Why Kendall Ellis Did Not Run the 4x400m Relay at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

[@jamesmorton5017]

The team they put together broke the American record. That is all

[@seed.planted]

This. What is all this talk even about?

[@genxjoe72]

They almost broke that bogus WR from last century

[@thicc_texas4life666]

The record isn’t bogus clearly if we broke the AR that is identical to the Olympic record

[@MissiSIMPi]

​@@genxjoe72And had Gabby Thomas not cut too close to the inside part of the lane (or track), I believe they break the World and Olympic records.

[@gregorylagrange]

Because of Sydney McClaughlin-Verone. Gabby Thomas' split wasn't that extraordinary.

[@creex7118]

Who was she going to replace? Everyone was spectacular on that relay, and set the American record and 2nd fastest time ever.

[@michaelwilliamson477]

Facts

[@waynecsmith5145]

They knew that going in…she had raced herself OUT of contention…too many races on her legs and inconsistency equals out of contention…

[@dpwr96]

The final decision was correct. It was handled badly. Shamier came to Paris and dropped opening legs that I wouldn’t mess with. Syd is Syd. Nobody doesn’t think Gabby is not a low 49 leg. And she RECENTLY went back to back 4x1 less than 45 min later 4x4. Plus just WON the 200. Alexis highest finish in 400.

[@jackreaves8761]

Shamier was absolutely amazing!!! I have no idea what's next for her, but I hope she aligns herself with the best team to help her make an informed decision.

[@NikkiBenz-l3r]

​@jackreaves8761 really if she's so amazing how comes she didn't make the US team in her specialist event the hurdles? Where was all that for the hurdles at US trials smh

[@jackreaves8761]

She took advantage of the cards she was dealt. She did not perform in her individual event and took advantage of being a great asset to the relay teams that resulted in gold and silver medals.

[@hoseajackson8893]

​@NikkiBenz-l3r because she tried the double running the 400m hurdles and the 400m and it cost her. That's the reason Sydney hasn't tried to double, not enough time to recover

[@trishmems2925]

I don't understand the issue, she crapped out. She herself said she had a mental melt down after the heat. Just let it go and next time do better. The Coaches did what they felt they should do and we got gold!!

[@tiathompson6674]

Kendell did not run well, why would she think she would be on that relay?

[@shonda79able]

I agree

[@angelalvarez7085]

Right!

[@giljones8726]

This is simple. After Kendall didn't qualify in the heats she stated that she wanted to go home on TV.....no way that using a person like that on a relay. She also didn't make the 400 final. USA need Dawgs like Quincy Hall. Michael Norman and Kendall are inconsistent and lack confidence.

[@giljones8726]

@@alomajaolayemi3920 brought him as a example of confidence and grit. I could've said Syd or Gabby too. They won there events. I like folks with grit. I'll even use Mahomes in football. Bad ankle and can't get him to leave any game and become Superbowl champ against Eagles. I love Dawgs!!!!

[@phillipkelly-wm4yp]

some people are jus not good on a big stage...!! she hasn't been good outside the U.S since she left collage.

[@cochise4390]

please don't bring up Norman.. the biggest choke artist. Yeah people don't understand for her to say that on national tv... you know the coaches heard about it and were like "we don't need her".... as a coach myself... you can encourage and hype people all. you want... but if they don't have the heart and mental toughness, its on to the next one

[@angelalvarez7085]

THAT PART!

[@giljones8726]

Track is simple for relays. Best current times and confidence run. Dont care about people feelings. If you want a medal, then win one in your individual event.

[@GG-ti5dd]

But it shouldn't necessarily be that way. That mentality has cost the US the men's 4x100 for the past 5 Olympics

[@kamilahdouglas1609]

I think that the coach chose Aaliyah Butler in the 4x400 heats over Kendall Ellis simply for the fact that she qualified for the open 400m semi-finals without going to the repechage round, unlike Kendall.

[@clarifennell6248]

yep Kendall had that extra run in her legs and they weren't consistent runs.

[@kennethjackson9288]

Kendall knew her position and how she was running. She should have ran the mixed relay. She would’ve kept the Dutch from running us down.

[@robtaylor1156]

🎯 Exactly. Ellis ran an extra 400m round. Butler had less 400s in her legs. This was 100% on Ellis. She put herself in this position.

[@MAJORSPORTS_NETWORK]

What Kendall said was she understands all that. Y tell her she is competing that day and then tell her 5 minutes before warmup for the race that she is not. I tuned in to watch Kendall, then I’m trying to figure out why she isn’t racing

[@jcsuperstar4646]

@@kennethjackson9288 She can't just run the mixed relay, she has to be chosen to run.

[@tubeewr]

The time ran proves that the coaches were right and this is not about "fair". You earn your spot AT THE MEET in question for USTAF finals which is why the men's 4x100 finals are such a disaster (Carl is right). That said, Her training partner seems to have the same big meet issues so this is a high school hurt feelings video rather than based on what we wall saw happen in individual races. Gabby was capable of replacing Kendall's times; did so admirably; and does not have the big race mental issues.

[@cochise4390]

Off the bat Kendall was lying... first she said she wasn't told until 4 minutes before... .but she actually received the first text in the morning.... The coaches shouldn't have changed their minds, case closed. Lastly, I'm sure Ellis saw 4 other girls that came to warmup for the 4x400. They don't warmup 4 minutes before the race lol

[@Cherrypie626]

Kendall could easily be lying/ exaggerating about what happened. It's possible she was just there as a backup in case one of the other girls got hurt warming up. I've seen it many times as a track coach. It's just poor taste to bring all of this up on social media right after those ladies won and got the American record.

