Sha'Carri Richardson: Viral look over during Olympics 4x100m relay was not a staredown

As the U.S. women’s 4x100m relay team brought home gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, anchor Sha’Carri Richardson quickly went viral. As she went down the final 100 meters, she appeared to look over at an opponent in what many thought was a staredown.

However, that wasn’t the case. Richardson explained the real reason behind the moment after the games ended on Sunday.

As it turns out, Richardson wasn’t trying to stare down the other runners. Instead, she was looking at the empty track around her which, in a way, reflected her journey to Olympic gold.

“Honestly, that look over, if I had to just highlight anything, the look over was – it’s almost like it was a mirror on that side of me, and I’m just looking at a version of myself that nobody but me could see, if that makes sense,” Richardson told Refinery 29. “I looked over and I just knew that no matter what was going on, there was nobody that I was going to allow – even myself – to be in front of me. I know that sounds crazy, but I was in that lane and feeling like I’m always my biggest competitor [so I had to] leave my best on the track.

“I was just like, there’s no way that I’m not going to leave my best on the track. And so just looking over, it was more so showing that the hard work that all of us ladies in that 4×1 put in was not going to be in vain. I wasn’t going to even allow myself to not cross that finish line in first place and not get that medal, or to let down those ladies and the support that we received when it comes to us crossing the finish line, in first place as Team USA.”

Sha’Carri Richardson came all the way back to help the United States finish atop the podium in the 4×100-meter relay. She – along with Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry and Gabby Thomas – recorded a time of 41.78 seconds. Great Britain came in behind Richardson for second place, and anchor runner Daryll Neita was the one social media thought was getting the stare-down from the American standout.

The gold medal in the 4×100-meter relay was one of 40 for the United States during the 2024 Paris Olympics. That put the U.S. tied with China for the most golds, but the Americans ran away with the total medal count at the end of the games.