In Paris, Jamaican sprinters backslide in their rivalry with U.S. sprinters

How Jamaica lost their first gold medal in the men’s 100-meter relay at the Stade de France track and in the women’s 200-meter sprint

Richardson said it was an honor for everyone of them when the USA won as a team. “I remember trusting my third leg, trusting Gabby, knowing she was going to put that stick in my hand no matter what, and to leave my best on the track.”

Richardson, turning her head to scope the competition, found herself so far ahead she was alone. That look — one that said, “Fine, I’m leaving without you” or “Is that all you’ve got?” — was quickly minted as a meme on social media.

Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Twanisha Terry, Melissa Jefferson covered the lap around the Stade de France track in 41.78 seconds, a season-best time, even after the iffy Thomas-to-Richardson baton pass-off.

It was a bad day for Jamaica when it failed to shine in the women’s 4x 100 relay final, even though it had a season-best time. The relay team had been in the running to medal, but they lost their reigning female stars on the way to Paris.

The US was disqualified in the men’s race after botching their first handoff, when Christian Coleman passed to Kenny Bednarek. Fred Kerley, as anchor, and Kyree King rounded out the team.

A day ago, the team learned that it would have to run without its best asset, newly-minted 100-meter champion Noah Lyles. After finishing with bronze in his best event, the 200-meter sprint on Thursday, Lyles revealed that he had COVID-19.

US men spoke briefly to reporters after the race, angry and frustrated by their performance. “Our mindset was no risk, no reward,” King said. “We went out there and went big and it didn’t happen.”

At the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016, the women’s 4×100-meter relay team successfully overturned a DQ after arguing that other runners forced a baton drop.

Short-distances have been in the U.S. That changed at the Beijing Games 2008, when Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt collected world records and gold in the 100- and 200-meter sprints. That same Olympics, Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown won gold in the women’s 100- and 200-meter races.

Defending her 100 and 200 meter titles would not be possible due to Elaine Thompson-Herah’s injury, the first setback came when she said that she would miss Paris.

Then, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson dropped out of the 100-meter and 200-meter races, citing injury. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the two sprint stars captured a podium sweep in the women’s 100m final.