The US 4x100m Curse

Lack of preparation? Nerves? A curse?

We had all put aside the incident in Beijing where both the American men and women teams got disqualified in the 4x100m races. The crowds came in their masses to watch the great showdown in the great rivalry between Jamaica and the US.

Men 4x100m

The US team ran a great semi-final and showed us what they could do and that they stood as a threat to the Jamaican team in the final. After the race their confidence and charismatic team had won the hearts of many and we were all ready to watch possibly the greatest final in a long time. Unfortunately the Beijing ghost came back to haunt the US team. A few hours after the race they were disqualified for exchanging the baton outside the designated exchange zone. No one can imagine the devastation those men must have faced when they were told the news and their
coaches' appeals denied.



Women 4x100

The ladies looked ready and determined to win the race and they certainly came into the race as the favorites. The US team failed to qualify for the final after Muna Lee came crashing down soon after the baton exchange. It was a terrible sight to watch as she grabbed her quad in pain and fell to the ground. Her team, the crowd, and fans were at a loss of words and knew at that moment that the final would go to Jamaica. The Jamaican women did not fail to deliver the goods and they won the gold with a superb time of 42.06