[@cochise4390]

@@Cherrypie626 I know right… she’s probably feeling like they could have broken American record with her too… but I doubt it

[@gperr2716]

This is so shady...the 4 mns was before the call room not before the race

[@cochise4390]

@@gperr2716 No, they told her 4mins before the race she wasn't running... she got a text first thing in the morning saying "she was not" running and then asked to speak to the coach

[@amberreed4443]

No. 4 minutes before call time. That’s not 4 minutes before the race. She’s using people’s lack of knowledge about track and field to cloud the judgement.

[@AllInTheGame01]

Maybe don't go into the Repechage Round as US Champ by failing to get out of the 1st round with a 5th place 51.16 finish, come out of said Repechage Round with 50.44, then fail to make it out of the Semi Round with 50.40 having run 49.46 & 49.81 @Trials?! Her inconsistency over the last 6yrs since running 49.99 in the NCAA simply caught up with her aka 'a reversion to the mean'! What happened to '21 US Champ Quanera Hayes re the W400m & 4x4 Finals in Tokyo should've been in the back of the minds of Kendall, Aaliyah & Alexis when they lined up in Paris! The second Gabby split 49.58 when she ran the 4x1 & 4x4 back-to-back @World Relays in May should've let every US female quarter-miler know that barring injury she was going to do both in Paris & with Syd guaranteed a spot on the team, everyone else was competing for the remaining 2 spots in the Final!

[@Tadaia]

Agree. However I get the impression that entitlement wasn't her issue, but rather the questionable communication from the staff.

[@Scrapluv]

@@Tadaia Agree. I think if this was communicated effectively, this wouldn't have been an issue at all.

[@kc5466]

@@Scrapluvwell they told her she wasn’t going to run in the morning and she complained about it. So they communicated the message to her. Its just that she didn’t like what they told her. Which caused her to get shafted in the end. If she just accepted they didn’t choose her earlier this wouldn’t have happened.

[@mssha1980]

Doesn’t mean it had to go down that way. Had they replaced Gabby they would’ve got the record

[@Tadaia]

@@kc5466 Fair point if it happened that way. Sometimes this youtuber (love him) gets too chatty and I get confused as to what he's trying to say. 😂

[@lesliewilliams8261]

Kendall Ellis was interviewed and she was not mentally ready. In the interview she stated "Her teammates had to encourage her to run at the repechage rounds all the way to the line".

[@TRICEATH]

Wow.

[@lesliewilliams8261]

@@TRICEATH wow exactly. She should have just accepted the first text message of them telling her she’s not running.

[@MrSilus2000]

​@@lesliewilliams8261You're a gossiping weirdo liar. Get a life

[@jollymolly2521]

@@lesliewilliams8261 Nonsense. Just because Ellis admitted to not being ready for the repechage doesn't mean she wasn't re-energized after she made the semis. If she spoke to the coach and the coach was convinced she was indeed ready, then this whole mess is Freeman's fault. Freeman apparently didn't have the balls to send another text informing Ellis that she'd changed her mind and Ellis was out of the relay. What Ellis felt during repechage has no bearing on Freeman's failure to do her damned job and communicate directly with her athlete. The fact that she informed Ellis by text in the first place in problematic after what happened in the men's 4x100m. Let's not be so quick to point fingers at the athletes who work their whole lives for their Olympic dreams just have a coach treat them like garbage 4 minutes before a big race.

[@CHEETAH69]

@@jollymolly2521I hear you. I think communication was a mess. But Ellis’s own words can’t be discounted or ignored here. This is the Olympics. Who would put a runner in who is both inconsistent AND vocal about not being inspired? I personally feel she might have performed better than Gabby did. But looking at a fired up Gabby who runs similarly to a barely-qualified Ellis who seems mentally “over it,” choosing Gabby seemed to be the safer bet.

[@savannahlovejoy]

Ellis caused the controversy. How she reacted demonstrated how immature she is, so maybe that's one reason they passed on her. Not to mention, she is inconsistent in her performance so I wouldn't have taken that risk as a coach. Let's hold her accountable as well.

[@tosh369]

Sydney ran faster over 10 hurdles than Kendall did in her best qualifying time. Who would Kendall Ellis have replaced? With the US women getting a new USA record, and only 0.1s off the 36-year old world record, it's hard to fault the coaches for their decision.

[@chrisanders1036]

A 51 and two 50 mids is not a good showing for a 49.4 runner.

[@brybry865]

This video is structured perfectly. I like how you provided an outline of the topic. This is my first time watching you, and you’ve gained a new subscriber.

[@marycotton4910]

I think that Kendall thought she would be on the relay because she won the USA trials. She didn’t represent that she was the USA 400m champion. I was shocked at her performance in the heats and that she had to go to the repechage to get into the semifinals. The right decision was made for her and Michael Norman.

[@blaketheman96]

no, they made her prepare to run lol

[@shonda79able]

​@blaketheman96 people warm up all the time for the relays who never run. This isn't an unusual occurrence. They made the right decision

[@kamilahdouglas1609]

Kendall Ellis is not a consistent 400m runner! Her winning the trials in a PB was an anomaly and her peak of the season tbh. The USA wouldn't have won if she was on the 4x400. She didn't even perform well at the Olympics! She went to the repechage after round 1, which is crazy for a US sprinter, plus she didn't even make it to the final! There were runners with better resumes.

