Sanya Richards-Ross

Sanya Richards-Ross (née Richards; born February 26, 1985) is a retired Jamaican-American track and field athlete, who competed internationally for the United States in the 400-meter sprint. Her notable accolades in this event include being the 2012 Olympic champion, 2009 world champion, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, and 2005 world silver medalist. With her victory in 2012, she became the second American woman to win the 400 meters at the Olympic Games and the first American woman to earn multiple global 400-meter titles. At this distance, Richards-Ross is also a six-time U.S. national champion (2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2012).

Quotes

• "And I think working out is one of those things that you need to do at the top of the morning because it actually does energize your day. People think it’s gonna take away from their energy, but I find that it energizes my day."
• "I think my mind works as fast as my legs do, and so I’m always thinking of something I have, some business plan or something I wanna do in the community or something. So I’m always thinking of stuff to do."
  • Interview with Sanya Richards-Ross by FG & More. Retrieved 10/11/2023.
• "At that point, it was more of a spiritual race than a physical one. It was incredibly hard for me, as I know it is for a lot of women. You feel this unworthiness, this shame."
• "If people knew the real numbers on abortion in this sport, then I think there would be more urgency to help women in colleges, to improve the standard of sex education."
  • Exclusive interview: Sanya Richards-Ross on the trauma of her abortion and the lack of support for women in sport by Oliver Brown. October 24, 2017. Retrieved 10/11/2023.