Run fast, pass baton... is it relay so hard as Britain join the flops?

Britain's sprinters lost their Olympic relay crown in the Bird's Nest stadium on a night of baton chaos.
Marlon Devonish, the only survivor of the golden quartet who beat the Americans by one-hundredth of a second in Athens four years ago, failed to pass the baton on the final exchange to former European junior 100metres champion Craig Pickering, and the team were disqualified.

The Olympic champions were in good company. Tyson Gay, the world 100m champion, dropped the baton on his final exchange for the United States, the silver medallists in Athens, while Poland, South Africa, Nigeria and Italy also went out without crossing the finish line in good order.

Over the edge: Pickering steps too far without taking the baton

The Americans rarely practise, relying on their superior speed, but the British invest a lot of time and money in their relay teams to overcome their slower individual speed with slick baton passing. Around £150,000 of what UK Athletics gets from the National Lottery goes on specialist coaches and practice sessions for the four relay squads.

Pickering, 22, wanted to take the blame for overstepping his zone before Devonish put the baton in his hand. 'It's my fault,' he said. Devonish refused to accept that.

Simeon Williamson had passed well to Tyrone Edgar who had set off Devonish. The team were comfortably among the qualifiers when Devonish approached Pickering on the final bend.

Devonish refused to condemn his younger team-mate. 'I don't know whether Craig went off too fast or I was too slow. We'll have to analyse that. 'But it's no one person's fault,' added Devonish, 32, a stalwart of successful British relay teams for the past seven years.

He had identified the loss of anchorman Mark Lewis-Francis, who needed surgery for a torn achilles tendon, as critical to their chances but he believed that the many practice sessions done this summer would lessen the loss.

'We trained very, very hard and expectations and aspirations were high,' added Devonish. We didn't come to play games here. We're gutted.'

State of chaos: Patton stuns his American team-mates by dropping the baton

The Americans, who admit to spending £200,000 a year on their four relay squads, miss the final for the first time in 20 years and, as in 1988 in Seoul, a mix-up between the final two runners was to blame.

Darvis Patton, on the third leg, did not find the hand of anchor Gay and the baton fell between them. 'I dropped it, and I'm a relay veteran,' said Gay, who failed to make the 100m final last weekend.

'I've never dropped a stick in my life but I guess it was my fault. People say if it hits your hand you should have it and I felt it right near my thumb but when I went to grab ... nothing.'

Drop-outs: Edwards fluffs the handover to her USA team-mate Williams

Where's it gone? the USA women follow the men out

Quelle horreur: now the French drop the baton