Last Saturday, the USA men’s 4×100 team sprinted to a silver medal during the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. The times were unbelievably close; Canada won with 37.48 seconds, the U.S. were right behind with 37.55 and Britain following it up with a finish in 37.83.
The U.S. was in the lead until the final handoff where things got a bit messy. Elijah Hall attempted to pass the baton to Marvin Bracy but couldn’t manage to do it smoothly, causing a setback. Canada used that to their advantage, as Andre de Grasse of Canada ran to the finish line 0.07 seconds before Bracy.
Later, Hall said that he needed to “look at the film” to figure out the mistake and try to fix it.
This second-place finish came right after the American women won gold. The team of four recorded the third fastest time ever for the women’s 4×100, with an outstanding 41.14.
This win also came from a similar mistake in the men’s relay, as Jamaica mishandled the baton in their first handoff. The women’s Jamaican team was expected to sweep this event after taking gold at the Olympics, but this finish shows mistakes can happen anywhere, anytime.
“You could have the four fastest women, but if you don’t have chemistry and the baton doesn’t move through the exchange zone, then what are you doing?” said Twanisha Terry, one of the four American women.
This women’s team has been very successful the past couple years. With a two world titles, two Olympic golds, and a silver finish in Tokyo, the team’s future is looking very bright.
The men, on the other hand, have struggled with mistake after mistake. Last summer at the Tokyo Olympics, the men’s team embarrassed themselves in front of the crowd, failing to even qualify for the final.
While the women’s team has looked fresh, it is clear that the men’s team needs a bit of work before the next event.
The U.S. was in the lead until the final handoff where things got a bit messy. Elijah Hall attempted to pass the baton to Marvin Bracy but couldn’t manage to do it smoothly, causing a setback. Canada used that to their advantage, as Andre de Grasse of Canada ran to the finish line 0.07 seconds before Bracy.
Later, Hall said that he needed to “look at the film” to figure out the mistake and try to fix it.
This second-place finish came right after the American women won gold. The team of four recorded the third fastest time ever for the women’s 4×100, with an outstanding 41.14.
This win also came from a similar mistake in the men’s relay, as Jamaica mishandled the baton in their first handoff. The women’s Jamaican team was expected to sweep this event after taking gold at the Olympics, but this finish shows mistakes can happen anywhere, anytime.
“You could have the four fastest women, but if you don’t have chemistry and the baton doesn’t move through the exchange zone, then what are you doing?” said Twanisha Terry, one of the four American women.
This women’s team has been very successful the past couple years. With a two world titles, two Olympic golds, and a silver finish in Tokyo, the team’s future is looking very bright.
The men, on the other hand, have struggled with mistake after mistake. Last summer at the Tokyo Olympics, the men’s team embarrassed themselves in front of the crowd, failing to even qualify for the final.
While the women’s team has looked fresh, it is clear that the men’s team needs a bit of work before the next event.
