Sha’Carri Richardson won her first Olympic gold medal Friday night, leading the U.S. team to victory in the 4×100 relay by making up ground in the final leg.
Richardson, who had previously won a silver medal in the 100 meters, passed runners from Britain and Germany to help the U.S. finish with a time of 41.78 seconds. This was a narrow .07-second win over Britain, which had trouble with baton exchanges in the rain.
Gabby Thomas ran the third leg of the relay, earning her second gold medal of the Games after her 200-meter win. The team also included Twanisha Terry and Melissa Jefferson, who had won bronze in the 100 meters.
The baton exchange between Terry and Thomas, which had almost cost the team in qualifying, went smoothly this time.
When Thomas passed the baton to Richardson, the U.S. was in third place.
Richardson had to catch up with Daryll Neita from Britain and Rebekka Haase from Germany. After doing so, she glanced to her right and backward with a look that seemed to say, “you’re not catching me.”
She sprinted a few more steps, and on her last stride, she lifted her left leg high and stomped it across the finish line, then let out a scream.
This victory was a satisfying end to the Olympics for Richardson, who had entered the Games as a favorite but had unexpectedly lost to Julien Alfred from St. Lucia.
