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Britain and Canada also feel the pain as sprinting duo suffer devastating fates.
Day three of the track and field events at XXXIII Olympiad in Paris France left a sour taste in the mouths of many Americans as underdogs popped up to rip their well scripted show in the Stade de France.
Jamaica, Great Britain and Canada also left with bitter tastes following certain occurrences that dampened their day.
The United States of America had the bitterest tastes as one Dutch woman, Femke Bol, appeared for the 4x4 Mixed Relay finals, reeled in on Kaylyn Brown and snatched gold in the final six meters of a race well executed by the record-breaking American quartet.
Veteran Vernon Norwood led the US team out superbly handing the baton to huddler Shamier Little just behind Belgium. Little, who missed the chance to represent the US in 400m huddles, cemented the Americans’ grip of the race by coming in first and ushered in Bryce Deadmon.
Deadmon then took the third leg with assured confidence and handed the baton to youngster Brown to bring home the gold. However, Bol had other ideas.
She reeled in on Jamaican, Belgian and Great Britain athletes before nipping the win with just six meters left to the finish line.
The Americans were apalled to lose a race they had so domineered a day earlier and set a new world record. Their celebrations for silver medals were subdued, almost somber, even as the Dutch went wild and Great Britain marveled at their bronze.
If that was not heartbreaking enough, a little-known Caribbean nation that had never won an Olympic medal before stunned the Americans again as Julien Alfred shot off the blocks like a bullet and stunned race favourite Sha’Carri Richardson.
Alfred had powered into the final with an assured performance in the semifinal and confirmed her hot streak with another solid race in the final to take the gold and put Saint Lucia into the reckoning for future considerations.
Great Britain had earlier suffered a heart break as their 100m sprinter Jeremia Azu was sent off before the start of his heat for a false start. Azu was second in Team GB trials and carried the hopes of many.
Canada suffered the same fate as Aaron Brown was also shown the red card for a false start in a different heat of the same 100m men’s race.
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