By: Kathie Chu

In the 4×100 relay, American women won gold while American men got silver, losing to Canada. “The race was progressing smoothly for the U.S. until the final handoff. Hall struggled to get the baton to anchor leg Bracy, and Hall fell over after making the pass, costing the team valuable time that Canada capitalized on to win the gold. Andre De Grasse of Canada held off Bracy and sprinted through the finish line with his hands raised. This loss was right after the women’s team had won.”

None of the four women had ever reached an individual podium in the Olympics or world championships. When it came to moving the baton around the fastest on Saturday, though, the Americans proved to be up for the task.

The U.S. won the 4×100 world title in 2019 but missed the podium often in the five prior world championships. Struggles to get the baton around the track also plagued the U.S. men at the Olympics, with their last 4×100 medal coming in 2004, when they won silver. They didn’t have the same luck they had in 2019 but at least got silver. America holds the most gold medals at the track and field world championships with 10.