By: Tadi Abedje

The United States of America is known for producing some of the top athletes in the world, whether it’s in basketball, baseball, soccer, swimming, boxing, golf or track and field.  

The U.S. Olympic men’s 4×100 meter relay team consisted of Fred Kerley, Ronnie Baker, Trayvon Bromell and Cravon Gillespie. Baker and Kerley were among the finalists in the men’s 100-meter race and Bromell was a favorite to win a gold medal. With the top sprinters in the world, the U.S. was expected to have a shot at winning the men’s 4×100 relay. 

However, that did not happen, as they finished with a time of 38.10 seconds, which means that they won’t be in the final. They finished in sixth place behind China, Canada, Italy, Germany and Ghana. It is a disappointing finish for the Americans, as they have had a reputation of recurring problems, such as poor baton exchanges and lane violations. 

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One of the American fans who was the most upset at their performance is former track and field star Carl Lewis. 

“The USA team did everything wrong in the men’s relay. The passing system is wrong, athletes running the wrong legs and it was clear that there was no leadership,” he said on Twitter. “It was a total embarrassment, and completely unacceptable for a USA team to look worse than the AAU kids I saw.” 

Lewis would know something about what it takes to win, as he has won nine gold medals in his Olympic career. 

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Team USA hasn’t won an Olympic gold medal in the men’s 4×100 relay since the 2000 Olympics in Australia.