Gay Sprinter

The Beijing Olympic track meet has turned into a real disaster for the U.S. team especially when their 4x100m teams dropped the baton.

Darvis Patton and Tyson Gay misconnected on the final pass in preliminaries of the 400-meter relay Thursday. Then, Torri Edwards and Lauryn Williams had the same fate for the women's team.

Two gold medal contenders the United States have not even qualified for the final. Two more chances for the U.S. track team to turn around a disappointing Olympics were lost on the wet track at the Bird's Nest.

"I take the blame for it," Gay said of his bad exchange with Patton. "I feel I kind of let them down."

Failing to receive the baton means Gay, world champion title in the 100 and 200, not only leave China empty-handed, but without even running in a final.

And Williams remembers well that the American involved in not one but two faulty Olympic scholarships that claimed his team medals. In 2004, she misconnected with Marion Jones in the final and the U.S. team were disqualified for making the exchange outside the zone handoff 20 yards.

"If people want to assess blame on me, that's OK," Williams said. "I mean, I can take anything that people will take it. We had good chemistry. The hand was there. She was there. I do not know what happened. "

Even if they had advanced in either race, the Americans can not yet been favored to win gold considering the Jamaican Usain Bolt World Record set last week at the Bird's Nest and the way Jamaica has been owner of the woman and sprints.

Yet they were very interesting races. But no more.

Statistics update: men's relay team failed to reach the Olympic final for the first time since 1988, while women missed for the first time since 1948.

For previous dominant teams like the United States in the first round relay heats are supposed to be about as routine as making the bed, filled with safe passes and no risks.

Just a preview: things were going well for the United States through the first two stages of the men's race. But when Patton closed in on Gay and Gay reached backward, they could not connect. Patton made a final lunge to hand the baton to Gay-go before the transition zone, but as Gay's hand closed, the stick was not. The crowd gasped as he bounced on the track rain slickened.

The disappointment was probably overflow when Patton leaned over and retrieved the stick. He and Gay exchanged thoughts. Gay walked away, then Travis Padgett came to talk to Patton, who carried the torch of the runway, the compensation for the next race.

"I felt the stick, then I went to grab it and there was nothing," he said. "That's really how it happened to me this Olympics."

The sprinters women were also in good shape heading into the final exchange, but Williams did not receive the baton from Edwards. He fell to the ground as Edwards yelled and covered his face with his hands. Williams returned to pick it up and finished the race - but the Americans were dead last.

Gay, meanwhile, perhaps not yet running in the first round, he had performed better in men 100. But he did not qualify for the semifinals - a stunner of all sorts and a sign that the hamstring he hurt at Olympic trials may not be completely cured.

Gay skipped the U.S. training camp at Dalian, China, earlier this month when the team spent two long sessions working on transfers. Coaching Staff United States said it was not a big deal. Gay said he and Patton worked on exchanges in Beijing and not miss a single handoff in practice.

"I was equally to blame," said Patton "It's Tyson Gay, is a humble guy, but I know it's my job to get the cup Guy