Sanya Richards-Ross, a former track and field athlete of Jamaican-American descent, is renowned for representing the United States on numerous international stages. Throughout her career, she has inspired athletics enthusiasts of all ages with her remarkable achievements. Excelling in the 400-meter sprint, she secured Olympic gold in 2012, became world champion in 2009, won Olympic bronze in 2008, and claimed world silver in 2005. Recently, she shed light on her choice to represent the US instead of Jamaica.

With splendid achievements across her career including some benefitting partnership deals as a US track and field athlete, Sanya Richards-Ross revealed key insights through Paper Route, a daily show. During their discussion, she delved into the various aspects of life, including the decision to have the opportunity to wear red, white, and blue over Jamaica’s yellow and green.

Embracing the USA over Jamaica for athletic pursuits

Taking to its official Instagram page Paper Route shared an interview featuring the 4-time Olympic champion, captioning the post, “Sanya Richards-Ross on why she chose Team USA over Jamaica.” During the deliberation on the Paper Route Podcast, Sanya Richards-Ross disclosed the true reason for representing Team USA. She remarked that after leaving the Caribbean island nation, Jamaica, she was invited to join the U.S. Junior team to compete at the Junior Nationals at the age of 16. And then she loved to compete for the USA team.

“All of my friends are American. I’m very much, you know, entrenched in the culture here. So I go to sign up and she’s like, oh, we need your passport. So I wasn’t even, I didn’t even realize, like, oh shoot, I’m not an American citizen. And so I literally begged my parents to become citizens so that I could compete for Team USA, really because I wanted to compete with my friends. It wasn’t until after I made this decision I realized, oh shit, like, excuse me, girl, like, what are you doing? I was young and I wanted to compete with my teammates. And then of course, now I’m a part of Team USA and I’m going to stay here,” she stated.

Despite that, she also expressed her elation to get the most advantageous partnership deals as an American citizen running for Team USA.

Sanya Richards-Ross’ trailblazing legacy in track & field

US track and field athlete Sanya Richards-Ross is celebrated for her remarkable achievements. She made history by becoming the first American woman in 28 years, and only the second in history, to secure an Olympic gold medal in the 400 meters at the London 2012 Games.

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Richards-Ross established the American 400-meter record with a time of 48.70 seconds in 2006, a record that still stands today. She also holds the record for the most career sub-50-second 400-meter sprints, with 49 total. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2024, Sanya Richards-Ross partnered with the global online retailer of fashion and lifestyle products, SHEIN, to empower women everywhere with her champion mindset. Sanya Richards-Ross also collaborated with Wells Fargo last year to empower black entrepreneurs in Atlanta.

Sanya Richards-Ross’ journey from representing Jamaica to embracing the US in her athletic pursuits speaks voluminously of her trailblazing legacy.

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