Sanya Richards-Ross Takes Gold for Team USA in Women's 400m

Team USA runs women’s track.

Sanya Richards-Ross, the favorite going into the 400-meter dash at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, didn’t disappoint with her Sunday performance, finishing at a time of 49.55 seconds to win the gold medal.

She wasn’t the only woman wearing the Red, White and Blue on the podium, though.

DeeDee Trotter rode the momentum that she built in the semifinals (where she finished with the second-fastest time of the day) to take bronze with a 49.72.

While Richards-Ross won fairly handily—beating British champion Christine Ohuruogu by 0.15 seconds—Trotter has to be slightly bummed out about her finish. Sure, medaling is a huge accomplishment to forever cherish—especially considering that a knee injury destroyed her chances in Beijing—but she only crossed the finish line behind Ohuruogu by 0.02 seconds.

That’ll sting for a day or two.

But speaking of Beijing, Richards-Ross also got a bit of redemption this year from her performance in 2008. She was the favorite to win gold in the 400 in '08 too, but a slow start out of the blocks in the final cost her and she was forced to settle for bronze.

Not all American runners had a great day, though. Francena McCorory ran just a 50.33, finishing second to last. She ran a 50.19 in the semifinals, but that time wouldn’t have done her much better in the final regardless. Unlike the veterans Richards-Ross and Trotter, though, at 23 years old, McCorory’s Olympic career has likely just begun. 

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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