Sanya richards ross biography of william hill
The Jamaican-born four-time Olympic champion infamously booed by the country's fans on her first ever track meet as a pro in Kingston after she decided to run for the United States.
American sprint legend Sanya Richards-Ross recently revealed how a difficult moment early in her career, being booed by Jamaican fans at her first major world athletics event, became a driving force behind her journey to becoming a four-time Olympic gold medallist.
Richards-Ross, born in Kingston, Jamaica, shared her story about how her decision to represent the United States instead of her birth country shaped her path to greatness.
Richards-Ross began her running career at the age of seven, representing Vaz Prep in Jamaica’s youth championships.
At 12, her family moved to Florida to enhance her chances of earning an athletic scholarship to an American university. Though she had adapted to American culture over the years, her decision to run for the U.S. has always sparked mixed reactions, especially from Jamaican fans.
In 2002, at 16 years old, she qualified for her first World Junior Championships, which took place in Jamaica. Despite her impressive silver-medal performance in the 400 meters, Richards-Ross faced a harsh reception from her fellow Jamaicans, who had packed the national stadium.
“My first World Junior Championships were in Jamaica, and it was ironic because the place I fell in love with track was the same place I went back to for my major competition,” she recalled on Vault Empowers.
“At the time, when I was 16 and the fans were booing me, it was really difficult to take. But I now see it as love.”
Richards-Ross explained that the fans were upset because they had hoped she would compete for Jamaica.
“They wanted me to be competing for Jamaica, but at the time it was really hard because I felt like I had let people down, and they were disappointed,” she said. “The reason I really wanted to run for the USA was lighthe Sanya Richards-Ross, the wife of Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Aaron Ross, won the gold medal in the women's 400 meters at the XXX Olympiad in London, with her husband in attendance. Nearly banging elbows with runners on both sides of her -- and with the defending champion, Britain's Christine Ohuruogu, making up ground on the outside -- Richards-Ross got stronger over the last 100 meters. She surged to the finish, won by about a body's length and punched her fist when she crossed the line in 49.55 seconds Sunday night to give the United States its first track and field gold medal of the London Olympics. "I just kept saying, 'You can do this, you can do this," Richards-Ross said. "I just dug really deep, and I'm very happy." At the end, she wrapped herself in the American flag and went to the stands to embrace her husband, who took time off from training camp to travel to London. "You finally did it, you finally did it, babe," he told his wife. "Enjoy the moment." Ross, who received special permission from the Jaguars to attend the Olympics, admitted Thursday on NFL Network's "NFL AM" that his wife is faster than him. "I might get her in the 40," he joked. "(In the) 100, I might lean at the line. 200, I don't have a chance, and the 400 -- I wouldn't even get on the track." Ross has two Super Bowl rings, won when he played for the New York Giants. His wife now has an individual gold to go with two others she won in previous Olympic relays, with more possible in this year's relays. "We don't compete," Richards-Ross said. "His Super Bowl ring just gave me motivation." Said Ross: "She worked so hard. All the emotions going through her mind, my mind, her family's mind, everybody that's seen the struggles. It just a great moment right now." Ross, who initially was denied entry to his wife's post-race news conference, will "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." Vince Lombardi Sanya winning the 2012 Olympic 400 London 2012 medals - Sanya with Christine Ohuruogu and DeeDee Trotter I met her properly for the first time a year later when I approached her manager (her mom) for an interview at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul. In my experience, such approaches often don’t eve EUGENE, Ore. — Sanya Richards-Ross felt a stab of pain in her hamstring as she hit the curve in the third heat of the women’s 400 meters, and she knew it was over. “No Rio,” she thought. “No Rio.” The final race of her medal-winning career ended without Ross even crossing the finish line: She pulled up short and didn’t complete the 400 at the U.S. Olympic trials on Friday, an event she dominated on the national and international stage for the better part of a decade. That means no spot on the U.S. team at the Rio Games, robbing the 31-year-old of the chance to defend her gold medal from London; she also took bronze in the 2008 Beijing Games, and was part of the gold-winning 4x400 relay in London, Beijing and the 2004 Athens Games. In total, Richards-Ross won 14 medals in Olympic and World Championships competition. Fast learner Candace Hill, at 17, ready to make impact on major sprint stage In the end, a series of injuries and ailments proved too much to overcome. There was the longstanding issue with her toe, which flamed up again in November. Her hamstring injury is more recent, flaring up less than three weeks ago and leading Richards-Ross and her training team to embark on a fast-paced recovery regimen. “As athletes, you’re always uber-optimistic,” Richards-Ross said. “I just thought, I’ve run 48 (seconds) before, if I can just pull out a 51 today I can make it through. “That’s the toughest part for an athlete. You really want to go to the Olympics. No matter how banged up you are, you still think it’s possible. I just thought, ‘Man, this is really the end for me.’ I wanted the chance to compete in Rio. So that was the toughest part.” Yet there was no anger at the thought of her career coming to an end, nor a sense of irritation at having her Olympic try stymied by a lingering injury — there was merely a sense of closure, as Richards-Ross focused on the path of a career t
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She handled her disappointment with the dignity one has come to expect from the great champion. She posted on Instagram: “When I envisioned my final season, I saw the flag draped over my shoulders one last time... It was the fairytale ending I had hoped for. But yesterday as I hung my head in disappointment after not completing my final 400, a fan yelled out... ‘We love you SRR’ it brought me back to the moment. It made me acutely aware that my fairytale ending was happening, it was happening right in front of me!!! As I jogged down the homestretch at my favorite track, all the fans stood to their feet and applauded me. I received a standing ovation in Hayward field. Surely it wasn't for my performance on that day but for my performance over the years. I wish I could thank every fan individually for allowing me to have that moment. Reminding me that a career or a person aren't defined by one race.... I left my heart on the track yesterday and every day. Love you all so much”.
I first spoke to Sanya at the World Championships in Daegu in 2011. Christine Ohuruogu had had the misfortune of false starting. Sanya took the trouble to say that she was really sorry that Christine would not be running against her, adding that she too had found the acoustics poor in the stadium and the gun difficult to hear. I thought it was a classy act by Sanya and I told her so.No regrets for Sanya Richards-Ross: 'I’m proud of all that I’ve accomplished'