The United States had high hopes of ending its Olympic medal drought in the men’s 4x100m relay final at Stade de France, even without star Noah Lyles. However, the team’s aspirations were dashed when an early mishap occurred.
During the crucial first baton exchange, American sprinter Christian Coleman collided with teammate Kenny Bednarek, resulting in a significant setback for Team USA. The incident left them lagging behind the competition, and despite the efforts of Coleman, Bednarek, Kyree King, and Fred Kerley, they managed to finish in seventh place.
The situation worsened for the Americans when they were ultimately disqualified for an illegal pass during the first exchange. “It just didn’t happen,” Coleman reflected. “Maybe we could have put in some more work. I just think in the moment it didn’t happen.”
Canada claimed the gold medal with a time of 37.50 seconds, followed by South Africa with 37.57 seconds and Great Britain with 37.61 seconds filling out the podium.
Team USA aimed to secure its first medal in this event since finishing second in the 2004 Athens Games, as they have not won gold since the 2000 Sydney Games. Kyree King expressed the team’s determination, stating, “At the end of the day, we knew what we could do. We came out here and we had the mindset of no risk, no reward, so we went out there and went big. It didn’t happen.”
Earlier on the same day, the U.S. women’s 4x100m relay team, featuring Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson, and Twanisha “Teetee” Terry, achieved a notable victory, bringing home the first gold medal for the United States in this event since 2016.