“Cancel Entire Team USA”: American Fans Left Distraught After Top Names Pulls Out Ahead of World Relays

In the heart of Guangzhou, the Guangdong Olympic Stadium awaits. The 2025 World Athletics Relays is in the process of having the big names from the track and field scene on 10-11 May. At the 2024 World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas, Team USA crushed in the event. They set a new championship record with a time of 3:10.73 in Mixed 4x400m. The Women’s 4x400m saw victory at a time of 3:26.28. But the 2025 season has so far been shrouded with uncertainties. While the initial team that was declared had quite a few promising names, the joy of it all was short-lived.

Kenny Bednarek, Twanisha Terry, and Erriyon Knighton are names that evoke immense excitement among the track fans of the country. But with big names like Letsile Tebogo and Bayapo Ndori withdrawing themselves from the competition, the question remains: will the 2025 World Athletics Relays be able to sustain the excitement? In the latest blow to the event, Erriyon Knighton, the track and field athlete who has a personal best of 19.49s in the 200m, has withdrawn from the track extravaganza.

Track & Field Gazette took to their X on May 9, 2025, to announce the latest US update for the competition in china. They tweeted, “Full Team USA 🇺🇸 squad for the World Relays in China! Erriyon Knighton has withdrawn from the event.📸@usatf.” The USTAF credit picture had all the track and field athletes who are getting on the plane to China, and who are missing? Olympic medalists like Noah Lyles, Fred Kerley and many more. The reaction? A fan replied to the tweet saying, “Just cancel the entire team USA.”

After it was announced that there will be no 2024 Olympics 60m gold medalist in the world relays. Fans turned their attention towards 200m silver medalist Erriyon Knighton, 9.93 performer Brandon Hicklin and Courtney Lindsay, who anchored the US team to a 37.47 heat win at the Paris Olympics. Now with Knighton also sitting this once out, the fans are disappointed.

Fans find it hard to remain hopeful with Erriyon Knighton’s exit

Winning the races in the World Relay is now a distant dream for the fans of the USA track and field. Many have lost hope, while many still cling to the very edge of it. One fan took to Twitter to say, “welp. no fred, no noah. this might go to the canadian/british (100+200)”. Yeah, Fred Kerley – the Olympic silver medalist over 100 m at the 2020 Olympics and bronze medalist at the 2024 Olympics is also not on the team, let alone Noah Lyles. He anchored his team to victory at the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 World Relays.

There are more who are losing hope for Team USA. Some seem to have lost every ounce of optimism! “Knighton, it seems we’ve been eliminated from the World Relays.” Going into the world relays when your best track and field athletes are not showing up is a brave move and can very much guarantee loss in many events.

There has also been speculation about why the athlete is missing the relays. “Context that may or may not be relevant: his trial took place this Monday.”  Erriyon Knighton’s doping case was heard on Monday, May 5, 2025, at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Two proceedings took place: one involving World Athletics v. Knighton, and another involving WADA v. USADA & Knighton,

Another comment read, “Rotten beef again???” In March 2024, Knighton tested positive for trenbolone, a banned substance commonly used in livestock to promote muscle growth. He was provisionally suspended by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in April. Knighton went ahead to claim the positive test resulted from consuming oxtail at a Tampa-area restaurant. But amid all this noise, Team USA’s bet at the World Athletics Relays seems uncertain. Will the team emerge victorious against all odds and all naysayers? That’s for us to see!