American track and field star Noah Lyles was unable to compete in the 4×100-meter relay due to COVID-19. Team USA may have benefited from Lyles’ presence on the track in the relay events, but a freak accident ultimately ended the U.S. men’s hopes of winning a gold medal in Paris on Friday.
The U.S. men’s track and field team was disqualified for a failed pass on the first leg of the race, marking 20 years since they last won a medal in a men’s event.
The team of Christian Coleman, Kenneth Bednarek, Kylie King and Fred Curley finished the race in seventh place but were later disqualified after it was discovered that Coleman had handed the baton to two-time silver medalist Bednarek outside the exchange zone.
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Former American track and field athlete Carl Lewis tours the Stade de France during day six of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on August 1, 2024 in Paris. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
Carl Lewis, the legendary track and field athlete and nine-time Olympic gold medalist, is in Paris to watch the 2024 Summer Olympics. Lewis called the U.S. team’s performance on Friday an “utter disgrace” and called for serious reforms in U.S. track and field.
“It’s time to blow up the system,” Lewis wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “This is completely unacceptable. [USA Track & Field] We value relationships over winning. Until this program is fundamentally changed, athletes should not be on the track running relays.”
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Canada finished the race in 37.50 seconds to win the gold medal, South Africa won the silver medal, and Great Britain won the bronze medal.
The entire U.S. team, except for Bednarek, spoke to reporters after the race, and Coleman blamed the team’s mistakes on excitement.
American athlete Christian Coleman, right, struggles to hand over the baton to teammate Kenneth Bednarek during the men’s 4 x 100 meters relay final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Saint-Denis, France, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Almangue)
“We practiced a lot,” Coleman said, “and Kenny and I have been competitors and been teammates a few times. We were really confident going into the match, but when it came down to it, it just didn’t work out.”
Pressed to pinpoint what caused the mishap, Coleman said, “I don’t really know if I should blame anyone or anything like that. As a team, as a unit, we just didn’t do anything today.”
Coleman’s teammate, Curley, seemed to take issue with the question, eventually interjecting, “You guys keep saying the same thing over and over again.”
The 2024 Summer Olympics won’t be the first time the U.S. men’s team has had baton passing issues.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the United States looked set to qualify for the 4x100m final, but a mix-up caused the baton to tumble onto the track and rain to fall from the sky.
American athlete Christian Coleman, left, struggles to hand over the baton to teammate Kenneth Bednarek during the men’s 4 x 100 meters relay final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Saint-Denis, France, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Almangue)
The United States finished second at the 2012 London Games but was later stripped of its silver medal due to a doping issue.
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Despite having three Americans among the top 11 100-meter sprinters in the world this year, the United States failed to capture one of the three podium spots in the 4×100-meter relay at the Paris Olympics.
But there was a bright spot for the Americans when Sha’Carey Richardson anchored the 4x100m relay and helped Team USA win the gold medal, bringing the U.S. women’s total to 12 gold medals in the event.
Fox News’ Paulina Deday contributed to this report.
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