Former Tennessee track star Christian Coleman’s quest for an Olympic medal came up short after the United States was disqualified in the men’s 4×100-meter relay Friday.
Coleman, 28, ran the opening leg of the medal race, but his pass to Kenny Bednarek for the second leg did not go well. Bednarek left before Coleman was within distance, and Coleman couldn’t catch Bednarek, who had to slow down to get the baton from Coleman.
The U.S. finished fifth, but was disqualified for the pass. Canada took the gold medal with a time of 37.50 – which is 0.03 slower than the United States’ time in the prelim Thursday. The U.S. men have not medaled in the 4×100 relay since 2004.
The U.S. men were without Olympic 100-meter champion Noah Lyles. He did not run the relay because he was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Tuesday. Lyles still ran in the 200 on Thursday, winning a bronze medal. Bednarek also ran in the 200 final, winning silver, and ran in place of Courtney Lindsey in the final.
Coleman also ran the opening leg of the prelims Thursday. Coleman ran a 10.40 split in the prelim, and Kerley, King and Lindsey won in the heat handily in 37.47 to advance to the medal race.
Coleman’s first Olympic medal is a dream that continues to slip out of reach. He barely missed qualifying for the 100 at trials, placing fourth in both the 100 and 200. Coleman missed out on qualifying for the 100, his main event, by 0.05.
This is Coleman’s second trip to the Olympics, his first in the Rio 2016 Olympics. He ran in the relay team in the heat round only in Rio, and the U.S. did not medal.
Coleman, a six-time NCAA champion when he ran for the Vols from 2014-17, was thought to be the next great sprinter in the 100 meters after Usain Bolt retired. Coleman ran one of the fastest 100 meter sprints in history with a 9.76 at the 2019 World Championships.
But a few months after his stunning win, he missed a drug test in December 2019. It was the third time Coleman missed no-notice attempts to take samples from him in a one-year period, breaking anti-doping rules. He didn’t test positive, but as a result he was banned for two years, taking him out of contention for the Tokyo Olympics.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Christian Coleman, USA disqualified in Olympics 4×100 relay on pass
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Publish date : 2024-08-09 07:08:00
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