[@cochise4390]

Right... I saw her opening 400m run... she was gassed at the end and no where near her PB. Shamier running consistent 49.3 through Mixed and 4x400 relay earned that spot. However, at the end of the day.... our 400m runners need to get better. They have been weak the last couple of years. The last olympics Alyson Felix was the only true 400m runner.

[@MAJORSPORTS_NETWORK]

That’s absurd, of course they would have won with Kendall Ellis, they won by 50+ meters. They were going for the world record, Kendall was treated unfairly to say the least. She deserved to be on the relay.

[@reginaldm6260]

Exactly! Someone in an above comment stated that replacing Gabby would've guaranteed a world record😮. WTF, what race did they watch? Had it not been for tye slight stumble they may or may not have. However, replacing Gabby would've been foolish. She showed what she had to offer at the Bahama relays, helping to secure qualification for both relays. But, it's past time to drop the conversation. The right lineup was put in. I will say I'm surprised Anna wasn't added they way they added Delilah & Sydney to tye relays of 2019/21. Hurdlers have been on point helping to get wins for the 4x400.

[@Boymanjusri]

@@MAJORSPORTS_NETWORK treated unfair? Gurl. Are you serious? She screwed her 400m heat herself. US vs Netherlands was supposed to be a close call. Nobody expected a 4 second lead. The coach can not risk that gold medal simply because someone’s feeling was hurt and didn’t get a medal because that person screwed up her own competition. No no and No.

[@cochise4390]

@@reginaldm6260 facts

[@ttuck2]

Everyone saying she should’ve been used in the heats or semi finals, but what if her inconsistency showed and we didn’t qualify for the finals? Then what?

[@jaidamann8365]

The final seemed to have had the correct lineup.

[@dfishe64fisher92]

They put the best 400m athletes on the field and they kicked arse. Sorry for her, but the decision was a good one.

[@LBell-xi9zl]

There is no controversy. It's purely a coach decision. The results speak for itself. I would have been satisfied with a completely different roster based on who the coaches thought would produce the gold winning results. All Olympic athletes compete for the gold.

[@mdooms76]

The 4 women who ran the 400 final did an OUTSTANDING job! All 4 legs were run extremely well. They were supposed to run this race. Whoever wasn't there, was not meant to be.

[@alexarihani2902]

I don’t think she would have run better than anyone on the qualifying team to be honest

[@soundcheck6885]

US relay team broke the American record and nearly broke the world record. It was the best team US could put together in the final. In competitions like Olympics where athletes run many races before the 4x400 relay which is usually at the tail end of the competition, sometimes you have to make decisions late in the game based on recent performance and health condition of athletes.

[@MathewNelson-l2e]

The manner of communication was unprofessional,however purely on performance she certainly does not deserve a spot.

[@dpwr96]

LOVED YOUR COVERAGE. Thanks for looking out for us TRACK HEADS!

[@guslevy3506]

The fastest 4x400 time in almost 40yrs and done to win Gold at the Olympics…and the girl has the nerve to make all the smoke about her feelings getting hurt.

[@puzzlite]

exactly. its one thing to say this if the team lost but they broke the american record and she's crying because they didn't let her run

[@jackreaves8761]

In this situation, the coaches made the right call. It doesn't make sense to include someone in the relay who didn't appear to be prepared to run the open 400 at the Olympics. While I usually give athletes the benefit of the doubt-because we all have bad days-it's the coaches' responsibility to anticipate these situations and make the necessary adjustments. Given the underestimation of Femke Bol's speed on the anchor leg for the Netherlands in the 4x400 mixed relay and the outcome that followed, it's clear they needed to choose the runners who would deliver the best possible result, and unfortunately, Kendall Ellis was not one of them.

[@puzzlite]

she had a couple bad days

[@trudyjager5609]

Relays, especially, the 4x100 are not the same as a regular running race. The rest of the world, my country (Canada), included, doesn’t have the luxury of picking and choosing athletes that the US does. Can be nice but you also tend to forget it is a relay and baton skills are needed. I saw the women’s 4x400. Whoever chose them did an excellent job. If you weren’t picked, figure out how you can improve so they choose you next time instead of whining. We didn’t have the luxury of picking and choosing.

[@DerivCapital]

I LOVE the fact that ALL the ladies who ran the final and the HEATS get a medal and get to ALL stand on the podium

[@trillviaplath]

NAH! Aaliyah gutted out PBs all the way to her first Olympics after hard heats - coming second to Paulino, not bombing her way into a repechage round from a mid-first round and needing to be saved. Same way you think she could sit out for "youth" and "she has time in the future" - a take that has our 400 in the pits now honestly, Kendall not getting it together after SEVEN YEARS a pro is concerning and way too much time! Only looking at semi times to rank them is short-sighted and not telling, anyone with smarts or racing IQ who saw Kendall's runs and heard her interview after the rep round knew to not expect her on ANY final - def not the relay, barring injuries on the other 3 from their finals the night before or Shamier just giving up her spot. *IT WAS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!* No participation trophies! The men's coaches need to get like this!

[@10943aab]

Gabby Thomas deserved to be in that final race..USA won gold and almost broke the World Record..

[@mssha1980]

Had they picked brown or Ellis we would’ve got the record. Gabby had the weakest leg

[@Evilene52]

@@mssha1980 Kendall didn't even crack 50, how was she going to help break the world record?

