Olympic champions Great Britain avoided any baton problems as they booked their place in Sunday's 4x100m relay final.
Fielding three of their winning team from Athens, the British quartet won their heat in 38.77secs.
Mark Lewis-Francis, on the anchor leg, came through well down the home straight bringing Team GB from third into first, overhauling Italy and Germany in the process.
Dwain Chambers led off, with Darren Campbell and 200m bronze medallist Marlon Devonish completing the line-up.
France, regarded as Britain's main rivals for gold, won the second semi in 38.85.
The women's team scraped into their final as fastest losers after finishing only fourth in their heat.
A poor first baton change between Anyika Onuora and Emily Freeman left them trailing and there was too much ground for anchor leg Joice Maduaka - fourth in the individual 100m - to make up.
Their time of 44.00 was the seventh fastest of the qualifiers who were led by the French (43.38).
The Irish quartet of Derval O'Rourke, Joanne Cuddihy, Anne McSweeney and Anna Boyle set a national record of 44.38 but failed to qualify.
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