Sha’Carri Richardson And Gabby Thomas Lead Women’s 4×100 Relay Team To Olympic Gold

The USA women’s 4×100 relay team– Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry, Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson — captured the gold in style at the 2024 Olympics . They delivered the glorious moment for the Americans, who were desperate for gold after finishing second at the Tokyo Olympics.

Richardson, who missed the previous Olympics after being suspended due to a failed drug test, anchored Friday’s unforgettable victory despite the rain, per Time magazine. With a sizable lead in the final stretch, Richardson turned her head and stared down her opponent from the Great Britain. She then crossed the finish line and celebrated with her teammates while the American supporters in the stadium broke out a euphoric celebration.

It is the first win for Team USA in this event since 2016.

Great Britain took silver in Friday’s relay while Germany earned bronze. For Richardson, this is her first Olympic gold. The 24-year-old finished second in the 100-meter race on Saturday, trailing Julien Alfred of St. Lucia. Thomas earned her second Olympic gold at the Paris Games. The Harvard track star won the first gold on Tuesday in the 200-meter sprint.

Thomas ran the third leg and executed a clean exchange with Richardson, who took the baton the rest of the way to help her team finish the relay with a time of 41.78 seconds.

“The moment that I would describe is realizing that when we won as USA ladies, it was a phenomenal feeling for all of us,” Richardson said after the race, per ABC News .

Although the U.S. fell behind early after a poor exchange, they were able to make up ground as Thomas handed to Richardson.

“I remember trusting my third leg, trusting Gabby, knowing she was going to put that stick in my hand no matter what, and to leave my best on the track,” Richardson said, per NPR .