Sha’Carri Richardson was not going to let down her teammates or miss an Olympic gold. Thus, when needed, she delivered. In the 4x100m women’s relay final, it all came down to the anchor leg. It was raining, the track was soaked, and there had been quite a few fumbles while passing the baton. But it was Richardson who was responsible for the home stretch, and she stood up to everyone’s expectations. No wonder Gabby Thomas stated, “You know we’re in good hands when she gets her hand on the baton.” And now, another one of their relay teammates, Twanisha Terry, has jumped on the praise bandwagon, giving credit where it’s due.

In the post-race press conference, a USA Today reporter asked Terry to articulate what it must have meant for Richardson to have performed that way, concluding her Olympics on a high. Addressing the question, she responded, “I mean, I can’t necessarily speak for Sha’Carri, but I can definitely say that as a whole, we all said to each other on how this gold medal mean a lot.” Relying on their mutual trust and confidence played a huge role that the four were able to achieve their collective goal, she said. But Terry took a moment to give Sha’Carri Richardson a much-needed shoutout. The 25-year-old said, “She just did what Sha’Carri do, just stayed patient and showed her top end speed.”

Terry further points at how Sha’Carri remained single-mindedly focused despite the errors that happened today. Yes, the women’s 4x100m relay final had a few fumbles today. Terry mentions, “You know, me and Gabby had a mishap on our exchange and I feel like Sha’Carri did what she needed to do to stay poised and patient when it came to her leg.” Terry further hailed her compatriot for holding her calm and not letting ‘what happened prior to her receiving the baton’ meddle with her mindset. Indeed, it seems Richardson propelled the team to victory, by remaining calm in the panic situation.

Sha’Carri Richardson’s finally gets to live her golden dream

The 100m sprint could not unite Richardson with the golden Olympic hardware. But the 4x100m relay let her bask in that radiance for the first time. As she crossed the finish line in 41.78 seconds, her 10.09 run was the fastest in the American lot. And clearly, it was fast enough to outpace the Brit sprinter Daryll Neita, who strides fell short as Richardson blazed to victory. In 41.85 seconds, Great Britain had to make do with a silver.

But why were “Without Sha’Carri the USA loses that relay” chants voiced by the online fans? Well, it seemed ‘fumble town’ for the USA women on the tracks today. The possibility of the nation’s 12th women’s 4x100m relay title looked in jeopardy for a while today at Stade de France. First, Twanisha and Gabby Thomas had a mishap while passing the baton. Followed by another hiccup when Thomas delayed passing the baton to Richardson. By then, the rest in line had taken clear leads, but the Richardson rocket was still about to take off.

The next few seconds were pure magic, as Richardson welcomed her first Olympic gold with a cold stare to her opponents meters before the finish line. It was like her words, “I’m not back, I’m better” post the 2023 World Championships echoed in the minds of the spectators. But it was equally overwhelming for her. As Richardson stepped on the podium, tears rolled down her cheeks. That’s what it meant to her. What do you think of Sha’Carri’s redemption moment? Let us know below.