While track and field is mostly considered to be an individual sport, when it comes to relay, the spectrum turns upside down, as the athletes need to be in sync to perform. For Team USA at the Paris Olympics, while the men’s 4x100m squad got disqualified due to a baton exchange error, the women’s 4x100m squad brought the gold medal, with Sha’Carri Richardson anchoring the pack.

It was a fascinating victory for the Americans and also made her secure her career-first Olympic gold medal. Recently, Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green welcomed USATF head coach Mechelle Freeman to their Ready Set Go podcast and discussed the relay race. However, there was a moment of surprise when the head coach confirmed that Richardson wasn’t the athlete who was at the top of her list.

The reasons that make her the best

So, if it wasn’t Sha’Carri Richardson at the top of Freeman’s relay runners ranking, then who is it? It was none other than Richardson’s teammate, Twanisha Terry. “I mean, I have a couple of people. Um, I mean, TeeTee Terry has been on all three of our gold medal-winning relays, you know, for the last three years,” the USATF head coach mentioned an intriguing detail about the athlete and further added, stating, “She’s a utility runner, someone you could depend on the relay. You can communicate what you need from her and she can apply it and get the job done. You know, that’s really great about TeeTee.”

Terry’s resume talks for herself. She has been on the team for a long time and always has performed to the expectations of many. While there have been ups and downs, most of the time, the 25-year-old has been that X-factor of Team USA. From a coach’s perspective, Freeman also stressed her versatility in getting things done that are expected from her, even during crucial moments in the relay races.

“So, if plan A doesn’t go right, you have to go to plan B, she doesn’t. She stays poised, she still goes through the motions of what her role is and doesn’t bat an eye, and that’s why they were still able to get that pass off because no one’s panicking, you still go through what you need to do and you can depend on her to understand how to do that in that pressure moment. TeeTee knows how to handle pressure,” Freeman talked about one of the most interesting factors about the sprinter that makes her stand out from the pack.

As a relay athlete, one has to be in rhythm with their teammates, and that is what ‘TeeTee’ does the best on the track. Watching a teammate like Terry, forever confident and ready to roll on the track, is also something that boosts the mentality of her teammates, making everyone focused on the goal, which is to get the gleaming gold medal. Furthermore, Freeman mentioned that while many crumble under pressure, which is common among athletes performing at such a high level, the 25-year-old excels in keeping up with the competitive strain.

The USATF head coach had nothing but appreciation for Terry, and the podcast hosts were just loving the way she was describing the runner. The women’s 4x100m relay was surely a sight to behold at the Stade de France, and it was also on many enthusiasts’ watch lists, as they wanted to see the American athletes compete against their rivals. The squad consisted of Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry, Gabby Thomas, and Sha’Carri Richardson from the first to the final leg, respectively, and they all showed perfect synchronization. Later on, ‘TeeTee’ also credited Richardson for her impressive final leg that brought the gold medal home.

Twanisha Terry giving Sha’Carri Richardson the credit for gold

On camera, things seemed to have gone well for Team USA, who claimed gold in the women’s 4x100m. However, in the post-race interview, Twanisha Terry mentioned a crucial detail that many missed from the relay race. After Jefferson, Terry was assigned to the second leg. Both of them had a great pass, but when the time came for the 25-year-old to pass the baton to her teammate Gabby Thomas, she made a small error.

“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,” said Terry. Even though, they had an exchange that they didn’t plan for, ‘TeeTee’ had full confidence in the person who was assigned the final leg. The moment Richardson got her hands on the baton, she left no room for the other athletes to catch her up. And despite the tricky conditions in Paris, she was able to cross the finish line first, securing a huge victory for Team USA.