SAINT-DENIS, France — Sha’Carri Richardson took the baton and ran like track owed her a gold medal.
As the anchor of the women’s 4×100 relay, she didn’t have to worry about getting out of the blocks quickly enough. With the eliteness of the American sprinters — Melissa Jefferson handing to Twanisha Terry, handing to Gabby Thomas — you wouldn’t think she’d need to come from behind. But thanks to a rough final exchange on ths this wet Friday night at Stade de France, that’s exactly what Richardson had to do.
Run, Sha’Carri. Run.
She surged past both nations with a 10.09-second anchor leg, giving the U.S. first place with a time of 41.78 and securing her first Olympic gold medal. Thomas picked up her second gold medal of the Olympics. Jefferson now has a bronze and a silver. And Terry picked up her first gold.
Thomas’ third leg was smooth, as you’d expect, but she had a difficult time getting the baton to Richardson, who slowed to make sure to not drop it. This gave Germany and Great Britain the lead. But the silver medalist in the 100 meters turned in a blistering final 100 in the relay.
HERE COMES SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON!
Team USA takes GOLD in the women’s 4x100m. #ParisOlympics
📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/ZM6qaYCQOw
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 9, 2024
This was America’s third consecutive major international championship, including the 2022 and 2023 world championship victories. It punctuated the United States’ dominant display in women’s sprints. Three of the four, with Tamari Davis in place of Jefferson, ran a 41.59 in last year’s world championship.
The U.S. won gold and bronze in the 200, silver and bronze in the 100, gold and silver in the 400-meter hurdles, and now gold in the relay. America also has Alexis Holmes in the women’s 400 and three in the 100-meter hurdles: Masai Russell, Alayshia Johnson and Grace Stark.
The 4×100 relay is usually a massive rivalry with the Jamaicans. But their sprinters were unavailable. Elaine Thompson-Herah was forced out last month by an injury. Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price both were last-minute scratches from the Paris Games.
The field was still too formidable to sleep on, though, as Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred proved in the 100 meters — stunning Richardson in her Olympic final debut. But nothing was denying Richardson in this race. Not the rain. Not a deficit. Not anything.
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Jewel Samad / AFP via Getty Images)
