May 9? Yeah, that one’s going down as a total nightmare for Team USA. Like, what even happened out there? At the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, the U.S. men’s 4x400m team—Jevon O’Bryant, Lance Lang, Kennedy Lightner, and Elija Godwin—was supposed to handle business, lock in that spot for Worlds in Tokyo, and keep it moving. Instead? They didn’t qualify for the World Relays. Just like that. No pass, no Tokyo, just stunned faces. For a team that usually eats in this event, this one hit different—and not in a good way. So, what happened?
Only the top 14 teams in each of the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays—plus the mixed 4x400m—get a ticket to the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. So when Team USA lined up for Heat 4 of the men’s 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, they were expected to take care of business. But that’s not what happened. France stormed to the win with a time of 3:00.30, led by their squad of Muhammad Abdallah Kounta, Loic Prevot, David Sombe, and Adrien Coulibaly.
France win final 4x400m heat and the US men fail to qualify for the final. #WorldRelays
45.72 – Jevon O’Bryant
45.57 – Lance Lang
45.49 – Kennedy Lightner
44.45 – Elija Godwin pic.twitter.com/pQUZnpOSkj
— Travis Miller (@travismillerx13) May 10, 2025
Kenya came in second at 3:00.88 with Zablon Ekhal Ekwam, Boniface Ontuga Mweresa, Brian Onyari Tinega, and Kevin Kipkorir. And Team USA? Jevon O’Bryant, Lance Lang, Kennedy Lightner, and Elija Godwin ran a season-best 3:01.23—but finished third, missing the automatic qualification in the World Relays. Breaking it down, their splits were solid: O’Bryant ran 45.72, Lang followed with 45.57, Lightner kept it close with 45.49, and Godwin anchored with a strong 44.45.
Still, it wasn’t enough. Poland came in fourth with 3:02.69, with their lineup of Michal Kijewski, Marcin Karolewski, Patryk Grzegorzewicz, and Mateusz Rzezniczak. Since only the top two teams in each heat advance automatically, and the next two fastest times overall fill the final spots, Team USA’s third-place finish has them on the outside looking in.
Unless their time ends up being one of the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers, the U.S. men’s 4x400m team might just be watching Tokyo from home. But this wasn’t just the first blow of the night.
Team USA bounces back after early stumble to dominate at World Relays
Team USA rolled into the mixed 4x100m World Relays on May 10 looking like a sprinting superpower—Olympic champs, gold medalists, the whole nine yards. Jada Mowatt kicked things off, Kendal Williams followed, and with Kenny Bednarek and Twanisha Terry—aka the gold-winning duo from Paris 2024—on the back end, it felt like a done deal. But then… disaster.
On a rain-slicked track, the baton hit the deck during the second exchange. Boom—25 seconds behind and disqualified. Just like that. Ugly start, no sugarcoating it. But as they say, every storm cloud’s got a silver lining, and Team USA found theirs fast. A few hours later, the stars and stripes came storming back in the mixed 4x400m relay like nothing ever happened.
Justin Robinson and Lynna Irby-Jackson brought the heat, cruising to a 3:11.37 finish. Fastest mixed relay heat time ever at World Relays. Ireland tried to hang on, and Poland gave it their best shot, but the U.S. was untouchable. Not only did they punch their ticket to the final, but they also booked a spot at Tokyo 2025. And just like that… the sprint squad was back in beast mode.
Twanisha Terry, who probably had a little fire in her step after that relay meltdown earlier, absolutely torched the anchor leg in the women’s 4x100m. Rain? What rain? The U.S. crossed in 42.87, with Canada right behind in 43.11. And they weren’t done yet in the World Relays. The men closed out the night with a bang, dropping a season-best 37.86 in the 4x100m.
The MVP? Kung Fu Kenny by far. Kenny Bednarek is once again proving why he’s the guy you want on anchor. Italy grabbed second, but the message was loud and clear—Team USA might’ve stumbled out of the gate, but they’re back in gold-chasing form.
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