Paris Olympics: Disaster for U.S. men as drought continues in 4×100 relay

Medal table | Olympic schedule | How to watch | Olympic news

SAINT-DENIS, France — The absence of Noah Lyles isn’t what derailed the U.S.’s bid to win gold in the men’s 4×100-meter relay.

It’s the Americans’ maddening inability to find four men who can pass the baton to one another while running as fast as they can.

Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Fred Kerley crossed the line seventh on Friday night but were ultimately disqualified, extending the U.S.’s 20-year medal drought in the mens’ 4×100 relay.

Canada won a surprise gold in 37.50. South Africa took silver (37.57), while Great Britain took bronze (37.61).

This race went wrong for the U.S. with the baton pass between the first and second leg. As Coleman approached with the baton, Bednarek left too early and then had to slow to a halt to avoid a disqualification for a pass occurring outside the zone.

Ultimately, the Americans were disqualified for passing the baton outside the zone.

It was no surprise that the U.S. struggled once again passing the baton. The names change every four years, but the story seldom does.

At the 2008 Olympics, the U.S. were cruising toward a spot in the 4×100 final when Darvis Patton bore down on Tyson Gay for the last changeover and a mix-up sent the baton tumbling to the rain-soaked track.

Four years later, the U.S. finished second to Jamaica, only to be stripped of its silver medals as a result of Gay’s doping case.

In 2016, the U.S. joined victorious Jamaica and second-place Japan on a victory lap only to learn it had been disqualified. A bungled baton pass between Mike Rodgers and Justin Gatlin occurred outside the designated zone.

Worst of all was Tokyo. The favored Americans finished sixth in their preliminary heat and didn’t qualify for the final largely because Kerley and Ronnie Baker botched the baton pass between the relay’s second and third leg.

“The USA team did everything wrong in the men’s relay,” the legendary Carl Lewis tweeted at the time. “The passing system is wrong, athletes running the wrong legs, and it was clear that there was no leadership. It was a total embarrassment.”

As usual, those issues materialized again this year. As a result, the U.S. quartet fell short of not just gold but of any medal despite boasting three of the 11 fastest 100 meters sprinters in the world this year.

Lyles had hoped this would be the night when he won his third gold medal in Paris and join Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis, Bobby Morrow and Jesse Owens as the only men’s sprinters who have pulled off a sprint treble in a single Olympics. He likely would have run the third leg of the 4×100 for the U.S. because of his proficiency running the curve.

That plan crumbled when Lyles tested positive for COVID two days after winning the closest 100 meters in Olympic history. Lyles revealed that he had COVID after settling for bronze in the 200 on Thursday evening. Only a few hours later, he announced on Instagram that his Olympics were over.

“It is not the Olympics I dreamed of,” Lyles wrote on Instagram, “ but it has left me with so much Joy in my heart. I hope everyone enjoyed the show.”

The show went on without the showman.

And for the U.S., the ending was all too familiar.