Why Sanya Richards-Ross believes Team USA will break medal haul record at Paris 2024 Olympics

US sprint legend Sanya Richards-Ross. Photo: Imago

Why Sanya Richards-Ross believes Team USA will break medal haul record at Paris 2024 Olympics

Joel Omotto 21:33 - 22.06.2024

Four-time Olympics champion Sanya Richards-Ross is expecting big things from Team USA heading to Paris 2024 Olympics.

American sprint legend Sanya Richards-Ross is thrilled by the depth in the US team which she believes will help the country collect more medals at the Paris Olympics.

The four-time Olympic champion feels this year’s team is the best she has seen in terms of having several runners, both young and old, who have the capacity to take on their rivals in various disciplines.

“I honestly feel like Team USA may have never had this much depth and star power across so many different disciplines. It’s really been incredible to see these young athletes truly develop into superstars and I'm just really excited for what America has to look forward to coming this summer in Paris,” Richards-Ross told NBC.

“From the 100 [meters] all the way through the 800 [meters], there's just somebody to root for and I'm just really excited for them. I think they've been developing well, and I also got to say this, it's been a really tough four-year cycle for these athletes having COVID in 2020 that postponed the Olympics.

“I can't imagine how difficult that was. Then just back-to-back to back and in track and field, usually you have a year off where you get to kind of take a break and regroup and these athletes have been going from 2021, 2022 and 2023 and now to Paris. My hat goes off to a lot of them for being able to stay healthy, stay motivated, stay consistent. I feel like a lot of them are at their best and it's going to be a great showing for team USA this year.”

Richards-Ross might have been delighted by what she saw as the US trials gunned off on Saturday night with youngsters like McKenzie Long, Dajaz Defrand, both 100m, 16-year-old Quincy Johnson (400m), Aaliyah Butler (400m) winning their heats while heavyweights such as Sha’Carri Richardson and Athing Mu did not show any signs of trouble.

The men’s 100m and 200m is also loaded with talent such as world champion Noah Lyles, world Indoor champion Christian Coleman, Olympic silver medallists Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley, Courtney Lindsey, currently in great form, and Erriyon Knighton, the world 200m silver medallist.