TOKYO -- The American 4x100-meter relay team was left in a familiar spot at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday, with a slow exchange -- out of contention for a medal.This time, however, there is no race for one.After finishing sixth in their qualifying heats, the team of Trayvon Bromell and Fred Kerley, Ronnie Baker, and Cravon Gilliespie did not make it to the final. This is a quarter century of misery for the country with the most track athletes to the Games.Baker said that Baker ran 9.95 seconds to place fifth in the men’s 100. It is difficult to timing it perfectly with just a few practices, but it is what is."Relay practice has been limited to a few countries over the past year or week due to the coronavirus pandemic.It didn't appear to have any impact on China, Canada, or Italy who were ranked 1-2-3 in the heat.It didn't also affect the U.S. Women, which was led by Teahna Danis and Javianne Olson. They were also in individual sprints, and they estimated that they had about five practices with their teammates.Since 2000, the Olympic 4x100 has not been won by the U.S. men. They also haven’t reached the finals since 2012 when they took a silver medal. They gave it back due to a doping ban on Tyson Gay.The U.S. failed to reach the final for the first time since 2008 when Gay was involved with a bumbled swap. The U.S. was disqualified in 2016 for another poor pass in the medal race.The sprinters managed to make it around the track this time, but it was ugly.Kerley and Baker misconnected repeatedly on the second leg. They were literally running side-by side when they exchanged sticks.How many hours of practice did they have?Kerley said, "Don't Know", and took silver in 100 last weekend.Baker replied, "Not much."Baker gained some ground on the fast-disappearing field after the bad exchange. Gillespie attempted to grab the anchor leg but was stopped by the other players.ResultsThis is the 10th consecutive time that relays have been failed at an Olympics or world championships since 1995.Baker stated, "You have to be willing to compete." The same as any other competition. Similar mindsetHansle Parchment from Jamaica won gold in 110-meter hurdles in 13.04 seconds, beating Grant Holloway just before the finish.Holloway, world champion, led through nine of the 10 hurdles but lost his lead on the final. Parchment flew past Holloway to add an Olympic medal to the bronze he won at London Games 2012.Holloway won silver in 13.09 seconds, while Ronald Levy (Jamaica) took bronze in 13.10 seconds.Pedro Pichardo from Portugal won the gold medal for the men's triple jump. On his third attempt, he managed 17.98 meters. Zhu Yaming of China took silver, while Hugues Fabrice Zango from Burkina Faso won bronze.This report was contributed by The Associated Press.
