Sha’Carri Richardson pulls US women to 4×100 gold, men falter

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — The U.S. men extended their drought to 20 years without a medal in the Olympic 4×100 relay, disqualified for an illegal pass after Christian Coleman crashed into teammate Kenny Bednarek while making the exchange between the first and second legs.

Andre De Grasse put a bright mark on an otherwise disappointing Olympics by anchoring Canada to gold in a time of 37.50 seconds. It was the first medal in Paris for De Grasse, but his seventh overall. South Africa finished second and Britain third.

Earlier, Sha’Carri Richardson won her first Olympic gold medal, bringing the Americans from behind in the anchor lap to capture the 4×100 relay.

HERE COMES SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON!

Team USA takes GOLD in the women’s 4x100m. #ParisOlympics

📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/ZM6qaYCQOw

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 9, 2024

In the men’s race, even without Noah Lyles, who was out of the lineup due to COVID, this looked like America’s race to lose. They have knack for doing just that. The only time the U.S. has captured a medal over the last two decades was in 2012, but that got stripped for a doping violation.

It’s mostly been scenes like this. Coleman first ran into, then passed, Bednarek as they made their awkward exchange.

The women ran their lap cleanly.

Richardson, the 100-meter silver medalist, overcame runners from Britain and Germany, to help the U.S. finish in 41.78 seconds, good for a .07-second win over Britain, which struggled with two baton changes in the rain.

Gabby Thomas ran the third leg and got her second gold of the Games, this one going with the 200-meter title. Twanisha Terry and 100 bronze medalist Melissa Jefferson rounded out the team. The exchange between Terry and Thomas that nearly wrecked the Americans in qualifying was better this time.

Still, when Thomas handed off to Richardson, the U.S. was in third.

Richardson had to reel in Daryll Neita (Britain) and Rebekka Haase (Germany), and when she did, she flashed a look to her right — and backward — that said ″you’re not catching me.”

She sprinted eight more steps down the track, and on her ninth, lifted her left leg high and stomped it on the other side of the finish line, then let out a scream.

It marked a sweet close to the Olympics for Richardson, who came into the Olympics as a favorite but surprisingly fell to Julien Alfred of St. Lucia.

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