Sha’Carri Richardson’s Cold Staredown in 4x100 Relay Gold Medal Win Was So Iconic

Kristen Wong | Aug 9, 2024

Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated

On a rainy Friday night in Paris, the U.S. women clinched a gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay finals largely due to the incredible efforts of anchor Sha’Carri Richardson.

Richardson ran an awesome final leg in the relay to bring home the gold for the U.S. women’s relay team, which consisted of Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry. In a race that featured mostly seamless handoffs for the Americans, Richardson received the baton from Thomas several meters behind her competitors, but she quickly made up the ground.

Richardson powered through the final 100-meter stretch for a thrilling, come-from-behind gold medal finish with a season-best time of 41.78 seconds. And the 24-year-old track star didn’t just win the race—she made sure she won the race.

Midway through her leg, Richardson turned her head and stared down her competitors from Great Britain and Germany before crossing the finish line.

What resulted was an all-time legendary photo of Richardson closing out the 4x100-meter relay in stone-cold style. 

absolutely THE COLDEST PIC of the Olympics

Sha’Carri Richardson stares down other runners as she comes from behind to win gold🏅 pic.twitter.com/kgSyzJgAPE

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 9, 2024

SHA'CARRI KNEW 💪 pic.twitter.com/L8dfSnwmMz

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 9, 2024

SHA'CARRI IS ELECTRIC!!!! pic.twitter.com/LMzzX6Cf6E

— whitney medworth (@its_whitney) August 9, 2024

That Sha'Carri Richardson STARE DOWN 😈🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/9M6Mevc4aI

— Travis Miller (@travismillerx13) August 9, 2024

LMAOOOOOO omg pic.twitter.com/brhGa4OPL0

— 𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐎 𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍𝐒𝐎𝐍 (@DINGOJOHNS0N) August 9, 2024

If I send you this…

You’re taking too long; I’ll see you when you get there. pic.twitter.com/HSkFzSApcz

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) August 9, 2024

Richardson earned her first-ever Olympic gold medal in the Paris Games on Friday. She previously won the silver medal in her marquee event, the women’s 100-meter, finishing behind Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred.