PARIS, France — Jamaican quarter-miler Andrenette Knight is still grappling with disappointment after the baton fell from her hands in the final of the Women’s 4x400m Relay during the Olympic Games on Saturday.

After a well-executed first leg by Stacey-Ann Williams, the Jamaican team was in a strong position to secure a medal. However, disaster struck around the 150-metre mark of the second leg when Knight lost the baton, after her hand struck Rhasidat Adeleke as the Irish woman came alongside her. The Jamaican quartet, which also included Shiann Salmon and Stephenie-Ann McPherson, did not finish the race.

The mishap, which ended Jamaica’s medal hopes, marked the second-consecutive championship when the team has dropped the baton in this event, following a similar incident at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, in March.

Knight told the Jamaica Observer in an interview on Sunday that she was very distraught and expressed deep frustration about Saturday’s incident.

“I was devastated and disappointed in the moment,” Knight said. “We went out there with a goal to medal, and we could have medalled, and we were supposed to medal. It’s just one of those unfortunate things. There’s nothing I can really explain because it happened so fast.

“The runner on the outside was trying to get around me, and we came in contact and the baton fell out of my hand. These things happen sometimes and it’s just about learning from it.”

The USA won the event in 3:15.27 minutes, with the Netherlands taking second in 3:19.50, and Great Britain securing the bronze in 3:19.72.

Knight, who was still visibly emotional on Sunday, explained that the incident happened so quickly she was unsure how to react when the baton hit the ground.

“I thought about picking it up but everything happened so fast. Then, I looked and saw the field running away and I just didn’t know what to do in the moment. Unless you are in the situation and in the moment, it’s hard to understand. There is nothing I can really explain,” she said.

Knight added that her teammates were understandably disappointed as they were all confident they could have won a medal in the event.

“They were understanding but, of course, everybody was disappointed because we all wanted to medal. These things happen, and they happen so that we can learn from them,” she reiterated. “I’m definitely taking something from this moving forward, and I’ll be better next time to secure the baton.”