Richardson Anchors USA Relay to Gold by 0.04s

Sha'Carri Richardson took the baton a step behind Jamaica and crossed the line first, winning the women's 4x100m relay for the United States at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The team clocked 41.75 seconds. The margin was four hundredths.

A rain-soaked anchor, a 0.04-second win

The final was run on a wet, sodden night. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden led off, Twanisha Terry and Kayla White carried the middle legs, and Richardson set off on the last leg with ground to make up.

She trailed Jamaica's Jonielle Smith into the home straight. Richardson drew level, moved ahead, then held on as Smith surged again at the line. The United States won by 0.04 seconds, with Germany third in 41.87.

Title defence, days after a fifth place

Two days earlier, Richardson had finished fifth in her individual 100m defence, behind teammate Jefferson-Wooden. The relay gold retained the title the United States won in Budapest in 2023. It was the nation's record 16th world title at these Championships.

Jamaica took silver, sending off Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who ran the opening leg in the final race of her career. Her quartet came within a stride of the gold.

"Once I got the baton, I knew I'd just have to finish the race," Richardson told reporters after the semi-final the day before. "Mission accomplished today. We want to bring back that gold again."

The win adds another relay crown to Olympic and world titles already won. Her individual defence had slipped; the anchor leg answered for her.