The World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru is becoming nothing short of a battleground for Team USA.  But unfortunately, not on the tracks! The men’s 4x100m relay team failed to make it to the U20 final, fumbling the first handoff.  The team with Isaac Henderson, Jaden Poyser, Kemar Dawson, and Miles Roberts had to exit the competition that the world thought they would dominate.

For fans, this was painful to watch. And for the legends of the sport, like Carl Lewis, it was the last straw.  Carl Lewis, the GOAT who has 11 gold medals in relay events throughout his career, including the Olympics, World Championships, Pan American Games, Goodwill Games, and Olympic Boycott Games, obviously had something to say.  Lewis wrote on Twitter, “It is crazy that we continue to have these problems, and absolutely nothing is being done to right the ship.  We have @LA2028 in less than 4 years, and we’re on the way to seeing @TeamUSA not medal again in the 4×100.  How would that look @USATF (USA Track and Field)?”

Lewis did not stop there, and he went on to point out discrepancies lately.  “I’ve been watching the @WorldAthletics U20 Championships in Peru.  We will not be in the men’s 4×100 final. I guess we’ve accepted the fact that @usatf teams cannot finish a relay race.  It is so sad that these young junior athletes also have to suffer from their incompetence.”  The frustration was palpable.

But what actually happened? Why was Team USA not able to qualify for the men’s 4×100 relay final? Well, the answer is ‘baton.’ Yes, the same old infamous baton.  It was just another case of baton exchange mishap.  The Team USA came up in heat two carrying high hopes and expectations, but sadly they were knocked off in the heats and were marked under DNF.