U.S. Track Relay 'Culture Change' Aims to End Decades of Disappointment
USATF restructured relay selection down to two decision-makers, and the results at the 2025 World Championships were immediate: four gold medals.
A SYSTEMIC OVERHAUL
TOKYO, Japan – The United States has long boasted the world's fastest sprinters, but Olympic relay gold has remained frustratingly elusive — until now. USA Track and Field has overhauled its struggling relay strategy, and early results at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo are promising: four gold medals in five possible relays.
The most notable difference comes in the way the relay team is selected. For last year's Olympics, USATF had no fewer than eight people with input into the team's makeup. For 2025, that list was pared down to two general managers: former U.S. sprinter Wallace Spearmon and distance runner Amy Begley.
"CULTURE CHANGE" FROM THE TOP DOWN
"There's always been involvement by a high-performance committee and we've had contractor coaches making decisions," said Robert Chapman, USATF chief of high performance operations. "We tried to reorganize and restructure how we do relays." That streamlined process allowed coaches to "focus on fundamentals of what really matters, like passing the baton."
Spearmon called the overhaul a "culture change" that produced the least amount of drama he's seen since he's been involved in the sprint program, dating to the mid-2000s. The lineups were set well before the championships began, with athletes knowing exactly where they would run.
"We made sure athletes weren't competing for a spot in the final," Spearmon said. "This is the order, this is your job. You handle your job and if you don't like your job, then don't get on the plane."
STARS DELIVER, NEW EVENTS ON THE WAY
Anchors in three of the gold medal wins were Sha'Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The mixed 4x100 is being added to the Olympic program for LA28, bringing the total relay events to six. The question now: Can the U.S. finally break its 20-year Olympic medal drought in the men's 4x100?
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Devin Mallonee
Devin Mallonee is a sports journalist and performance nutrition writer with over a decade of experience covering elite athletics, Olympic competitions, and the science of human performance. Devin Mallonee has followed competitive sports from the grassroots level all the way to the world stage, developing a deep understanding of what separates good athletes from great ones — and the role nutrition plays in that equation.
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