[@coyote75]

@@mssha1980That “weakest leg” was still very strong. Thomas ran a relay split that was simply out of reach for Butler or Ellis given their Paris form.

[@mssha1980]

@@coyote75 that’s what you assume. There were more options than butler and Ellis

[@coyote75]

@@mssha1980 The same person that (amusingly) asserts that the USA would have broken the WR with Ellis or Brown instead of Thomas is also accusing me of making assumptions. OK then…

[@ezellhenson6285]

All I know is either Little, Holmes, or Thomas would not have been on the American record breaking team if Athing Mu would not have been tripped up at the nationals; she would have been on the team and they would have the world record instead of a national record.

[@robertridley9279]

She may have even set the 800m world record as well, especially with as good as that white girl from England was running.

[@nikkiecampbell2473]

💯

[@puzzlite]

what does this have to do with the discussion at hand.

[@drewbouchard]

I wonder if Kendall having to run the extra repechage round compared to Aaliyah had anything to do with it. The coaches could have been worried that Kendall wouldn't have as much in her legs since she had already run 3 rounds when Aaliyah had run only 2. But then again Kendall has the experience and did run faster in both the repechage and semis compared to Aaliyah.

[@1972dsrai]

Or she simply wasn’t as fast as she did at your trials and the decision was shown to be the right one. Telling her she would run was just to ensure harmony in the camp before the race. What good would it have done telling her she wouldn’t be running? She’d have been tweeting straight after.

[@thaismatsumoto]

@1972dsrai ...yes,plus there is always the chance that one of the other runners might get sick or pull a hamstring or something similar at the last minute. She needed to be ready just in case. And motivated. I doubt she would be if they had told her she wasn't running.

[@TheFinalLeg]

Thats a good point. The repechage round could have been a factor since she's had to run a lot. But As you said, Kendall does have the experience and in the heats of the 4x4 I think she would have been good to run. But yea its a tricky situation

[@beth1321]

At least she’s consistent. Wins the US trials in 21 and 24. Did nothing at the Olympics in 21 and 24.

[@drewbouchard]

@@beth1321 she came in 4th in 2021 at US trials, making the relay pool.

[@who_me4321]

Was hurt for the last minute elimination but i understand why they wouldn't want to put her on.

[@gperr2716]

But athletes are reminded that at any time your spot can be taken depending on the coach' s decision. I don't get why Kendall is having a tantrum when you have been so inconsistent

[@Neofolis]

The US is in a very unique situation, because of the depth they have. It's both easy and difficult for Mechelle. Easy, because there are many athletes that she could make a good argument for choosing and because there are many choices she could have made that would still have resulted in a Gold medal. Difficult, because all of the women would have been wanting to run and all of them would have been making their case to her. I think overall the right choices were made for the final, however, I would have run Kendall in the heats, but not instead of Aaliyah, I would have pulled Quanera. I assume they ran Quanera, because of her not being able to run at Tokyo, but based on this season's performances Quanera shouldn't have been selected. Yes, Kendall also deserved the spot more than Aaliyah, as well as the fact that Aaliyah likely has more time ahead of her in her career. You could also make a case for not selecting Kaylyn, despite her being faster than Kendall and Aaliyah this year, because she already had a medal from the mixed relay, didn't qualify for the 400m at the US trials and is even younger than Aaliyah. Personally I would have kept Kaylyn rather than Quanera, because she is such a bright prospect that it makes sense to give her some more championship experience. All of that said, the biggest issue by far is not letting Kendall know that she would not be running until the last minute and the fact that Mechelle was not the one to tell her. This just seems cowardly on Michelle's part. Obviously I don't know everything that was going on or what Michelle was doing at any given time, but it looks awful.

[@mikebaptiste1895]

I think Quincy Watson's performance spooked the selectors.

[@ShadowbannedbyYoutube]

At the same time, nobody was really upset he was chosen even after his subpar performance. I like his future….

[@jmp2114]

I don't like how Kendall Ellis was treated in Paris, but I am comforted knowing that she has two Olympic medals (Gold and Bronze) from Tokyo. I appreciate you mentioning Quanera Hayes. Hayes deserved a spot in Tokyo, but at least in Paris, she got a chance to run in the prelims and win her Olympic Gold.

[@chuke6897]

@@jmp2114 to this day I still find it messed up how she got left off the relay that year, yet Kaylin Whitney who placed 5th at US trials came home with two Olympic medals just by running relay legs! We need to give props to Quanera for being able to comeback and make the team again, especially since she is considered to be slightly “old” for an American sprinter.

[@4olufade]

Those 400 meters finals times were crazy

[@JessicaW1913]

No way she thought she was running in that final when you got Aaliyah and Kaylynn on standby. I’m shocked they let Quanera run in that prelim. Kendall didn’t perform in her rounds and she took herself out the relay pool.

[@J3Diva]

Great in-depth commentary and video! Subscribed immediately 🤗

[@williamwellis4044]

She should have run something to get a gold medal... she deserved this opportunity.

[@trishmems2925]

@williamwellis4044 It's US track and field, and the 400 is one of the most competitive races. Opportunities are earned on this team, not given out. She didn't earn therefore she didn't run it. She is more upset that she went home empty handed, whish is on her for failing to bring her A game.

[@christopheran-traumer4377]

Kendall Ellis has been a flop since NCAAs. She’s never performed at her best when it mattered.

