Great Britain disqualified from Olympics 4x100m relay

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Great Britain will miss the men's Olympic 4x100m relay final after being disqualified in their semi-final.

The team finished second but the final handover between Daniel Talbot and Adam Gemili, 18, was not completed in time.

Gemili said: "Maybe I went early or too hard. It's disappointing as we could have been in contention in the final."

Favourites Jamaica rested Usain Bolt but still won heat one, while, in the second, the United States recorded the fastest overall qualification time.

Britain, who won this event at the 2004 Games in Athens, were disqualified in Beijing four years ago and have now made a mess of baton changes in five of the last six major championships.

Talbot said: "I don't know what happened. I just couldn't catch Adam. I'm really gutted and it's devastating."

Christian Malcolm, who ran the first leg for Britain, described the outcome as "unfortunate". He added: "It's one of those things that happens but it's a fantastic performance to run the time we did. Daniel has come in at the last moment. This is a big stadium and it can be overwhelming."

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244 comments

  • Comment posted by Transition_Town_Man, at 21:23 10 Aug 2012

    I've heard that the GB cycling teams practised together literally thousands of times to get it right, sometimes even missing kids birthdays.

    If the runners only meet up now and again, then that is probably the reason why they don't seem to manage passing the baton properly.

    It requires total comittment and sacrifice for four years, so I'm assuming they'll be back training tomorrow.

  • Comment posted by U14980039, at 21:10 10 Aug 2012

    I agree with No.2. If we keep going out of football tournaments on penalties, and we keep getting disqualified in relays, then why are the coaches not earning their money by making the players/runners practice these things?

  • Comment posted by Littlefork, at 22:03 10 Aug 2012

    c£25m funding each for Rowing, Cycling and Athletics......I know which one of them consistently gives poor value for money.

  • Comment posted by U15381220, at 21:52 10 Aug 2012

    Yes, I am now an armchair athlete but I used to be Head of PE at a secondary school for 35 years. I do have some idea about how to teach relay running. That was part of my job. Trust me when I say that passing a baton from one runner to another is really not that difficult. Give the athletes simple instructions. It's easy.
    Why can't our highly paid athletes do it?

  • Comment posted by oz5000, at 21:46 10 Aug 2012

    4x100m had been a shambles for GB men for years. Not an ego thing, a coaching thing - they guys are running fast, but the coaches have steadfastly refused to adopt a universal baton-change technique for whatever reason. If everyone was coached to change baton from/to the same hand, upstroke or downstroke, whoever came in running whatever leg would know exactly what to expect. An utter shambles.

  • Comment posted by taunton42, at 01:30 11 Aug 2012

    As we're mostly swerving off-topic...
    In the end, the medals table merely exacerbates negative nationalistic sentiment, and is really quite meaningless. I've enjoyed the competitions on their sporting merits. It's great that some of the winners come from the same country as me, but it's not the 'be all and end all'.
    So to Sportster. Well done. Your country has won many shiny things.
    Now f....

  • Comment posted by Aaron, at 22:53 10 Aug 2012

    Both penalty shoot-out and handover are tense moments where a mental complex from past mistakes can impair performance. However professionals are supposed to be able to get over their nerves.If they're not being given the right ways to handle the psychological pressure then that's probably something to do with the coaches. Practising technique 1000s of times is the best way to be sure on the day.

  • Comment posted by The Freckle Faced Ginger Englishman, at 22:02 10 Aug 2012

    Post 41.
    You must have been my PE teacher.
    It's simply, the person receiving the baton, straight arm pointing down making a V with the first finger and thumb.
    Person passing the baton, plant it straight in the V.
    Don’t wave your arms about like you are squatting fly.
    And these clowns get funding for this rubbish, not like it happens in a blue moon, its regular.

  • Comment posted by Dave Richardson, at 20:59 10 Aug 2012

    It's a RELAY race......the baton, remember the baton!!!

  • Comment posted by Aaron, at 22:25 10 Aug 2012

    "We appear to be aligning our national pride with gold medals"

    Yes, the obsessive counting behaviour has been grating all week. the BBC seems to be genuinely excited to learn that a gold medal is the 21st...no wait the 22nd...no wait the 23rd...no wait the 24th!!

    I tend to think in much more qualitative terms. Put in a respectable showing, and after that, it really doesn't matter.

  • Comment posted by U15057097, at 22:08 10 Aug 2012

    The penalty shoot out of UK athletics. Almost predictable, sadly.

  • Comment posted by ukjeremy, at 06:24 11 Aug 2012

    For the US vs.GB heated arguments going on here (well, I know it's only a few, but frequent comments). Come on! Call me sentimental, but I just watched Farah and Rupp celebrate again after they'd come in first and second as training partners – and as a Brit living in the States, I was so heartened by the camaraderie and their recognition of all their hard training. Why all this bashing?

  • Comment posted by rockandhardplace, at 22:41 10 Aug 2012

    5 out of 6 majors does not even come close. It cannot be just coincidence ask Bet Fred to analyse and they will tell you the answer, because the IAAF and British Federation certainly don't. Have the GB Team kept the same coaching staff all this time? If so in this particular case they need to revise their options.

  • Comment posted by More Like It, at 22:09 10 Aug 2012

    all relay teams make mistakes, but this is getting ridiculous. They need to go back to basics, just use safe changeovers for the next few championships until they get used to finishing relays again.
    It may sacrifice the big medals for a while, but crashing out in semis every time does that anyway.

    They looked good for a bronze here, such a shame.

  • Comment posted by loudcox, at 21:19 10 Aug 2012

    With so many failures in the past few major championships despite changing personnel, one has to wonder: is the common cause the coach ?

  • Comment posted by U14800302, at 21:09 10 Aug 2012

    a lot of negativity here! the youngest team member effectively madee a false start. It happens, not sure it is a daming reflection on UK athletics.

  • Comment posted by John Charlton, at 20:54 10 Aug 2012

    Footballers who miss penalty shoot outs seem to have the same problem! Very frustrating to lose like this.

  • Comment posted by U15384364, at 01:08 11 Aug 2012

    lets introduce the 1st and 3rd biggest outdoor sports Cricket and Rugby Union. the 1st and 2nd biggest indoor sports Darts and Snooker. Im sure we can create at least 20 versions of these sports to bump up the medal count. after all the yanks brought in bmx mountain bike beach v,ball etc. snow boarding to winter games. just for the insecure the Yanks

  • Comment posted by taunton42, at 23:56 10 Aug 2012

    re The US sports system. They have a tradition of giving college places to students showing sporting potential, regardless of how much of a 'div' they may possibly be. I wouldn't necessarily advocate that over here. We have enough 'divs' in HE already.

  • Comment posted by U14415126, at 23:37 10 Aug 2012

    @ rockandhardplace

    "Have we medalled at any track event so far?"

    Erm, have you been in mars, what about Mo Farah's brillaint 10,000m Gold Medal, the first ever by a brit.

    Does this prove the media/tabloid obsession with Jess Ennis is clouding performances by other athletes??

    Mo Farah's Gold is the best track and field performance by a GB athelete for many a games.

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