In case you didn't notice, the United States didn't win the 400-meter dash yesterday, even though it's always been OUR RACE.
--An American has won the gold medal at the last SEVEN Olympics. The last time we didn't win it, it was because we boycotted the Olympics in 1980.
--We swept ALL THREE medals in 2008 in Beijing, and in 2004 in Athens. Overall, we've won gold, silver, and bronze in the 400-meters five times out of the 25 times they've had the race at the Olympics.
--And the 10 fastest 400-meter times in history were ALL run by Americans. So were the 10 fastest in Olympic history.
--But for the first time since 1920 . . . 92 years ago . . . the U.S. got SHUT OUT. We didn't win a medal, and we didn't even qualify for the final race.
--LaShawn Merritt won gold in 2008, but couldn't finish his preliminary race on Saturday because of a hamstring injury.
--In the semifinals on Sunday, Nellum Bryshon missed qualifying by three HUNDREDTHS of a second and Tony McQuay missed by a third of a second.
--So yesterday, James Kirani of Grenada won Gold . . . Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic won Silver . . . and Gordon Lalonde of Trinidad and Tobago took the Bronze.
--That's as many medals as the rest of the world has won in the race in the last FOUR Olympics COMBINED.