The USA relay teams just can’t seem to escape the headlines—or catch their batons, for that matter. History has repeated itself yet again, and the American squads are off track, quite literally. At the Lima U20 Championships, the women’s 4x100m relay team shockingly fumbled their opportunity. Missing their start time entirely, the team made a blunder that left everyone stunned, especially considering the talent on the roster: Jade Brown, Cynteria James, Avery Lewis, and Taylor Snaer.

In the critical 20-meter passing zone, where precise timing is everything, disaster struck. One of the runners took off too early, forcing her to stop abruptly to avoid disqualification, effectively killing any chance of a smooth baton exchange. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time American women have faltered with a baton. At the 2023 World Championships, the 4x400m relay team, despite being led by legends like Allyson Felix, Sydney McLaughlin, and Dalilah Muhammad, was disqualified due to another relay mishap.

To make matters worse, this latest failure comes on the heels of another relay disaster: the men’s 4x100m team also failed to make it to the finals. They didn’t even complete the first handoff in the qualifying round, adding another chapter to the saga of the so-called “American relay curse.”

With both teams faltering in such critical moments, it’s hard not to see a troubling pattern. Even Carl Lewis, the 11-time relay gold medalist, is raising eyebrows, suggesting that these mishaps might point to a deeper issue within the American relay program. Is it a curse, or is there something more at play here?

Lewis took it to X and wrote, “I’ve been watching the @WorldAthletics U20 Championships in Peru. We will not be in the men’s 4×100 final. I guess we’ve accepted the fact that @usatf teams can not finish a relay race. It is so sad that these young junior athletes also have to suffer from their incompetence.” Lewis is clear on there being a bigger issue at play. He went on to add, “It is crazy that we continue to have these problems, and absolutely nothing is being done to right the ship. We have @LA2028 in less than 4 years, and we’re on the way to seeing @TeamUSA not medal again in the 4×100. How would that look @USATF (USA Track and Field)?”

The American relays at the U20 have left fans and athletes alike wondering, ‘What’s going wrong?’ The track and field community is buzzing with disbelief. For a country, that’s been creating history at the Paris Olympics 2024, such mishaps are pointing towards something bigger going wrong. The athletic fandom is disappointed and with two major losses, they see that something deeper needs to change.

The athletics fandom says, “Not unexpected”

Reactions to the USA’s latest relay fumble have been not so pretty. One fan went on to write, “Missed hand-offs happen. Especially U20. But completely missing the start time like that is pretty egregious.” This sentiment seems to be a popular one in the community. With another fan playfully adding, “This is becoming a ‘running’ joke now.”

Reminding everyone yet again, that this nothing new, a fan went on to write, “I’m sure somewhere Carl Lewis is losing his mind.” After the men’s relay fiasco, Lewis declared, “It is time to blow up the system.” Fans are echoing his sentiments. “Fire the entire relay coaching staff and fix this from the ground up,” echoes a fan. The idea isn’t far-fetched, especially since everything came down to a “clerical error.”

“At this point it’s systemic. Too many blunders even HS teams know how to avoid,” another pointed out. For many, it’s now just another “Classic 4×100”! Seems like, “The American curse still goes on.” The disappointment is loud and only growing. One of the fans wrote, “Very unfortunate, but not unexpected. Which is honestly worse.” However, some are blaming lack of practice and training lapses for the failure.

One user went on to even say, “Perfect practice is required. Until you are practicing perfect, you can’t get on the track. If you don’t have enough time to practice and get it perfect, you should not expect to win. Simple.” Another fan added, “Absolutely pathetic.” Two failures in a row with major blunders? There is a bigger issue at play, but the real question is as Lewis put it, will America be ready by LA 2028?