[@ajrocks12x]

@christopheran: Based on our Trials system she had to be selected for the 400M individual event. But when I saw her win Trials, I was disappointed as I knew she was going to bomb at the Olympics.

[@certifiedchaos4643]

Gabby the 4x4 is based off performance most of the athletes don’t know if there running(Syd is normally a lock ) Gabby winning the 200 and running the 4x4 at world relays. Shamier little ran phenomal on the mixed relays rds and 4x4 heats Sydney was a lock Q hayes was able to get a chance to medal after Tokyo she was in tears Holmes was already a lock as well after making a final

[@jplazasprint]

Relay coaches go with the hottest hand at the meet. Judging by the USA 4x4 splits in the final, they picked the best 4 available.

[@xavierbrown7335]

Kendall isn’t consistent enough to run that 4x400 …. Why is this even a topic Kendall is not that girl in the 400 the coaches made a good decision to keep her out

[@angelalvarez7085]

She said after her 400m that “she had given up” ummm ma’am we didn’t need that energy in a relay. 😒

[@jasminea2597]

17:36 while that idea would be cool, the IOC/world athletics is not adjusting the relays, especially since in '28, T&F will lead off the Olympic program

[@anor.reklaw]

Two things can be true...the communication was deplorable and a solid team hit the track.

[@dpwr96]

World Athletics and Olympic Committee must do better. The Idea that the best 200m,400m, 400h and 800m can’t compete against each other is ridiculous. Ad 2 days to Track and Field problem solved. We have streaming now fans can still see what they want. Swimmers and gymnasts get to compete in multiple events. Why can’t Track and Field?

[@dpwr96]

NEXT YEAR how about a US vs Jamaica 3 week series. 1. 4x1 4x4 2. 300m 3. 4x200 FIRE!!!

[@chuke6897]

@@dpwr96 We really need a 4x2 next year at World Relays! I want to see if any teams can lower that world record!

[@senorgato70]

A 19 minute explanation that needed all of 30 seconds. “Kendall was inconsistent and therefore deemed unreliable for the final. The runners chosen are much more consistent and reliable to get the win. Communication should have been better to Kendall but she should have foreseen it happening because of her poor results leading up to the final”. Done.

[@shonda79able]

It wasn't unfair. She wasn't consistent at the Olympics and they didn't have faith that she could get the job done.

[@bobdeleon8709]

Would be good to hear from the coach who made this decision but based on the semi final results Kendall was starting to run stronger. Based on that alone, she should have been selected to run in the first heat. Hard to argue with “who” was selected for finals given their performance, how it was handled a different question which should be addressed by USATF.

[@strikeforcetracktraining2253]

SHE WAS NOT READY ..I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY 4X100 RUNNER CHANGED 2 MINUTE BEFORE RACE ( THESE LANES DON'T HAVE NO FEELING) WITH THIS CHANGE WE RAN OUR BEST TIME ALL SEASON WE MOVE FORWARD WHO WAS A BETTER FIT FOR THE TEAM AT THAT TIME

[@shawnlewis1356]

Enjoyed it.. love the facts

[@marciarose5840]

I’m sorry Final leg you have no background info of the workings of how USATF coaches work. What they do- is a regular thing. Look at the rules and regulations of the usatf relay coach. Also- Did you hear Ellis interview after her races? Remember she s been transparent on her struggles. before you make this long video about this on the behalf of people- look at the background of that person- and the situation. Also- Ms Ellis/ makes a big deal about this - yet this same thing happened to someone else for World Relays but in that instance- Ms Ellis was put on the relay instead of someone else who ran and performed better. Ms Ellis has been on so many relays- where this has happened to someone else- but now this happens to her- and there has to be a blow up like this is news. If you are not running elite during the champs- someone else will take your place. regardless of her performance at trials- her current performance and her response to it- made her look- like she was iffy. not stable. (again listen to her own words per her performance) so if you have other runners who seem consistent and they match the goal- i guess that’s why they didn’t chose Ellis for the prelims? Yes - i would ve put her on the prelims with Butler- not sure about why

[@av8sean06]

Do you go to your boss for a bonus after a mediocre performance? If you are the U.S. Champion and then run a 51 in the opening round, that raises immediate doubt if you are game ready. Kendall earned the right to represent the USA in the open 400m by placing in the top three at the Olympic Trials. Period full stop. The Relays are subjective to a coaches decision even up to the event. If you see someone in warm ups not looking right, or gets sick that's why you have alternates. Michelle Freeman is an Olympic CHAMPION and one of the greatest 400m of all time. All this discussion needs to stop. There is more discussion about this race where the American Record was broken vs the inability of the men to medal in the 4x100m in over 20 years. People let's keep the main thing, the main thing.

[@emotionalintelligence776]

Unfair, life itself is what it is there is no fair or unfair. Now if you want to be serious and discuss the poor communication thats where you should start. But the decision of who are your best runners for chance to secure a Gold medal considering how Ellis was running isnt a serious conversation.

[@jamesross6476]

This is a non story, especially since the quartet that ran won gold and were a tenth of a second from breaking the world record.

[@jolinecharlton2795]

lets be real USATF wanted Gabby to run so that she would be the new face since Sha Carri lost and Noah embarrased himself.. so Gaby with 3 gold medals is now doing all the track and field press post olympics

[@Real-jc6gs]

she is their new allyson felix. There's no way gabby should be on that 4x400 team with the amount of depth of 400m runners USA has. butler and brown were better options tbh.

