Team USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson was denied the gold medal in the women’s 100-meter race at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on Aug. 3, and she’s not about to let that happen again in the 4x100 relay.
She’s teamed with three of the sport’s brightest stars and made a statement to them – and to the world – when she helped secure a spot for the United States in the 4x100 final with an outstanding final leg Thursday at Stade de France.
The women’s 4x100 final will take place Friday at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, and the men’s finale will follow closely at 1:45 p.m. EDT.
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As much as the relay is a shot at redemption for Richardson, the men’s version has the potential to be the final piece of a historic triple victory for Team USA’s Noah Lyles, who is chasing the coveted 100-200-4x100 trifecta this week in Paris.
The 4x100 as a whole, however, has not been a strong event for the United States in recent years, though Team USA has been dominant overall.
The Team USA men have won the 4x100 relay 15 times since it first was included in the Olympics in 1912, but they haven’t won since 2000. The last time they reached the podium was a silver medal in 2004. No other country has won more than twice.
On the women’s side, the United States has won the event 11 times since it was introduced in 1928, last winning in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, while finishing second to Jamaica in Tokyo 2020. No other country has won more than twice.
Women’s 4x100 Final At The 2024 Summer Olympics
The result was what most expected, but Team USA’s qualifying heat for the women’s 4x100 relay may have been a little too close for comfort.
The team included Melissa Jefferson (bronze medal in 100m), Twanisha Terry (100m finalist), Gabby Thomas (gold medal in 200m) and Richardson (silver medal in 100m).
Jefferson led off the effort Thursday and got the team out to a good start. Terry was solid, too, but a shaky exchange with Thomas gave Germany a chance to pull ahead.
Richardson was able to chase down the German anchor and surge to the win with a 41.94 final time. Germany finished with 42.15, and Switzerland grabbed the final automatic spot from the first heat with 42.38.
Team USA moves on but will need to be cleaner in the final, which will include five teams from Thursday second qualifying heat – Great Britain (42.03), France (42.13), Jamaica (42.35), Canada (42.50) and the Netherlands (42.64).
Jamaica is the defending Olympic champion in the event, while Team USA owns the Olympic record of 40.82, run in 2012 on the way to the first of back-to-back titles.
Men’s 4x100 Final At The 2024 Summer Olympics
Team USA easily advanced to the final of the men’s 4x100 relay at the 2024 Olympics, winning the first of the two heats in 37.47 seconds, even without Lyles, who won the gold medal in the 100 and is resting for the final of the 200, which will take place Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern.
There’s no doubt he’ll be in the lineup for the 4x100 final, and possibly as a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
The other automatic qualifiers from the opening heat of the men’s 4x100 were South Africa (37.94) and Great Britain (38.04), while Japan (38.06) and Italy (38.07) advanced based on their times.
The automatic qualifiers from the second heat were China (38.24), France (38.34) and Canada (38.39).
The big shock on the men’s side of the 4x100 action Thursday in Paris was Jamaica not advancing to the final. This comes after they failed to medal in the event at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo after winning in 2012 and 2016.
The Jamaican men, who own the world and Olympic record of 36.84, which they ran on the way to the gold medal in London in 2012, finished fourth in their qualifying heat in Paris. Their run was plagued with handoff issues, which proved costly.
Despite the efforts of Kishane Thompson, the silver medalist in the men’s 100 this week, Jamaica’s time of 38.45 was not enough to grab one of the two time-based spots for a spot in the final.
2024 Olympic Track And Field Schedule For 4x100 Finals
All Times Eastern
Aug 9
- 1:30 p.m.: Women’s 4x100 Final, Stade de France
- 1:45 p.m.: Men’s 4x100 Final, Stade de France
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