USA Track and
Field has officially filed an appeal after the men's 4x100-meter relay
team was disqualified from Friday night's final at the Olympics, USATF
announced following the competition.
USATF, the national governing body for track and
field, long-distance running and race walking in the U.S., said it
expects a decision from the jury Saturday morning.
The U.S. finished the race third but was disqualified
after leadoff runner Mike Rodgers was ruled to have passed the baton to
Justin Gatlin before the start of the first exchange zone.
The Americans' disqualification elevated Canada to win the bronze. Jamaica's Usain Bolt snagged the gold, while Japan won the silver.
"It was the twilight zone. It was a nightmare," said
Gatlin, who, along with his teammates, found out about the
disqualification while parading the U.S. flag around the track. "You
work so hard with your teammates, guys you compete against almost all
year long. All that hard work just crumbles."
If the ruling stands, it will mark the ninth time
since 1995 the U.S. men have been disqualified or failed to get the
baton around at the Olympics or world championships, according to the
Associated Press.
ABC News' Devin Villacis contributed to this report.
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