USA 400m Trials winner Kendal Ellis pulled from women's 4x400m only minutes before the race.

Isn't this how NAU selects their CC team for the NCAA final?

Your understanding is incorrect, that is not at all how it works.

Her post says she was told she wasn’t running 4 min before call time, not 4 min before the race. Still kind of weak on the coaches part, but a lot different than literally 4 min before the gun went off.

I take that back. The article sure makes it sound like it was right before the race. Jeez that is insane.

I think the Olympic scheduling of the open 400, along with the stupid repechage did a real disservice to the 4X400.

The 400 should be scheduled early in the meet to allow those athletes the chance to double in the 200 and/or have rest to come back for two rounds of the 4X400.

They managed to run amazing relay times, but look at all the open 400 runners that didn’t run.
They may have had two world records if the actual best teams could run.

The repechage also extended the 200 final at least a day and open 200 finalists couldn’t run the 4X1 prelims.

The scheduling was bad.
What’s so hard about keeping the schedule always the same and always conducive to doubles and triples?

Ellis has not run well since the trials. WS she one of the four best options, NO.

Thomas' baton fumble/stumble cost the U.S. the world record. Post the time for Thomas' lap and post the time for SML's lap.

Here I will post it for you:

Shamier Little led off for the U.S. with a 49.48 carry to give
McLaughlin-Levrone a slight lead. McLaughlin-Levrone wasted no time
putting the hammer down and ended any suspense with her 47.71 carry gave
the U.S. a 25-meter cushion, 2.63 seconds in front. Gabby Thomas, who
won her third gold medal of these Olympics, then split 49.30, and Alexis
Holmes closed it out with a 48.78 anchor leg. Thomas also won the 200
and ran on the winning 4x100 relay!

I wouldn’t necessarily say it was for Gabby. The order could be determined after they decide on the four. I didn’t understand why Little got so much run in both relays. It’s a given that Thomas and SML go in. If Steiner was around she should also be considered. Cockrell also could contribute. But Ellis, winning trials and being a part of the senior team deserves more than Little or Holmes. They were going to win regardless. Why coward out and waffle and tell her she’s running and then send somebody else to give the bad news? USATF is full of incompetent clowns. I’m glad she’s going public but it will not make a difference.

Little got to run all 4 4x400 heats because she killed it every time. All four times. No bad legs. Exactly what we wanted/needed. She gave the women what Norwood gave the men. A reliable leg that you didn't have to worry about.

She did not and that’s probably why she’s really upset. She does not get a medal and she’s the US Champion while three other 400m runners who did not even make the 400m individual go home with Gold medals. They should have put her in the relay heats at least.

I wasn’t commenting on if it was handled well, I was reacting to the comment that Gabby almost blew the race with a bad hand off

This is only one side of the story. I find it hard to believe that it is accurate. Having said that, Carl Lewis needs to coach all relays going forward. That would fix all relay issues.

They weren't just going for the win, they were going for the World Record. She didn't run great in the open 400 so I'm sure the coach asked his first pick how they felt during warmups and then pulled the trigger when they gave him the thumbs up. It's called a gametime decision. The team missed the WR by a tenth of a second, it's hard to say they made the wrong call there.

They set an American Record.

Every leg ran well and they crushed it.

There is no argument to be had.

Kendall doesn’t dispute that the best team was out there. How the switch to Gabby “Whaereaboouts” Thomas was handled is the issue, based on her account. And Gabby came VERY close to ruining the relay.

The relays are such a mess since forever, and 2024 is no different. These games alone - you know all the dramas and mistakes. Brain dead these lot are.

Race had nothing to do with it. they picked the best of the best, the dream team and boy did they deliver!!

great win for Team USA!!!!

I initially thought the stumble cost the world record but .10 seconds is about 32 inches. That's nearly three feet and she's not losing it on the blip. Replays show her momentum was barely impeded. Great decision to run SML second to put it out of reach for Bol. Holmes and Little ran an amazing legs. If Mu had been healthy the USA takes a second off the world record.

What about Cockrell?

Wouldn't she have been faster than one of the other three?

And enough with Mu. What has she done lately?

And how is anything about this racist when every leg was a black female?

Cockrell would have been great but Thomas with 21.8 speed offered slightly more potential. Thought Gabby could run 48 high. This relay time was phenomenal because it was a time trial. The USA and USSR battled throughout in 1988.