It’s no longer just a hiccup. It’s a full-blown curse. No matter the race, the track, or the athletes, one thing remains terrifyingly consistent. The USA track and field team cannot pass the baton. The country that churns out one superluminal sprinter after another, falters when it comes to a scarily simple hurdle- handing a stick from one runner to another in a relay. And it’s not just costing them medals. It’s costing them pride. The drawback tarnishes its legacy, one failed relay race at a time. 

Take Tokyo 2021, for example. Fred Kerley, the Olympian who snagged silver at the 100m at the same Olympics, was sprinting full tilt, but when he tried handing the baton to Ronnie Baker, things went south. Baker grabbed a handful of jersey instead. The baton somehow stayed out of reach until Kerley nearly stuffed it into Baker’s palm with both hands. By then, the team had left behind the point of no return. Team USA stumbled to sixth and missed the final. That exchange, or lack thereof, was a precursor to many more embarrassing misses that would follow. 

Fast forward to Paris, and history repeats itself. Christian Coleman and Kenny Bednarek collide during handoff in the men’s 4×100 relay. The chaos is immediate, and though the team limps to a seventh-place finish, the final dagger comes later: disqualification. The baton changed hands outside the zone. It marked the fifth consecutive Olympics where the Americans failed to claim a medal. For a country that has to its credit some of the best sprinters in history, the baton episode is simply unacceptable. For fans, it’s exhausting. Just when they were recovering from the Paris setback, they were hit by another wave of heartbreak. 

The 2025 World Relays are underway in Guangzhou, and it is here, halfway around the world, that Team USA had in its store another catastrophe. This time it was the mixed 4x100m. In their very first heat, the baton hit the ground during the transition from Jada Mowatt to Kendal Williams. Another drop. Another elimination. Another social media storm. “Team USA dropped the baton” trended once more. In the aftermath, Mowatt could only offer a half-shrug. She stated, “Somebody, somewhere has got a voodoo doll.”

Maybe it’s superstition. Maybe it’s pressure. Maybe it’s just plain bad chemistry. Whatever it is, Team USA’s baton nightmares are no longer isolated incidents. They’re a full-blown tradition of failure. And until they find a fix, the fastest team on Earth will keep running straight into disaster. And this is not something that the fans are putting up with. They took to social media to express their outrage over the curse happening.

Track and field fans cannot stop frowning after yet another baton botch from Team USA

The fans flocked to the comments section to express their anger as soon as the news gained momentum. Team USA’s baton woes have left fans shocked and they didn’t hold back to weigh in. The chaos during the mixed 4x100m handoff, especially between Jada Mowatt and Kendal Williams, revealed a lack of coordinated drills. One fan summed it up with frustration, pointing out this is something “relay runners in high school have drilled into them: practice, practice and practice more!!”

The decision to field less prominent athletes raised eyebrows across the community. As the baton tumbled to the track, the outrage was less about bad luck and more about accountability. “Nobody American knows who these runners are who chose them?” questioned one viewer. They highlighted widespread confusion and a lack of faith in the selection process.

After repeated relay catastrophes across global championships, including Tokyo, Paris, and now the World Relays, disbelief has turned into resignation. With yet another instance of a baton hitting the ground, a familiar cry echoed from a track enthusiast, “The curse is real.” It’s no longer viewed as a fluke, but a grim ritual that fans now expect.

Jada Mowatt’s baton handling in the critical moment fed the belief that the team was assembled without sufficient thought. As one furious fan put it, “STOP ADDING RANDOMS she looked so lost handling that stick.” The visual struggle during the handoff gave weight to the claim that team chemistry and experience were sacrificed for experimentation.

Relay execution requires precise timing and visual-spatial awareness, yet fans believe Team USA lacks even the basics. The baton drop wasn’t seen as a rare mistake but a recurring flaw. “United States have to have the worst hand and eye coordination I have ever seen,” said an X user. Their words amplified how routine these blunders now feel to spectators.

While Team USA stumbled, other nations snatched the opportunity to soar. Most notably, Canada. Their seamless performance in Heat 3, with lesser-known runners, left fans praising their technical prowess. One comment cut deep as it mentioned, “The Canadian passing in Heat 3 was flawless. All nameless randoms, but flawless.” The message was clear. It’s not about the names, it’s about the execution, where the USA failed again. Will the Relay team of the United States find a way around this maze of handoff fumbles? We would like to know your thoughts. Let us know in the comments below!