Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 11:34 PM

The United States's miserable Olympic track and field campaign has continued with both its men's and women's 4x100 metres relay teams crashing out in the first round.

The American men, who took silver in Athens 2004, blundered in the final exchange when the baton was dropped as it moved from Darvis Patton to Tyson Gay.

Patton had the lead when he rounded the final bend but Gay's outstretched left hand could not find its way around the baton and he eventually fumbled it on to the ground.

It capped a miserable Games for Gay, who failed to reach the final of the 100m.

"I don't know what happened," triple world champion Gay said.

"The stick was in my hand. I think I felt it hit my hand, but I don't think it was in all the way before I grabbed.

"It's probably my fault, I take the blame for it."

On a night of mishaps in the sprint relay heats, Britain's men, surprise winners in Athens four years ago, were disqualified from heat two after a botched changeover.

Nigeria, the bronze medallists from Athens, also failed to progress after dropping the baton.

Trinidad and Tobago won in a time of 38.26 to qualify fastest, ahead of a Jamaican outfit which rested Usain Bolt but still won its heat easily.

Women's failure


In women's qualifying, the Americans blundered again in the final exchange when the baton was dropped as it moved from Torri Edwards to Lauryn Williams on the final leg.

Williams in desperation ran back to pick up the baton, but it was an impossible task as she came in last.

For Williams it was a terrible case of deja vu as in the 2004 final she had gone beyond the safety zone on the final exchange when third leg runner Marion Jones was trying to hand on the baton.

The Americans had won this title nine times - most recently in 1996.

Jamaica has comprehensively outperformed the US in the sprint events at Beijing, making a clean sweep of the men's and women's 100m-200m double.