American track star Noah Lyles missed the 4x100-meter relay due to COVID-19, and a botched handoff in the first leg of the race led to a disqualification for the Americans, extending their medal drought in the men’s event to 20 years.
Team USA's hopes of capturing gold in the men's 4x100-meter relay at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics came crashing down in spectacular fashion on Friday, as a botched handoff in the first leg of the race led to a disqualification for the Americans.
The team of Christian Coleman, Kenneth Bednarek, Kyree King, and Fred Kerley finished the race in seventh place but was later disqualified after it was found Coleman handed off the baton to two-time silver medalist Bednarek outside the exchange zone.
Team USA's Men's 4x100-Meter Relay Disaster at Paris 2024
The mishap marked the latest in a series of relay disasters for the U.S. men's track and field team, which has not won a gold medal in the event since the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Legendary track and field athlete and nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, who has been in Paris to watch the 2024 Games, described Team USA's performance as a "total embarrassment" and called for some serious changes to U.S. track and field.
Team USA's Men's 4x100-Meter Relay Disaster at Paris 2024
"It is time to blow up the system," Lewis wrote on Twitter. "This continues to be completely unacceptable. It is clear that EVERYONE at [USA Track & Field] is more concerned with relationships than winning. No athlete should step on the track and run another relay until this program is changed from top to bottom."
Coleman attributed the error to the team being caught up in the heat of the moment.
Team USA's Men's 4x100-Meter Relay Disaster at Paris 2024
"We practiced a lot," Coleman said. "Me and Kenny have been competitors but also teammates a few times. We felt really confident going out there. In the heat of the moment, it just didn’t happen."
After being pressed to pinpoint what exactly caused the mishap, Coleman said, "I’m not sure if you want me to point fingers or something like that. As a team, as a unit, we didn’t get it done today."
Coleman's teammate, Kerley, seemed to take issue with the line of questioning and eventually interjected, "Y’all say the same s___ over and over."
The 2024 Summer Games are not the first at which the U.S. men's team has had baton passing issues. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the Americans appeared to be on track to secure a spot in the 4x100 final until a mix-up led to the baton tumbling to the track as rain fell from the sky.
The Americans finished in second during the 2012 Games in London but were later stripped of the silver due to a doping case.
Although three Americans are among the top 11 100-meter sprinters in the world this year, the U.S. still could not manage to claim one of the three spots on the Olympic podium in Paris following the 4x100-meter relay.
However, the women provided a bright spot for the Americans as Sha'Carri Richardson anchored the 4x100-meter relay and helped lift Team USA to gold. The U.S. women have now earned 12 gold medals in the event.