[@cochise4390]

@@Real-jc6gs Did you see the top times in 400 list? Gabby's PB was better than those times

[@Evilene52]

So getting Covid and being unable to perform at his best, is embarrassing? This ridiculous statement ranks up there with people who jumped on Simone for pulling out due to the twisties which is a real thing. What do you care if she's in mid-air loses her bearings, lands on her head thereby breaking her neck or back. You want the gold medal and nothing else matters.

[@Real-jc6gs]

@@cochise4390 kaylyn brown and kendall ellis has a way better pb in the 400m than gabby. Lets be real here here. Anyone could have ran that third leg, hell sanya richards and allyson felix could have come out of retirement and ran that third leg. They just wanted to give gabby a free medal. Like i said gabby should be nowhere near that 4x400m relay team when there is more 400m runners available. gabby already had 2 golds, Kaylyn brown, shamier, and butler left with medals, Kendall is the only one left with no medals. That's sad bro.

[@ndokwanwoko8019]

@@jolinecharlton2795 Thank you for speaking the truth!!!

[@GoldenRatio003]

This was very informative.

[@blkplaya9891]

Michelle should not have told her to pick up a uniform to run when she knew she didn't plan to let her run. She should have simply told her the truth after that meeting and not have Ellis assume she's running the final when she really wasn't.

[@oppp4ntatmakhang]

She represented the country so it is up to them to set up the team. She came also with the country's expenses and the team has proven the choice was right. Not only a medal but new national record

[@timothycox310]

They wanted Gabby Thomas to get 3 gold medals

[@puzzlite]

you dont know anything about track. you think Gabby just showed up and they pick her to run. what you don't know is that before the olympics, relay teams have to qualify. they did the qualifying this year in the Bahamas and Gabby showed up. She ran the fastest 4x400m split in both of her qualifying races. she put in the work. BTW, Ellis wasn't there

[@1972dsrai]

There were other runners who were simply in better form. Her form clearly wasn’t as good as it was in the US trials and the decision was ultimately justified. I can understand why she was told she’d be running earlier in the day, but I’m guessing the coaches said exactly the same to everyone else to keep all the athletes focussed and not have any disharmony in the camp.

[@RebeccaTaylorTillery]

That is probably why they changed their minds and told she could run, to keep the harmony

[@ewest8638]

The fact that she challenged coach Freeman's initial decision not to let her run says a lot about Kendall.

[@manishent2]

We all have an ego. We just have to know when to keep it in check. That's all this is....ego. The goal was to get the gold 🥇 and everybody who participated in all the rounds...got the 🥇

[@jamesmorton5017]

When a personal dispute kept Michael Johnson off the 400m × 4 they lost to the UK. Michael Johnson was vindicated. This Olympic games the women ran the second fastest time in history. The coaches were vindicated in their selections

[@SocietalLogic]

She went into repechage and didn't make the final. That's the reason. Not difficult to answer that question, my guy.

[@pierspim4341]

Those races were legendary. The coaches made the right decision.

[@danielbucher472]

Two things can be true at once. One the one hand I agree w/ Anderson - the communication wasn’t what it should’ve been, and Kendall should’ve been alerted immediately when the decision was made to leave her off the relay. At the same time, she absolutely positively did not earn a spot in that final. Prelims maybe. I see your argument for Ellis over Butler in the prelims, but Bulter qualified in for the semis w/o having to go to the repechage round, Ellis’s teammates really had to encourage her to run the repechage. I can see the coaches being apprehensive about having her run the prelim, even if her semi was faster than Butler’s. At the end of the day, the right decision was made, just with sub-par communication.

[@annettemalaski1967]

The four best atheletes available should run in the finals! We learned our lesson in the Toyko 4x400 mixed relay. Yes we got beat by the Dutch in Paris, but Femke is a stud!

[@sportnerd112]

While Ellis was the US champion, she didn't performed as well in the open 400m. She did compete in the prelims of the 4x400m. The American coaching team put the team that could get the job done!!! A moment in time cannot be reclaimed when pass by! Little proof her worth with stellar relay split and produce one the fastest ever opener over the relay, so she deserved to be in the final 4, McLaughin-Levrone hands down is far superior than any other over the 400m even surpassing Felix with depth and range, her 47.7 birth a spiritual awakening in the othet 2 to get the job done! Gabby has likewise proven her strength and stamina, and has never fail to maintain what she is given and Alexis made the open 400m final and clearly she proof why she was to be on the big 4 her 48.77 had tongues wagging! The women produce a heroic 2nd all time performance, an American Record! They proof and justified being selected, this what I love with US coaching team, they do not stick to the script, they do diverse changes and this one clearly deserves hats off and taking a bow!!!

[@paulp.8294]

Dude, TMI. You are making this more complicated than it needs to be. I had all the information I needed at the 4:30 mark. The word of the day is - Concise.

[@bertramattles1695]

Sometimes its very hard for an athlete to admit that they are not good enough to be on a team. Their ego will always get in the way. Kendall is not a bad runner but she would not have been the best fit for that team!

[@jaypaladin-havesmartswilll5508]

The issue is with the coaches not being sure how they will chose the runners and what criteria they will use that is consistent. We see the same coaching problems with the men 4x100 where there is a lot of depth but the coaches consistently make wrong decisions, mostly in training and the day of the final.

[@fdra1763]

Fine analysis. Thanks for the breakdown. As for the IOC, I think that they had the 4x4 heats so close to the 400m on purpose to level the playing field - to pretty much try to get the world to catch up to the Americans. It’s unfair tho.

