Everyone’s on the edge of their seat, waiting to see if Jamaica can bring the heat in the men’s 4x100m at the World Relays. I mean, how could you not be excited? Kishane Thompson almost took down Noah Lyles- the fastest man on earth- in one of the most exhilarating Olympic men’s 100m finals—he had him for a second, but couldn’t quite finish it. Now it’s time to bring that same energy to the relays! Day 1 was a total mess in World relays for Jamaica with that baton drop, but here’s the thing: they’ve got a second shot, and this one’s huge. That second chance will decide if they qualify for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

As the second day kicked off, Jamaica’s squad was stacked and ready to go. With Rohan Watson, Julian Forte, Yohan Blake, and of course, Kishane Thompson, they were running fast, and all eyes were on them. But unfortunately, the dark clouds that seemed to hover over them just wouldn’t go away. The team was racing in the men’s 4x100m repechage round when disaster struck—Julian Forte, the Jamaican track sensation who had battled an injury prior to the Tokyo Olympics, had a major flashback moment. Forte pulled a hamstring, and to make matters worse, he tripped, failing to hand the baton over to Yohan Blake on the third leg. It was a heartbreaking moment, and the team was forced to settle for a DNF.

Meanwhile, in heat 2, Belgium was on fire. The team of Robin Vanderbemden, Antoine Snyders, Kobe Vleminckx, and Simon Verherstraeten crossed the line with a time of 38.49, taking the win and setting a national record. They were followed closely by Kenya, whose team—Boniface Ontuga Mweresa, Ferdinand Omanyala, Meshack Kitsubuli Babu, and Steve Onyango Odhiambo—clocked a time of 38.51 to secure the qualification spot.

In third place came Colombia, with Neiker Abello, Carlos Andres Palacios, Pedro Angel Agualimpia, and Carlos Florez Angulo running a solid 38.84. Those two teams—Belgium and Kenya—clinched the qualification spots, leaving Jamaica out of the mix. It was a tough break, but that’s track and field—sometimes, it just doesn’t go your way. But what makes it even worse? Kishane Thompson didn’t get a turn to run on either day. What’s going on there? Why did he get left out? It’s a real head-scratcher.

Kishane Thompson’s struggles highlight Jamaica’s relay woes

In men’s Day 1 action at the 2025 World Relays, it all came crashing down for Team Jamaica in Heat 1 of the 4x100m. Rohan Watson kicked things off strong with a 10.61 opener, handing off to Julian Forte, who kept the team in contention. But then came the moment that made every Jamaican fan’s heart sink—during the second exchange, as Yohan Blake reached to pass the baton to Kishane Thompson, it slipped and hit the track. Just like that, the race was over. Fans at home froze. The crowd at Guangdong Olympic Stadium gasped. And NBC Sports Director of Social Media Travis Miller confirmed it on Twitter: Jamaican men out of the 4x100m after dropping the baton on the second exchange. #WorldRelays.”

Thompson never even got the chance to run on Day 1. The dropped baton meant automatic disqualification, and for rising star Thompson, a World Relays gold would’ve been a dream come true. Instead, he walked away stunned, alongside Rohan Watson, Julian Forte, and Yohan Blake, in what became one of the most heartbreaking exits of the weekend. But the disappointment didn’t stop there. On Day 2, the nightmare struck again—just before the baton would have passed to Thompson, Forte got injured, sealing yet another early exit. But it’s not the first time this has happened—Jamaica’s relay woes are becoming all too familiar.

Let’s rewind to the Paris 2024 Olympics, where things were equally disastrous for the Jamaican men’s 4x100m relay team. Ackeem Blake, Jelani Walker, Jehlani Gordon, and Kishane Thompson were all set to keep Jamaica’s legacy alive in the 4x100m, but the baton exchanges fell apart. They finished 11th in the heats with a time of 38.45 seconds, missing the final and failing to qualify for the World Championships. This marked the first time in two decades that Jamaica’s men had failed to make the final in the event at the Olympics.

To add salt to the wound, Thompson, the Olympic silver medalist, never even got a chance to run. With botched handoffs from Walker to Gordon and then from Gordon to Thompson, the team’s once unshakable relay legacy hit an all-time low. So, with back-to-back relay disasters—first in Paris and now in the World Relays—it’s clear: Jamaica’s sprinting power is facing some serious growing pains.