for the quarterfinals. The introduction of repechage rounds in athletics at the Paris 2024 Olympics aims to create a more equitable and exciting competition for athletes, giving them greater opportunities to showcase their skills and compete for medals.
