What went wrong for GB’s relay squads in Tokyo?

In a year, many things can change.

Five gold medals in the relay race were returned by Great Britain, and there was renewed optimism following the Paris Olympics. It’s a different story in Tokyo more than a year later.

A DNF in the men’s 4×100, the women’s 4x400m heat, and a fifth-place finish in the 4x400m mixed relay indicate that things haven’t quite gone according to plan in Japan.

What has actually gone wrong, then?

Eugene Amo-Dadzie blundered and set off too early for the handover, leaving Jona Efoloko stranded with the baton in the men’s 4x100m.

Former sprinter Jeanette Kwakye remarked, “You can see Jona Efoloko is shouting “hand” and essentially asking Eugene Amo-Dadzie to put his hand out, but you can see he’s gone too soon.”

There are measured steps and they practice a lot, which is frustrating because sometimes people claim that the incoming runner is responsible for that.

Greg Rutherford, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in London, described the experience as “heartbreaking” for a team that won bronze in Paris a year prior.

“From one to two and two to three, the changeovers were beautiful.” He simply passed away too soon.

Late in the season, September, and he continued, “It seems like everyone has forgotten how to pass the baton.”

Similar frustration was felt by the women’s 4x400m team, which is accustomed to achieving silver or bronze at nine of the previous ten world championships.

The quartet, which included Yemi Mary John, Nicole Yeargin, and Victoria Ohuruogu, came in last in their heat, which Rutherford thought was “not good enough.”

“Yes, it’s difficult and the weather’s hard, but you can’t come in last at a world championships with that much focus on an event.”

The four girls who left should be able to get a job, they say. It’s genuinely not good enough, in my opinion.

“We would expect them to qualify,” Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill continued. In the past, we have witnessed the team’s success. What exactly did that Great British team do wrong?

The men’s 4x400m team reached Sunday’s final at a season’s best, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Amy Hunt, a world 200m silver medalist, and the women’s 4x100m quartet made their final appearances.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland are 22nd in the medal table with just one day until the World Championships are over. They have three medals, two silvers, and one bronze.

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Darren Campbell led UK Athletics’ sprints, relays, and hurdles team, winning gold as part of the country’s 4x100m relay team.

He stated in a statement to More Than The Score on BBC World Service that “relax success requires attitude, discipline, and discipline.”

According to Campbell, “I would say percentage wise, we are up there for constantly challenging.” Although our work is very good, our relays occasionally go wrong.

We won’t move the baton if you only have fast hands and no hand skills. You require excellent acceleration, beautiful, slick hand changes, and discipline.

British Athletics received £1.725 million less from Paris for the four-year cycle to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, compared to £42.45 million in UK Sport funding.

The company was “delighted” with the decision, according to Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics, adding that their recent medal hauls deserved more money.

Rutherford said he anticipated better because of the resources at the relay sides’ disposal, but it is unknown how much money each athlete will receive from the funding or how much money is allocated to each event.

He said, “We put so much effort into the relay in this country.” We have hired a number of people to make sure we get this right, but it has turned out really badly today.

Financial aid should not be viewed as a “reward” or “punishment” for performances at the Paris Games, according to Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport.

She said, “We’ve decided to look at their potential when we’ve opposed all the sports.”

Athletes who perform well in competitions receive money for their athletic performance awards (APAs), which help pay for their expenses while allowing them to concentrate on competing.

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