The American men's team was beaten by Ghana by .02 seconds for the last spot in the final, continuing the team's long-running drought in this event.
Another year, another tough result for Team USA's men's 4x100m relay team.
The U.S. team finished in sixth place in its qualifying heat, one spot shy of advancing to the final round. Fifth-place finisher Ghana edged the Americans by .02 seconds for the final spot.
A critical moment in the race came on the baton exchange between Fred Kerley and Ronnie Baker, who couldn't quite pull off a seamless transition. The U.S. still had a chance to sneak into the final on the fourth leg, but was beaten by a nose by Ghana.
By not moving on to the final heat, the U.S. extends a dubious drought in one of the marquee track and field events. The U.S. men's team has not medaled in this event since 2004 in Athens, and has not won gold since the 2000 Games in Sydney.
The sustained run of shortcomings does not appear to sit well with American sprinting icon Carl Lewis.
Sign up for our free daily Olympics newsletter: Very Olympic Today. You'll catch up on the top stories, smaller events, things you may have missed while you were sleeping and links to the best writing from SI’s reporters on the ground in Tokyo.
More Olympics Coverage:
- Noah Lyles's Bronze Medal Win a Poignant Moment in His Olympic Journey
- Teens Sweep Medals, Show Unique Culture of Park Skateboarding at Olympics
- World Record-Breaker Sydney McLaughlin Captains U.S. Track and Field's Youth Movement
- India's Underdog Field Hockey Squad Reflects Potential of an Underachieving Olympics Nation