[@puzzlite]

that is nonsense. if they did that, it only benefits the Americans. American's has so many good 400m runners. they can literally not chose any 400m flat runners and just pick two 400mH and two 200m runners and still win gold

[@jasmineevaristo3752]

Very weird how people seem to want to really disparage Gabby Thomas. She DESERVED this and it was her time! Cope!

[@P0l1shGuy]

My god! The US Olympic track team is so strong! So many insanely quality athletes! Celebrate the gold baby!

[@karimdiop7305]

I don't like somebody who angers a black Queen. 😒. They still would be winning anyway if she did hold her place in that 4x400m relay. A good coach is somebody who knows what he is doing and makes his intentions clear from the beginning. But when you are undecided and make people feel uncomfortable that's very bad. Let's go Kendall you're a champ anyway ! ❤❤🥰🥰

[@kamilahdouglas1609]

The USA women won without Kendall in a new American record. The coach made a great choice.

[@karimdiop7305]

@@kamilahdouglas1609 Communication is key ! As a coach I would always choose my athletes well being and happiness over records. I believe a coach who can't communicate well and care for her athletes is a disaster waiting to happen !

[@jessicaT12345]

are you saying that Black women shouldn't be angered because they're Black? I'm a black woman and find this logic to be ridiculous. Additionally, no one can anger another. A person chooses to be angered based on a set of circumstances. ... Regarding the substance of your comment, yes, the communication was poor, but the coaching decision was 100% perfect. Kendall only made it to the Olympics because she peaked for trials, and we have the most fair rule of letting the first three of an event be on the Olympic team, regardless of their past performances. .... But also, have you read Kendall's tweets? She's had about a dozen of them since this debacle, and she's a mean person. I get that she's hurt, but talking to your fans in a condescending tone? Really? I promise if you read her tweets, you wouldn't want to hang out with her. She's not a kind human -- at least, not at this moment. .... Lastly's Gabby's performances at Worlds in Nassau, and Little's performances on mixed and during the heats, made it easy for the coaches to leave Kendall off the team.

[@TheFinalLeg]

I think the 2 big things are communication + running the heat for me. A. to me she should have been given a chance to run in the heats first to mitigate any confusion around the final. B. If she was told she would not run the final, then it generally should be stood on and not flip-flopped. IMO, winning gold breaking the American record does not hold much relevance to the larger conversation of communication as it appears on the surface

[@xcbaby123]

after seeing this she definitely shouldn't have been on the team

[@cochise4390]

🤣🤣

[@TheFinalLeg]

why is that? Specifically, why should she have not gotten a chance in the heats?

[@gideonmushure9446]

@@xcbaby123 and when Kendall saw the other four ladies in the warm up area did she really think one of those four ladies who eventually ran the final was gonna get bumped off in place of her 😂

[@gideonmushure9446]

@@TheFinalLeg bcz with Kendall their time in the semis would have been slower cz she already had 3 400m rounds in her legs and wasnt portraying the most confidence hence this may have affected their lane draw for the final

[@xcbaby123]

​@@TheFinalLeg as the US champion she should absolutely be considered. But it truly seems like the right team was picked. They were running better

[@dpasv]

The US team was fortunate to avoid getting DQ'ed during the second exchange...thanks to quick attention & reaction by McLaughlin-Levrone. The outgoing runner should practically position and remain to the center-right side of the lane to the best extent possible...leaving the incoming runner space to sprint through the exchange zone.

[@robws007]

Awesome analysis of the situation and your diplomacy and empathy are exemplary. At the end of the day, USA has an embarrassment of talent so decisions like this will always be tricky. Neither Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone or Gabby Thomas are 400m runners, but who can argue with their talent and the splits that they ran. PS: can you imagine in in 2025 SML, GT and even Femke Bol decide to focus on the 400m and go after Marita Koch's record?!

[@regm56]

She wasn't consistent enough, that's why

[@lilzyc974]

Ive been rooting for Gabby Thomas, she is the whole package. But didnt she mess up twice in the handoffs in the 4x100 - or was it TT? There totally was a chemistry issue there. It took Shacarri being not human to overcome those, they could have lost the 4x100. The handoff from Sydney to Gabby in the 4x 400 was also not smooth, but Sydney will Sydney. Anyway, my take is Gabby is the golden girl (and how could she not be), but I also think some of the athletes dont like Gabby for this reason which is why Ellis was complaining. Even Dina Asher Smith from GB told Gabby to shut up. Im really glad that Shacarri and Gabby have made up though and proves how much more mature Shacarri is compared to everyone else. Oh well track drama.

[@ndokwanwoko8019]

They should have run her in the heats atleast. My thoughts is that they didn't originally want Gabby to run in the finals, Kendall Ellis had a spot in the finals. A last minute "decision" was made to allow Gabby run the finals and the only person they felt could be bumped was Kendall. If Gabby already had an automatic spot in the finals, they would have run Kendall in the heats instead of Aaliyah Butler. Politics may also be involved in who gets to run the final. Gabby Thomas alreay had two golds, was her split that significant to the finals? I have nothing against Gabby don't get me wrong, but running her in the finals sets her up as an Olympic Allyson Felix-like success story for the media, which in turn gives track and field more media attention. Look at it, Havard Graduate, Masters in Public Health, works at a clinic for people without insurance, three-time (not 2-time) Olympic Gold medalist! Again, not disparaging Gabby Thomas, the reason she's able to get these extra opportunities is because she showed up and won gold in the other 2 events. My solution; be so good that you don't have to get in these conversations of, "I deserve this more than that person". Look at Sydney, if you leave her off the 4*400, it's to your detriment.

