Sanya Richards-Ross

Sanya Richards-Ross
Richards-Ross at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Born (1985-02-26) February 26, 1985 (age 39)
Kingston, Jamaica
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight137 lb (62 kg)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportTrack and field
Event400 m
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  United States
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 4 0 1
World Championships 5 2 0
World Indoor Championships 1 1 0
Total 10 3 1
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 4 × 400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 4 × 400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 400 m
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 4 × 400 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing 400 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2003 Paris 4 × 400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2007 Osaka 4 × 400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2009 Berlin 400 m
Gold medal – first place 2009 Berlin 4 × 400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2011 Daegu 4 × 400 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2005 Helsinki 400 m
Silver medal – second place 2015 Beijing 4 × 400 m relay
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2012 Istanbul 400 m
Silver medal – second place 2012 Istanbul 4 × 400 m relay
World Relays
Gold medal – first place 2014 Nassau 4 × 400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2015 Nassau Distance medley relay
Gold medal – first place 2015 Nassau 4 × 400 m relay

Sanya Richards-Ross (née Richards; born February 26, 1985[1]) is a retired Jamaican-born American track and field athlete who competed internationally for the United States in the 400-meter sprint. Her notable accolades in this event include being the 2012 Olympic champion, 2009 world champion, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, and 2005 world silver medalist. With her victory in 2012, she became the second American woman to win the 400 meters at the Olympic Games and the first American woman to earn multiple global 400-meter titles.[2][3] At this distance, Richards-Ross is also a six-time U.S. national champion (2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2012).

A formidable competitor throughout her career, Richards-Ross ranked number one in the world from 2005 to 2009 and again in 2012 in the 400 meters.[4][5] She set the American 400-meter record of 48.70 seconds in 2006 and was named the IAAF 2006 Female World Athlete of the Year, an honor she received again in 2009.[6] Richards-Ross also holds the record for the most sub-50 second sprints in the history of the event, with a career total of 49 times.[7] In addition to her individual achievements, she won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 4 × 400 meters relay at the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics, as well as five total relay medals from multiple World Athletics Championships.

Following an injury at the 2016 U.S. Olympic trials, Richards-Ross retired from the sport and subsequently joined the NBC broadcasting team as a track and field analyst.[8] She published her memoir Chasing Grace: What the Quarter Mile has Taught Me about God and Life in 2017.[9]

In October 2021, Bravo announced that Richards-Ross was joining the fourteenth season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.[10]

  1. ^ "Sanya Richards-Ross". worldathletics.org. World athletics federation.
  2. ^ "Long ride 'worth the wait' as Richards-Ross claims elusive gold". World Athletics. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Felix takes on Richards-Ross over 400m in Eugene – IAAF Diamond League". World Athletics. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Women's World Rankings by Event". Track & Field News. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Women's World 400 Rankings by Athlete". Track & Field News. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Fab five: multiple winners of the World Athlete of the Year award". World Athletics. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Felix takes on Richards-Ross over 400m in Eugene – IAAF Diamond League". World Athletics. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  8. ^ Acosta, Amelia (21 April 2021). "You cannot separate your human experience from your sporting success: A conversation with Sanya Richards-Ross". NBC Sports. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  9. ^ Watts, Jenisha (5 June 2017). "Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross on her new memoir 'Chasing Grace'". ESPN. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  10. ^ "The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 14 Cast Announced". Bravo TV Official Site. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.