"Gabby Thomas' voice automatically sends me into a place of determination" - Sha'Carri Richardson weighs in on the Olympian’s impact at Paris Olympics

Sha'Carri Richardson recently opened up about how Gabby Thomas' cheers helped her run a quick 4x100m relay anchor leg and take the win at the Paris Olympics 2024. She said Thomas' voice helps her stay determined. Richardson won the individual 100m silver and 4x100m relay gold at the recently concluded Summer Games.

Fresh off her 2023 World Championships win in the 100m, Richardson ran the distance in 10.87s at the Paris Olympics and won silver behind Saint Lucian sprinter Julien Alfred.

The US women's team included Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry, Gabby Thomas, and Sha'Carri Richardson. After winning golds at the 2023 World Championships and 2024 World Athletics Relays, this team aimed to maintain its winning streak in the 4x100m relay in Paris. Richardson, who earned the first gold of her career, ran the anchor leg as Team US clocked 41.78s.

In an interview with Refinery29, Sha'Carri Richardson shared how Gabby Thomas helped her in the 4x100m relay race. The 24-year-old said she only focused on Thomas' voice as she raced towards the finish line.

"I don't hear anybody else but Gabby. If it's not her voice, I can't hear it. Everything else is a blur. Gabby’s voice automatically sends me into a place of determination and it sends me into a place of I know what time it is," Richardson said.

She added:

"I know she did her part. Now she is trusting me. Now she is believing in me. Now she is expecting me. She has every right to, because she did her thing to get me to go into a different phase, to continue to transfer that energy and that speed in which we did. So she gives me the stick. She says, “Stick!” I get the stick. And she tells me to “Go! Go!” She doesn't stop after just telling me to get the stick. She’s encouraging me on the way down the track."

Gabby Thomas loves to pass the baton to Sha'Carri Richardson in the 4x100m relay

The Olympic Games-Paris 2024 - Source: Getty

Before the Paris Games, Gabby Thomas and Sha'Carri Richardson were teammates at the 2023 World Championships as well, where they ran the third and last leg, respectively. Thomas recently opened up about passing the baton to the 100m Olympic silver medalist and being confident about the US team's fate in Richardson's hands.

"Passing the baton to Sha'Carri is a very special and unique thing. She's so fast and we know we're in good hands as soon as she gets her hands on the baton," Thomas said (via The Mirror).

At the Paris Olympics, Gabby Thomas took home three golds — in the 200m individual event, the 4x400m relay, and the 4x100m relay. Her achievement has made her one of the most decorated Olympians of 2024.