Carl Lewis is not laying off his criticism of the U.S. Track and Field program.
After the U20 4×100-meter relay team failed to complete a handoff in qualifying, missing the final as a result, the track legend again took to social media on Friday to flame the USATF’s relay program.
“I’ve been watching the @WorldAthletics U20 Championships in Peru. We will not be in the men’s 4×100 final,” Lewis wrote on X. “I guess we’ve accepted the fact that @usatf teams can not finish a relay race. It is so sad to see these young junior athletes also have to suffer from their incompetence.”
The 4×100 relay was also the subject of Lewis’ commentary at the Olympics, where Team USA messed up a handoff before being disqualified.
“It is time to blow up the system,” Lewis wrote on X. “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.”
The last U.S. Olympic medal in the men’s 4×100 came in 2004, when they finished silver.
In Paris, however, track and field ended up being a bright spot for the Americans, as they finished with 34 total medals and 14 golds, both of which led the field.
That included an Olympic record gold in the 4×400-meter relay and a crushing win in the women’s 4×400-meter relay.
So, apparently, the issues do not apply to all distances.
Still, the 4x100m issues are a longstanding trend — which continued in Peru.