Not all things were rosy for Team USA at the Paris Olympics with a recent track and field tragedy leaving fans with a bitter aftertaste. The Men’s 4x100m relay witnessed an absolute disaster show that ended in a disqualification for a faulty pass of the baton.
Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek, Fred Kerley, and Kyree King were all hyped before the bang. However, a botched handoff of the baton between Coleman and Bednarek during the third leg of the relay resulted in the latter almost stopping to get the pass, ending in a delay.
The team stood in seventh place, losing to Team Canada, who bagged the gold. However, race officials issued a disqualification later due to the baton passing incident. It turned out that Coleman was beyond the handoff zone when he gave the baton to Bednarek.
Fans were not at all happy with the result, raging over how the men missed the mark despite maintaining good speed.
Did they even practice their changeover?
— Andrew B (@Andrew_B1971) August 9, 2024
One called it a nightmare situation, especially since the team members were the favorites of many.
Nightmare for the USA. They were overwhelming favorites.
— Minja (@UtdMinja) August 9, 2024
Several fans had a bone to pick with Bednarek, who they felt started running a bit too early for Coleman to catch up.
Ugh Kenny i love you but you left too early… NEW RULE IF THE PRELIM TEAM GETS THE BATON AROUND DO NOT CHANGE IT!! Maybe miracles will happen twice!!
— Talking Track (@TalkingTrack) August 9, 2024
One fan was outraged at how they could slip up despite qualifying for the Olympics.
This is pissing me off so much. This is something Olympians shouldn’t be fucking up on. https://t.co/rFdCI6K4OU
— BIG POPPA THE DON (@Tae_LB) August 9, 2024
Lastly, one couldn’t help but reminisce about how the US Men’s relay team dominated the tracks at some point.
Again. We used to own the 4×100, now we own disastrous exchanges. https://t.co/MwUxog10oi
— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) August 9, 2024
Unfortunately for the US, this hasn’t been the first time since a relay team has messed up the event. Fans seemed to notice how this tended to happen every time with every Men’s relay team at the Olympics.
From faulty baton exchanges to straight-up disqualifications and bans, the US teams have been notorious on the track for not having a stellar record for this event.
Since then, the track and field world has been stressing the importance of maintaining healthy relationships amongst members and appropriate training for relay races.
The women’s 4x100m relay team made history by winning the gold medal with Sha’Carri Richardson, Twanisha Terry, Melissa Jefferson, and Gabby Thomas.
