Gay takes the blame for team failure

The US were heading cleanly for their rightful place in the 4x100 Olympic final and why not with what looked like a great team.

Even Tyson Gay had a role to play he after all was still one of the fastest men in Beijing, and who would deny him shot at redemption and a medal of some sort after his botched 100m semi-final.

He admitted later that this was due to him relaxing at the end of the run and also can be attributed to his failure to watch action in the other lanes well enough; something any half decent sprinter can normally manage to do let alone a man at his level.

Then came the post relay disclosure he had not been at the pre-Olympic training in China

"I don't know what happened," he told reporters.....

"The stick was in my hand. I think I felt it hit my hand, but I don't think it was in all the way before I grabbed. It's probably my fault, I take the blame for it."

Quotes from story By MARTYN HERMAN in Beijing | Friday, 22 August 2008 Reuters

He should have known what happened, he should have been with the team and was not, he cannot possibly do anything but take the blame for this no matter what happened as he was supposed to get the baton and blast off into the distance.

It's not "probably" his fault that the whole team went home empty handed and why take the blame unless it is your fault.

This athlete needs to take a long hard look in the mirror; and whoever put him on the relay team in the first place has no place in sport. And the person who did had this to say:


I have received emails from people across the country, particularly about the relays. They all say more or less the same thing: the dropped batons were reflective of a lack of preparation, lack of professionalism, and of leadership. I agree. Dropping a baton isn't bad luck, it's bad execution. Responsibility for the relay debacle lies with many people and many groups, from administration to coaches to athletes. That's why, when these Games are completed, we will conduct a comprehensive review of all our programs. It will include assessments from inside and outside the USATF family, and included in the assessment will be the way in which we select, train and coach our relays.

Ultimately, the athletes on the track are the only ones who can successfully pass the stick around the track. But they need the proper leadership and preparation. These are professional athletes who are the best in their field, and anybody who ever ran a high school relay cringes when that baton hits the track. It reminds me of NBA players who have horrendous free-throw percentages. All it takes is repetition, preparation and focus to make a free throw. The same goes for baton-passing. As an organization, we owe it to our athletes to provide the preparation they need to succeed. We will do everything we can to figure out what went wrong and to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Well Gay was NOT PREPARED as he did not take part in the preparation and that is the sole fault of who decided he did not need to be there.

Come forward and take the blame for goodness sake.... Americans love to share yet when it comes down to it they have a lot to do before they mature into adulthood and sharing the blame on this one is denial.


As for Tyson Gay he has the talent to run fast and it's run out for the moment; sadly the loss this time is not only his own but that of the whole team; he should have simply said "I'm not prepared for the relay" and let someone who was prepared run it; thats the mark of a great sportsman as opposed to simply a man who can run fast and thought he had a right to a medal.