Jesse Squire | On 20, Aug 2016

Last night the USA men’s 4×100 relay team appeared to finish third in the Olympic final, but soon after was disqualified for failing to make the first exchange within the zone.

This continues a pattern of disqualification for the US men’s 4×100 team over the last nine years. Below is their competitive record in the major international championship events — the Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Relays.

2008 Olympic Games

Team: Rodney Martin, Travis Padgett, Darvis Patton, Tyson Gay
Result: did not finish (semifinal)
The baton was dropped at the third exchange (Patton to Gay).

2009 World Championships

Team: Terrence Trammell, Mike Rodgers, Shawn Crawford, Darvis Patton
Result: disqualified (semifinal)
The team appeared to win its semifinal in 37.97, but was disqualified for an early pass at the third exchange (Crawford to Patton). An appeal was rejected.

2011 World Championships

Team: Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Darvis Patton, Walter Dix
Coach: Jon Drummond
Result: did not finish (final)
The third exchange was not completed. Patton collided with Britain’s anchor leg, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, fell to the track, and dislocated his shoulder.

2012 Olympic Games

Team: Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Ryan Bailey
Coach: Jon Drummond
Result: retroactive drug disqualification
The team finished second to Jamaica’s World Record in a new American Record time of 37.04, equal to the old world record. However, Tyson Gay returned a positive doping test in 2013 and aided USADA in the investigation. The result was an annulment of all his results since July 2012, including this relay.

2013 World Championships

Team: Charles Silmon, Mike Rodgers, Mookie Salaam, Justin Gatlin
Coach: Jon Drummond
Result: Silver medal, 37.66
Gatlin got the baton with a narrow lead but had the impossible task of holding off Usain Bolt.

2014 World Relays

Team: Marvin Bracy, Trell Kimmons, Mookie Salaam, Charles Silmon
Coach: Dennis Mitchell
Result: disqualified (heats)
The second pass (Kimmons to Salaam) was out of the zone.

2015 World Relays

Team: Mike Rodgers, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Ryan Bailey
Coach: Dennis Mitchell
Result: Gold medal, 37.38
The team built up a big lead before the anchor leg and Bailey held off Usain Bolt for the win.

2015 World Championships

Team: Trayvon Bromell, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Mike Rodgers
Coach: Dennis Mitchell
Result: disqualified (final)
The team appeared to finish second in 37.77, but was disqualified for a late pass at the third exchange (Gay to Rodgers).

2016 Olympic Games

Team: Mike Rodgers, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Trayvon Bromell
Coach: Dennis Mitchell
Result: disqualified (final)
The team appeared to finish third in 37.62, but was disqualified for an early pass at the first exchange (Rodgers to Gatlin).

Why?

There are a lot of theories about the relay team’s failures.

US relay coach Dennis Mitchell is getting a lot of blame and calls for him to be fired have intensified. If he retains his job it would be highly unusual given the dominant culture in American sports, where a coach’s job security is directly tied to team performance.

Note that Jon Drummond, the national relay coach from 2011-13, appeared to exercise the team’s demons and get results. But he was forced out of the sport for his involvement in Tyson Gay’s positive doping test, which directly led to one of the above disqualifications.

There is a larger common thread through all of these struggles, though: Usain Bolt.

Usain Bolt and #JAM crack up when asked about why the U.S. has trouble in the relay.
Asafa says “Pressure of trying to beat the Jamaicans."

— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavezSI) August 20, 2016