Track Legend Carl Lewis Destroys US Relay Team After Olympic ‘Embarrassment’: ‘Completely Unacceptable’
Team USA failed to qualify in the men’s 4×100-meter relay final at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday and legendary track star Carl Lewis did not mince words while expressing his disappointment.
When US sprinter Ronnie Baker attempted to grab the baton from Fred Kerley on the first exchange, he ended up with a handful of uniform instead. Baker came up emptyhanded on the second exchange. And for the third, Baker forcefully shoved the baton into Kerley’s hands.
“The USA team did everything wrong in the men’s relay,” Lewis wrote on Twitter after watching the repetitive blunder. “The passing system is wrong, athletes running the wrong legs, and it was clear that there was no leadership. It was a total embarrassment, and completely unacceptable for a USA team to look worse than the AAU kids I saw.”
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. It was a total embarrassment, and completely unacceptable for a USA team to look worse than the AAU kids I saw .
— Carl Lewis (@Carl_Lewis) August 5, 2021
Lewis has nine gold medals in four trips to the Olympics during an epic career spanning from 1979-1996. The decorated track and field star understandably demands better from Team USA, who appeared unpolished for their Olympic relay.
The sloppy baton exchanges contributed to Team USA’s sixth place finish, falling short of qualifying for the finals. Team USA has not won gold in the 4×100-meter relay since 2000.
