Like the baton falling from Jona Efoloko’s hands, Britain’s relay heroes came back to earth with a bump.
Last year in Paris, relays coach Darren Campbell was the toast of the town after he guided Team GB to five medals from five relays in a brilliant clean sweep.
But having missed out on a podium in the mixed 4x400m relay on the opening night, there was double disappointment in the heats of the remaining four relays.
The first shock came in the women’s 4x400m, where the team of Victoria Ohuruogu, Poppy Malik, Nicole Yeargin and Yemi Mary John finished last in their heat, never really getting into contention for a top three finish and a place in the final.
Even without individual finalist Amber Anning, that was a disappointing showing, but further frustration was to come.
After the Jamaican men had opened the door by dropping the baton in the first heat, silver medallist Kishane Thompson left clutching at thin air, Britain passed up the chance to capitalise by doing exactly the same in the second heat.
Eugene Amo-Dadzie, who ran 9.87s just three weeks ago, set off too early on the anchor leg, leaving Efoloko to pass the baton to no one.
The 33-year-old took all the blame for the error, saying: “My main disappointment is not being able to do my job and the knock-on effect on my teammates. If you mess up in an individual, that’s on you, if you mess up in a relay situation, that impacts on your team.
“So first and foremost, I am apologising to the boys here. They all got an arm around me and said ‘we win together and we lose together’, and I love that, but at the same time, I know it’s on me, I didn’t do my job well enough.”
There was better news for the men’s 4x400m relay, who will hope to get Matt Hudson-Smith back for the final, while the women’s 4x100m relay looks the best bet for a medal, particularly with 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt raring to go as she joins the team.
Still, it has been a disappointing showing so far, and London 2012 Olympic champion Greg Rutherford, speaking on the BBC, was scathing in his assessment.
“I’ll be totally honest that’s not good enough and we have to put it into perspective,” he said of the women’s 4x400m.
“Yes, it’s tough and conditions are hard but when there’s that much focus on an event you can’t come last in your heat at a World Championships.
“The four girls that went out there should be able to navigate a qualification. From my point of view, it’s genuinely not good enough.”
He then added: “He’s (Amo-Dadzie) just gone too soon. We put so much into the relay in this country to make sure this goes right and it’s gone really, really poorly today.”
In the final race of the evening, Max Burgin was hoping to bring home a fourth British medal but found himself boxed in at the crucial moment in the men’s 800m.
After judging his first 600m to perfection, the 23-year-old from Halifax tried to kick for home and overtake Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
But finding himself tight to the rail, he was forced to cut his acceleration almost immediately, giving up his chance of victory in the process as Wanyonyi hung on ahead of Djamel Sedjati of Algeria and Canada’s defending champion Marco Arop.
A personal best of one minute 42.29s was some consolation, but having come here for a medal, it was impossible not to be disappointed.
He said: “In a sense [I am proud] a personal best pretty means you’re operating close to maximum. If I were to have got that time in any other race this year I would have been buzzing but in that one there it just feels disappointing really. It just wasn’t meant to be.
“Positioning wise even up until 600m I thought I was in a good spot but with 200m to go I should’ve moved wide earlier because I couldn’t get through.”
Burgin took another step closer to Seb Coe’s longstanding British record with this performance, with the World Athletics president watching on in the stands with 800m world record holder David Rudisha.
Burgin’s roommate Ben Pattison, who went out in the semi-finals, had spoken of trying to take down Coe’s record, with Burgin admitting that it was also a target for this final, with an extra reason to want to beat the time set back in 1981.
“I don’t even have my own bloody county record, so I’m after that!” he joked about fellow Yorkshireman Coe.
“I hoped to get a bit nearer to it today but it wasn’t to be. I think I’m comfortable at that low 1:42 so I think makes sense next year to be pushing to those 1:41s as an aim. It’s only a few tenths to go.”
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