Team USA fails to medal in 4x100m Olympic relay after baton handoff ‘disaster’

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With one botched handoff and one disqualification, a 20-year medal drought for Team USA in the 4×100-meter continued.

Maybe Kenny Bednarek left his starting perch early.

Maybe the blame fell on Christian Coleman, who was involved in a shaky handoff for the second time in as many days.

But either way, less than 10 seconds into their Olympics final and after the runners curled around the first turn, Team USA faced a massive deficit that was ultimately too much to erase.

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“It’s a little disappointing, especially for America, because we wanted to bring it home,” Coleman told reporters, while also acknowledging that Team USA just couldn’t “put it together” on Friday. “We knew we had the speed to do it … but we are human beings, too. We’ve been through ups and downs in life. This is just another one of those times where we just got to keep our head down and just keep pushing.”

Canada took gold, South Africa took second and Great Britain took third in the race, but on a day when Team USA was forced to race without Noah Lyles — who tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and announced Thursday night that his Olympics was over after the 200-meter final — in his usual position as their anchor, that didn’t even matter.

Team USA hasn’t medaled in the 4×100-meter relay since 2004, with a variety of lapses — from a botched handoff to a rescinded silver medal from a doping ban to the disqualification — contributing to that disappointing stretch.

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But then the Americans ran a promising race in the semifinals Thursday, even without Lyles and Bednarek, who were slated to sprint in the 200-meter final later that day.

Still, they won their heat and posted the fastest time in the semifinals.

Courtney Lindsey, who didn’t even race Friday, anchored the lineup and tore through the final 100 meters in just 8.88 seconds.

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Earlier in that race, though, another botched handoff nearly ruined Team USA’s race — with Coleman clung to Fred Kerley’s wrist with his other hand while making the exchange.

Lindsey’s burst during the final 100 meters helped them erase a temporary deficit, but Team USA couldn’t replicate that comeback in the final.

Instead, all that followed was more disappointment, overshadowing the glaring lineup hole that Team USA had without Lyles — who won the 100-meter gold Sunday in a photo finish — and ending with the latest instance of Team USA falling short of gold in the event.

And that led to plenty of criticism from the broadcast.

“That’s a disaster,” one of the broadcasters said on NBC after a replay of the pivotal handoff was shown.

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