RIO DE JANEIRO — The United States’ women’s 4×100-meter relay team dropped the baton in Thursday’s first-round heat, the Americans’ hopes of defending their Olympic title apparently dashed.
Jury of Appeal Decision
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 18, 2016
There will be a re-run for the USA at 8pm local time.
Obstructed at second exchange pic.twitter.com/leFPceLTTc
The Americans will have a chance to rerun the track Thursday evening and post a time that could give them a spot in the final field.
Canada finished one-hundredth of a second faster than China, meaning the United States would bump the Chinese from the final if it posts a better qualifying time.
Also per IAAF, China has protested the USA's reinstatement back into the relay.
— Tim Layden (@ByTimLayden) August 18, 2016
“I got bumped coming into the exchange zone and it just completely threw me off balance,” Felix said. “I tried to hold it together to get it to English.”
She couldn’t, though, and the baton fell to the ground. Felix picked it up and the Americans made sure to finish the race, something their coaches stressed at their pre-Olympics relays camp.
“I just remember them telling us, if there’s an appeal, you have to make an effort,” Felix said, after the race — something she had told NBC immediately after finishing.
Officials with U.S. Track and Field filed the protest after the race, saying a runner from the Brazilian team impeded Felix as the Americans tried to make their handoff.
Here’s the relevant rule:
— Philip Hersh (@olyphil) August 18, 2016
The Brazilian team was disqualified after the race for obstruction.
“We’re just going to regroup, get ourselves together and go out there and be able to compete in the final,” Gardner before a final decision had been made.
After missing the podium in 2004 and ’08, the U.S. relay team won gold four years ago in London, edging out the speedy Jamaicans. Felix and Tianna Bartoletta are the only returners from that group. Felix, 30, is also in the relay pool for the women’s 4×400-meter race.