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Former LSU sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson wins her first gold medal at Olympics

United States women's 4x100-meter relay final team pose for a photo after winning the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Friday in Saint-Denis, France.
Bernat Armangue
/
AP
United States women's 4x100-meter relay final team pose for a photo after winning the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Friday in Saint-Denis, France.

Former LSU sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson capped off her comeback story at the Paris Olympics Friday, winning gold in the women's 4x100 relay.

Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry finished in 41.78 seconds—a season best—to beat Great Britain (41.85 seconds) and Germany (41.97 seconds).

Team USA was in third place as Thomas handed Richardson the baton. Richardson, the anchor, made up for the deficit, overcoming both runners to win gold.

It's Richardson's first gold medal since the 24-year-old made her Olympic debut in Paris this month. She was denied the chance to compete at the 2021 Games in Tokyo after she tested positive for marijuana during the Track and Field trials.

Richardson went on to become the world's fastest woman in 2023 after winning the 100-meter title at the world championships in Budapest with a time of 10.65 seconds.

At this year's trials, Richardson ran the 100-meter dash in 10.71 seconds—the fastest time at the competition—making her the favorite for the gold. She won a silver medal in the 100 meter Saturday, after an upset by St. Lucia runner Julien Alfred.

Athina is a digital content producer for WWNO in New Orleans and WRKF in Baton Rouge. She edits and produces content for the stations' websites and social media pages, and writes WWNO's weekly newsletter.

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