Team USA has experienced a bit of success on the track during the Tokyo Olympics. For example, Sydney McLaughlin set a world record in the women’s 400-meter hurdles final and Erriyon Knighton advanced to the 200-meter final at just 17 years old. Unfortunately, the same good fortune did not extend to the men’s 4x100m relay.
Team USA will not compete in the men’s 4x100m final after finishing sixth in a preliminary heat on Thursday evening. Trayvon Bromell, Fred Kerley, Ronnie Baker and Cravon Gillespie finished behind China, Canada, Italy, Germany and Ghana with a time of 38.10 seconds.
“We just didn’t get the job done today,” Kerley said.
“That’s all.”
U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis was not shy when sharing his criticisms of the men’s 4x100m relay. In a brief statement, Lewis attributed the team’s disappointing finish to poor handoffs and a lack of fundamentals.
“The passing system is wrong, athletes running the wrong legs, and it was clear that there was no leadership,” Lewis wrote.
“It was a total embarrassment, and completely unacceptable for a USA team to look worse than the AAU kids I saw.”
Fortunately, Team USA fared better in the women’s 4x100m relay. America finished second in its preliminary heat, falling less than a tenth of a second behind Great Britain. The women’s 4×100 final is set for Friday morning and it will feature the Netherlands, Great Britain, America, Jamaica, Switzerland, Germany, China and France.
? ????? ????? ??
In one of the shocks of #Tokyo2020, Team USA ???? to qualify for the men's 4x100m relay final.
Who saw that ?????? ?#Tokyo2020 | #Athletics pic.twitter.com/nLXe2nLw20
— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 5, 2021
