TORRIE Lewis probably summed it up best by saying: "now we're going to the Olympics".
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It was by the barest of margins and required a dramatic photo finish and involved a new national record, but the end result meant the Australian women's 4x100 metre relay team booked a Games ticket for the first time in almost 25 years.
Lewis, a former Newcastle schoolgirl and Macquarie Hunter Athletics Club graduate, now looks destined for Paris after anchoring her side to qualify in front of Cote D'Ivoire star Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith by just 0.003 seconds.
However, the 19-year-old endured a nervous post-race wait alongside Ebony Lane, Bree Masters and Ella Connolly, results pending for several minutes until the Aussies eventually got the official nod and secured an automatic Olympic spot.
"I saw three people leave at the same time [last baton change], and I was like 'oh my god, we have to run'. Then I saw Ta Lou-Smith go past, and then we were fine, and now we're going to the Olympics," Lewis told Athletics Australia media.
The quartet stopped the clock in 42.83s, bettering their own national mark from March.
A home Games in Sydney in 2000 was the last time Australia competed in the women's 4x100m relay at Olympic level.
World Relays deciders take place in the Bahamas on Monday (AEST).