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Carl Lewis eviscerates US track after Olympic 4×100 relay debacle: ‘Blow it up’

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Carl Lewis eviscerates US track after Olympic 4×100 relay debacle: ‘Blow it up’

United States track and field legend Carl Lewis was beside himself after the American men messed up their handoff during the 4×100 meter relay at the Olympics in Paris on Friday.

The men finished seventh, beating only China in the race — and to add insult to injury they were disqualified over a botched handoff from Christian Coleman to Kenny Bednarek.

Posting on X, Team USA track legend Carl Lewis was apoplectic.


U.S. track legend Carl Lewis eviscerated the men’s track team after a botched handoff in the 4×100 relay. AP

“It is time to blow up the system,” Lewis wrote. “This continues to be completely unacceptable. It is clear that EVERYONE at @usatf is more concerned with relationships than winning. No athlete should step on the track and run another relay until this program is changed from top to bottom.”

Kyree King and Fred Kerley were the other two participants for Team USA in the race.

Lewis, 63, won nine gold medals in his heyday.

His dissatisfaction with Team USA’s squad on Friday was first revealed by NBC’s track analyst Lewis Johnson.


Christian Coleman, right, of the United States, struggles to hand the baton to teammate Kenneth Bednarek, in the men's 4x100-meter relay final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France.
Christian Coleman, right, of the United States, struggles to hand the baton to teammate Kenneth Bednarek, in the men’s 4×100-meter relay final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. AP

“A few moments ago, I talked with the Olympic legend Carl Lewis,” Johnson said. “He was down here just a few feet away from me as the men’s 400-meter relay was contested. Carl is furious and he’s angry about several things.”

While anchor Noah Lyles was out after testing positive for Covid-19, Lewis thought that shouldn’t have caused disorder in the rest of the lineup.

2024 PARIS OLYMPICS

“First of all, he’s angry about a system that he says is not set up to help the United States move forward and do well,” Johnson continued. “He’s also angry that they didn’t have the right people in the right places. If Noah Lyles was out sick with Covid, they should’ve just replaced the anchor leg and nothing else. But the fact they reordered the entire relay had him worried and at the end, had him upset.”

As Johnson was talking, viewers could see Lewis mouthing, “I’m done.”

The United States men have not won a medal in the 4×100 in 20 years, when they got the silver in Athens.

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