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SAINT-DENIS, France — Sha’Carri Richardson finally has her gold. Richardson and the rest of the Team USA women’s 4×100 relay team triumphed Friday night, taking home gold. The victory is the sweetest prize for Richardson, who missed out on chances to win gold both in Tokyo and earlier in these Games. Team Great Britain finished in the silver medal position, with Germany taking bronze.
Under a steady drizzle, the team of Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry, Gabby Thomas and Richardson started in the fifth lane, with Jamaica on one side and France on the other. Team USA entered the stadium through a tunnel with a calm, determined stride, a quick pose and then a quick jog to their stations.
Richardson had saved the U.S. in the semifinal relay on Thursday, coming from behind to erase a deficit caused by a bad handoff. In the second-to-third-leg handoff, Thomas appeared to leave too early and had to slow down to take the baton from Terry. Team USA came very close to being disqualified, but Thomas had begun to take the baton before he left the passing zone.
When Thomas covered her leg, Richardson was about three steps back of the leader, but a late kick saw her finish first, 0.19 seconds ahead of the German competition for a team time of 41.94. It was enough to put the United States in prime position for Friday night’s final, and Team USA made the most of the opportunity.
For Richardson, the gold medal is a sweet confirmation of a career spent chasing Olympic glory. She won silver in the 100m earlier in the Games, a remarkable achievement but not the medal she wanted. In 2021, she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics but lost her spot after testing positive for marijuana.
Richardson is only 24, but she will get the chance to further build on her Olympic legacy in Los Angeles in 2028.
