U.S. men’s track woes continue in Tokyo – Yahoo News
American men once owned the track, but what looked like a promising week in Tokyo has turned nightmarish in a hurry.
The state of play: In every Summer Games the U.S. has participated in, at least one man has gone home with a track gold medal. Just four events remain in Tokyo to keep that streak alive.
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Friday: 5K and 4×400 relay heat
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Saturday: 1500, 4×400 final, marathon
Driving the news: There have been some highlights, including Rai Benjamin finishing second in one of the greatest races ever. But what happened in the 4×100 relay was troubling.
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The U.S. was favored to win gold, but finished sixth … in their heat. Three of the four fastest men in the world teamed up and couldn’t even make it to the final.
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“The relay program has been a disaster for years because there’s no leadership and no system. When I said everything is wrong, it is,” Olympic legend Carl Lewis told USA Today.
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“If you break it down, people were in the wrong legs, obviously they were not taught how to pass the baton … I’m not blaming the athletes so much. This was leadership.”
The backdrop: From 1920 to 2000, the U.S. won 4×100 gold 15 of 18 times. Since then? Just one silver medal in 2004, which would have been gold if not for a botched handoff.
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2008: Eliminated in qualifiers after dropping the baton.
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2012: Silver, which was later stripped after Tyson Gay was found guilty of doping.
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2016: Disqualified due to an illegal baton exchange.
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