[@kirwynsutherland2450]

@@ndokwanwoko8019 exactly!

[@cdowd9173]

I agree. Kendall should have run in the heats, if not, the final. I'm confident Kendall could have split what Gabby did .

[@bruna8663]

This 🎯🎯🎯 be so good that there’s no ifs or buts…

[@gideonmushure9446]

​@@cdowd9173I don't think Kendall was splitting faster than 49.3 given her inconsistent performance at these Olympics... the only person who could realistically split faster than 49.3 would be kaylyn brown who previously ran 49.1 in the mixed relay

[@ajrocks12x]

@@cdowd9173 : Your confidence is misplaced.

[@cjcurtis8944]

Very good analysis

[@stephaniwelch5118]

The only thing that should've been better was communication. They should've just let her know she may or may not be called upon to run the final but be ready either way. Don't give definitive answers if the runners aren't set. Having said that, she was inconsistent during these Games in her signature event while those that were chosen to run especially in the final were not. One could make the argument (and I did at the time to friends) that with the 1st 3 legs of the final being as strong as they were, you could plug in a good runner and still kill the field. The coaches got it right in the end; you had the 4 strongest and most consistent runners in the event and it wasn't close.

[@devonj4405]

There is absolutely no lack of communication. She was told that she wasn’t running in the final from the jump. What could she have possibly said to change Freeman’s mind after she flopped at the Olympics? Ellis is just mad because she was embarrassed by her own delusions

[@philrichter3161]

Those 3rd and 4th spots will always be highly controversial. It's not an easy decision to make. None of the 4 ran a "weak" leg so it looks like they made the right call. Gabby did botch the handoff a bit which would have cut off another .5 seconds, but she still ran well. Also, for PR and viewership, Thomas is more "advertisable" than Ellis. I wish that didn't play in but it does.

[@puzzlite]

why are we acting as if they threw Gabby in the race for publicity. Do you even know that Team USA had to qualify to run the 4x400m at the olympics. 2 months before the olympics, teams met in the Bahamas to qualify. Gabby Thomas showed up, ran 4x400 and had the fastest 400m split! They didn't pick her on a whim. Not only that, she also ran qualifying for the 4x400. She put in the work. Guess who wasn't there, Ellis!

[@robertridley9279]

Fortunately in the 4x400, baton passes aren't as important as in the 4x100 where the person getting the baton has his or her back turned to the person passing it while both are running in full stride. Therefore it's not as big of a deal to not know which 4 are running until right before the race. I'm guessing they don't practice baton passing in 4x4 the same way as in 4x100 because of the difference in baton passing.

[@dpwr96]

Kendal like every other 400m runner knew there was only 2 spots available before coming to Paris. She and camp SHOULD have taken the opportunity to run in the opening round of the mixed 4x400 as “rust buster” and assured herself a medal.

[@W_Legacy_11]

She was not consistent! All of those women ran sub-50. They literally would have broken the world record if two things didn’t happen. (she was not going to beat out Gabby head to head ). Who was she supposed to replace???? All of the woman on that final 4x400 where super strong CONSISTENT runners. She should have kept quiet. Complaining makes her look bad. She should have been focused on running her own races and getting into the final!

[@sergengoie6768]

Mauvaise analyse. We accept que Kendall is current US championne. Since then Kendal never won a racr before olympics. From the quality we expect from a US championne, she was very low at olympics, even failing to qualify in preliminary. Now the point is this one, she run preliminary, repechage and semi final where she failed again. With such inconsistance, as coach, I cant risk with my relay team, with an all tired lady.

[@alexisbutler4239]

Great insight!

[@gcklo]

She is not running well in the Olympics and it made complete sense to exclude her. We don’t want another men 4*100 debacle due to poor coaching decision

[@KeithBahamas-73]

A very good piece...

[@Bronxxxnyc]

I don't believe they waited 4 minutes before call time to inform Kendall that she was not on the relay for 1 minute. With a line up they had, who did Kendall THINK she was going to replace?

[@dpwr96]

PLEASE GIVE THE FANS A RACE. At the Prefontain eliminate the 200,400,400h and 800. Give me a 4x4 teams 400 vs 400h vs 200 vs 800. I’m good with combining team 200 and 800. This is the best chance for a WORLD RECORD and probably our only ever hope of seeing Syd and Athing compete against each other.

[@avoiceinthechoir5791]

Agreed. This is a textbook example of poor coacing. Sounds like there were too many "experts" trying to make last minute decisions. This is awful sports management.

[@Genebaket]

I think the biggest reason is star power when you have Sydney and Gabby, you have ratings, also you have big shoe company endorsements that plays the biggest role.

[@jonnynice8366]

Ding ding! Coach probably got a call from New Balance. These corporations can be very persuasive, if you know what I mean...

[@RebeccaTaylorTillery]

Kendall said in an interview that her teammates had to convince her to run the repechage round. No way is she running the relays if she is not even motivated to run her individual event.

[@Genebaket]

@@RebeccaTaylorTillery interesting👍

[@ajrocks12x]

When you have Sydney and Gabby you have gold medals and records. When you have Kendall you have not getting out of prelims, inconsistency in performances and losses. A very easy sell.