At the end of a troubled year, Sha’Carri Richardson had a World Athletics Championship gold medal around her neck after anchoring USA to victory in the women’s 4x100m relay in Tokyo on Sunday (21 September 2025).
Despite the return of individual sprint double winner Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Richardson stayed on the anchor leg with her training partner leading off as the rain poured down.
Jefferson-Wooden had a solid run and was well backed up by Twanisha Terry and Kayla White, who handed over to Richardson just in front.
The 25-year-old immediately gained a metre on Jamaica’s anchor Jonielle Smith. The gap soon closed, but the line came in time for Richardson who roared her delight as the United States retained their sprint relay title from Budapest two years ago. Germany took bronze ahead of Great Britain.
All four of the victorious US team train under former sprinter Dennis Mitchell, and Richardson had nothing but praise for his Star Athletics set-up. “I would say his coaching style is something that all of us have never experienced before, not just as a coach but as a person,” she told reporters. “He teaches us as people, he teaches us as athletes, and he takes care of everything that you wouldn’t even think you need as an athlete.
“So I give the utmost respect to Green Machine (Mitchell), our coach Chareif (Lewis), and they’re always creative. They come up with things that other coaches, I know for sure, would never think of. And I’m thinking about fall training right now so… but they’re amazing coaches and they’re always going to set the bar high.”
AloJapan.com