BEIJING – The Americans’ week on the track here continues to get worse, for the most part.
Both the U.S. men’s and women’s 4×100-meter relay teams dropped the baton in the final handoffs in their preliminaries yesterday, leaving both finals without Americans. However, the Americans earned a medals sweep in the 400.
LaShawn Merritt won, and Jeremy Wariner, the defending world and Olympic champion and the favorite, slowed up at the end and barely held off David Neville, who dived across the finish line.
It is the first time since 1912 the American men will not be in the 400-relay final and the first time since 1948 without the women.
In the men’s race, Darvis Patton ran the third leg and things were OK until he tried to hand the baton to Tyson Gay. Gay reached back but couldn’t get it, Patton lunged but the baton fell to the ground.
“I went to grab it and there was nothing,” Gay said. “It’s kind of the way it’s been happening to me this Olympics.”
Gay said point the finger at him.
“I take full blame for it,” Gay said. “I kind of feel I let them down.”
But Patton said it’s not all on Gay.
“That’s Tyson Gay,” he said. “He’s a humble guy, but I know it’s my job to get the guy the baton and I didn’t do that.”
In the women’s race, the U.S. again looked fine until the final exchange when Torii Edwards couldn’t get the baton to Lauryn Williams. Edwards yelled and covered her face with her hands as the baton fell to the ground.
Williams picked up the baton and kept running, but the Americans were disqualified. This is the second relay mishap for Williams. She misconnected with Marion Jones in 2004 in the final.
“If people want to assess the blame to me, that’s OK,” Williams said. “I mean, I can take whatever it is that people are going to dish out. We had good chemistry. The hand was back there. She was there. I don’t know what happened.”
Usain Bolt and the Jamaican team will run in the final tonight, with Bolt gunning for his third gold medal of these Games.
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New Jersey native Steve Mocco lost in the bronze medal bracket 3-1, 4-1 to Fardin Masoumi of Iran. Mocco, of North Bergen, gave up two 3-point throws that cost him . . . Brother and sister combo Mark and Diana Lopez both medaled yesterday in taekwondo. Mark won a silver and Diana took bronze. Their brother Stephen competes today.