USA Track & Field is SLAMMED by legendary Olympic sprinter Carl Lewis after another disaster in 4X100 relay: ‘Time to blow up the system!’
A disappointing day for USA Track & Field at the Paris Olympics only got worse when legendary sprinter Carl Lewis fired back at the coaches after another disaster in the 4×100-meter relay.
Without Noah Lyles, who is battling COVID-19, Team USA was disqualified for an illegal pass when Christian Coleman collided with teammate Kenny Bednarek during the first handoff of Friday’s final. Canada would go on to win gold in 37.50 seconds.
The U.S. men have not reached the podium in the 4×100-meter relay since their silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The Americans last won gold in Sydney in 2000, when they were anchored by Maurice Greene.
“It’s time to blow the system up,” Lewis, a two-time gold medalist in the 4X100, wrote on X. “This continues to be completely unacceptable. It’s obvious that EVERYONE at @usatf is more concerned with relationships than winning. No athlete should step onto the track and run another relay until this program is turned around from the top down.”
The criticism came as no surprise.
A day earlier, the nine-time Olympic gold medalist wrote on X that the coaches would be blamed for the failures in the men’s 4×100 meters.
Christian Coleman, right, struggles to pass the baton to teammate Kenneth Bednarek
Carl Lewis visits the red carpet ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games
“If @TeamUSA wins all the relays tomorrow, talk to the athletes,” Lewis wrote, seemingly directed at the media. “If something happens and they don’t wipe. Talk to the coaches ONLY. Yes, I said it!!!”
Lewis did not mention any coach by name.
Mike Marsh is the top coach of USA Track & Field.
Ultimately, Lewis’ wish did not come true and the sprinters had to pay for their mistake.
“It just didn’t happen,” Coleman told reporters. “Maybe we could have put more work into it. I think it just didn’t happen at that point.”
In an interview last week with The Associated Press, Lewis suggested that experts in the U.S. create a relay manual and send it to every high school coach in the country.
“The problem has always been politics, always drama, always deception,” Lewis said. “If they can eliminate those things, then there’s no doubt they have the fastest team in the world.”
Legendary American sprinter Carl Lewis did not mention any American coach by name
Some might blame the lineup shuffle on the latest loss. Lyles, who anchored the U.S. World Cup win last year, likely would have done the same at Stade de France.
But that job went to Kerley, and Bednarek ran second. It put him in a position to receive Coleman’s pass.
Most of the problems over the years — and this week — have been at the front. On Thursday, during qualifying, Coleman shook Kerley’s hand with his right hand while grabbing Kerley’s arm with his left — an awkward exchange that cost nothing.
This one, yes. The only podium finish in the US during the dry spell was a silver medal in 2012, which was later stripped due to doping.
“At the end of the day, we knew what we could do,” said Kyree King, who ran the third leg. “We came here with a no risk, no reward mentality, so we went out there and tried to do it big. It didn’t happen.”