The United States of America got disqualified after the 4x100m men’s relay final at the Olympic Games in Paris after fumbling a baton exchange during the race won by Canada, with South Africa crossing the line in second place.
Team disqualification was the topic in the semis as Nigeria got struck out of the final after a runner stepped out of line, ultimately causing a South African runner to fall during that race.
This time, it was the Americans’ turn to suffer disqualification as the baton exchange from Christian Coleman to Kenny Bednarek took too long and happened outside the handoff zone – Bednarek had nearly stopped when he finally got the baton.
And with Noah Lyles out of the team with illness, it was an uphill task already for the USA, who finished seventh but ended up being disqualified for the second successive time in the event, having suffered a similar fate at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The Americans have now suffered 11 incidents of dropped batons, disqualifications or bans in the Olympics and World Championships since 1995, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Andre de Grasse anchored Canada to gold in 37.50 seconds, with South Africa – after replacing disqualified Nigeria – claiming the silver medal with a time of 37.57 seconds. Great Britain crossed the line in 37.61 seconds to claim bronze.
Check out the dramatic race in the highlights below.