Gabby Richardson has opened up on how Allyson Felix & Carmelita Jetter helped her set indifferences with Sha’Carri Richardson aside to dominate at the Paris Olympics.
Olympic champion Gabby Thomas has reflected on a historic moment in American track and field, a symbolic passing of the torch that involved her longtime rival and teammate, Sha’Carri Richardson.
Thomas and Richardson, two of the fastest women in the world, have shared intense rivalries on the track while also coming together as teammates for Team USA.
At the recent Olympic Games, the duo joined forces alongside fellow American Olympians Twanisha Terry and Melissa Jefferson to form a dominant 4x100m relay team.
This collaboration marked a monumental changing of the guard for American sprinting.
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Before stepping onto the grand stage of the Olympics, the quartet received a special blessing from track and field legends Allyson Felix, Carmelita Jeter, and Tianna Bartoletta.
Felix and Jeter were part of the USA squad that shattered the women’s 4x100m world record at the 2012 London Olympics, clocking an astonishing 40.82 seconds alongside Tianna Madison and Bianca Knight—a record that still stands today.
Thomas spoke about this meaningful experience in an interview with Cosmopolitan, reflecting on the advice and inspiration the team received from the former champions.
“We had our relay camp just a couple of days before the Olympics started, and during that time, we actually had a Zoom call with Allyson Felix, Carmelita Jeter, and Tianna Bartoletta,” revealed Thomas.
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Sha’Carri Richardson lets her feelings known about her Team US relay quartet on their way to the Olympic gold.
“They gave us advice, and it was very inspiring because these are women that all four of us had looked up to growing up. Seeing them pass the baton to us—literally, no pun intended—it just meant so much,” she added
“We had such a short amount of time to get it together, but we went into it having a shared goal and wanting to continue the legacy. It’s a special bond and moment, especially in a sport where most of it is individual.”
The guidance and legacy of the previous champions fueled Team USA’s determination, and Thomas, Richardson, Jefferson, and Terry delivered in spectacular fashion.
They replicated the 2012 triumph, storming to gold in the 4x100m relay, with Richardson anchoring the squad to victory—her only gold medal of the Games.
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Gabby Thomas has reflected on the dynamics of rivalry with fellow American sprint queen Sha’Carri Richardson.
For Thomas, the relay win was one of three golds she earned, adding to her titles in the 200m and the 4x400m relay.
Despite their packed schedules, the team found a way to celebrate their historic achievement.
“We were so busy! I still had to compete because I had the 4×400 relay, and that is the last day of track and field. And then the other girls, they had to do their 48-hour media tour. So we celebrated on the track and through our post-race interviews together,” Thomas recalled.
With their dominant performance, Thomas, Richardson, Terry, and Jefferson have cemented their place in USA track and field history.
Their triumph not only continued a legacy but also reinforced their status as the next generation of sprinting greats, carrying the torch passed down by the legends who came before them.
