Richard Ross’ Redemption from Beijing
Gold is nothing new for American Sanya Richards-Ross; but Sunday’s triumph meant something far more than just being the best. This time, it was about redemption for a race that took place in Beijing in 2008; but undoubtedly feels to her like it just happened yesterday.
After winning a gold in the 2004 Athens Olympics for the 4×400 relays, Richards-Ross moved on to the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where she also picked up a gold for the same event. But it was during those same Olympics that extreme disappointment came for her, when she lost out on the 400-meter individual, which would have been her first individual Olympic gold medal. Shooting out of the gate, Richards-Ross put way too much power and force behind her first 100 meters of that race, losing steam and a whole lot of stamina along the way. She not only lost out on gold that race, but silver too, having to settle for taking the bronze back to the States.
Richards-Ross went on to compete in the world championships in 2009 and there she took gold in both the 400 and the 4×400 relay; but it still did not sweeten the sourness of those Beijing Olympics, as Richards-Ross still did not have an Olympic gold of her very own.
After those world championships, things started to go downhill for Richards-Ross, putting that Olympic gold even farther out of her reach. She faced an incredibly injury-prone year in 2010 when she suffered quad, ankle, and tailbone injuries; and her performance at the world championships in 2011 showed it, as she didn’t even receive a medal, finishing seventh.
Time for redemption? On Sunday for Richards-Ross, it certainly was. Stepping into her block, one could say that it was easy to put demons of the past behind her — she had already sailed through the previous heats. But 2008 undoubtedly weighed heavily on her mind — and there was some question as to whether or not her health was back to top form. Right out of the block, she proved that it was.
Much more disciplined on the first leg of the track, Richards-Ross showed all the great power and speed that makes her a multi-medal winner. But she also showed great restraint, waiting to bring it all until the very end.
“I got out really well in the first 50,” Richards-Ross said just after yesterday’s race. “On the turn I told myself, ‘Be patient, be patient.’ The last 100 I kept saying, ‘You can do this.’ I dug deep and crossed the finish line first.”
She certainly did. And that’s what earned her personal redemption — as well as gold for the United States in the women’s 400-meter individual race in the London Olympics.
Categorized in: Olympics