Meet Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry, Sha'Carri Richardson's training partners headed to Paris Olympics 2024

Sha'Carri Richardson, Melissa Jefferson, and Twanisha Terry secured the top three positions in the women's 100m race at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials and qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Notably, the best three athletes in each event at the U.S. Track & Field Trials will get an opportunity to represent the nation at the Quadrennial Games.

In the women's 100m finals, Richardson, Jefferson, and Terry clocked times of 10.71s, 10.80s, and 10.89s, respectively, to confirm their position in the USA squad. While Richardson and Terry registered season-best performances, Jefferson achieved a personal best time in the finals of the trails.

However, what caught the attention of the track and field enthusiasts is the fact that the three USA athletes are also training partners. All three of them train under the same coach, Dennis Mitchell.

Sha'Carri Richardson had entered the trials as a pre-race favorite in the 100m distance as the reigning world champion. On her 2024 season opener, Richardson had shown glimpses of her form in the 100m by defeating a star-studded field comprising Julien Alfred, Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita, and Marie-Josée Ta Lou, at the Prefontaine Classic by clocking a time of 10.83s.

She once again proved why she is the best in business in the distance by not only topping the finals but also her heats and semi-finals.

Meanwhile, both Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry had to prove their mettle with solid performances at the trials. Jefferson too was the best performer in her heat and semi-final as she recorded 10.91s and 10.87s before losing to Richardson. Terry placed third in both her heat and semi-final races before securing another third-place finish in the finals which ensured her qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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A look into Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry’s top achievements

Twanisha Terry and Melissa Jefferson celebrate after winning gold in the Women's 4x100m Relay Final at the World Athletics Championships 2022. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images for World Athletics)

Both Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry were members of the USA’s 4x100m gold-medal squads at the 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships, although Jefferson didn’t race in the finals of the championships held in Budapest. This makes both the athletes two-time world champions in the relay event.

Besides this, Jefferson ran the anchor leg during both finals and prelims in the women’s 4x100m relay at the 2024 World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas and also helped the nation secure a berth in the 2024 Summer Games in the event. The team won gold at the event. Melissa Jefferson was also the U.S. national champion in the 100m in 2022.

On the other hand, Twanisha Terry is a two-time NCAA champion in the 4x100m relay event. She also collected the World U20 Athletics Championships silver medal in 100m in a time of 11.19s in 2018. Additionally, she became the NCAA indoor champion in 2019 in the 60m in a time of 7.14s.