"I'm overwhelmed with remorse and disappointment" - Alexis Holmes apologizes after US women’s 4x400m relay team's World Championships disqualification

Alexis Holmes has apologized to her teammates, coaches, and fans after her actions led to the United States women's 4x100m relay team getting disqualified at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

The US women’s 4x400m relay team entered Budapest with high hopes, having won seven of the last eight World Championships and the last seven Olympic golds. However, their run was cut short in the semifinals on Saturday, August 26, thanks to a botched baton changeover.

With the US trailing Great Britain after three legs, Alexis Holmes failed to collect the baton from Quanera Hayes properly despite repeated attempts. By the time she managed to get hold of it, she appeared to have gone beyond the “blue box” — the legal passing zone.

While the US team recovered to finish second behind Great British in the heat, they were marked as disqualified, a call that's likely to be appealed.

Holmes later took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to state her disappointment at the result. She stated that she was heartbroken for costing her teammates the chance to compete in Sunday's final.

"Tonight did not go as planned. I'm overwhelmed with remorse and disappointment thinking about my teammates, coaches and my country right now. I wasn't able to execute the final baton pass which resulted in our team being disqualified from the final. It was a visual handoff and it was my job to stay in the zone. I feel like I could not put the right words together in our interview moments after the race because I was just so stunned and in true disbelief," she said.

"I am heartbroken for my team, especially for those who will not be able to run in the final tomorrow. The way these experiences feel physically in the moment are completely different from watching it back on film," she added.

The disqualification means the US women will not win the event at the World Championships for only the second time in the last nine years.

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Alexis Holmes: "I will be back, and I will do better next time"

Alexis Holmes at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Alexis Holmes further stated that she will use the events at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest to become a better athlete. She vowed to learn from her mistakes and return to action as a better person in the future.

"I can only learn and grow from this experience moving forward. I have truly experienced a worldwind of emotions over the course of this meet. I am so appreciative of those that support me through thick and thin. I think the hardest part about being an athlete is how you move forward after things don't go as planned," she stated.

"Thank you to Team USA for the opportunity to represent my country on the world stage. I will be back, and I will do better next time. With love, Alexis," she concluded.

Holmes' mistake in the women's 4x100 meters relay came less than a week after being labeled a hero for her performance in the mixed 4x400m relay.