Sha'Carri Richardson rallies U.S. 4x100 relay to Olympic gold - ESPN

SAINT-DENIS, France — For Sha'Carri Richardson, this was a beautiful relay through the rain.

Richardson captured her first Olympic gold medal with a come-from-behind anchor leg for the United States in the Olympic women's 4x100 on Friday.

The Americans' relay was filled with smooth, safe passes of a rain-slickened baton, then capped off by America's fastest 100-meter runner.

«It was a phenomenal feeling for all of us,» Richardson said.

The silver medalist from the 100 received the baton from Gabby Thomas in third place. By the halfway point of her leg, Richardson had overcome runners from Britain and Germany. She glanced to her right — and backward — and gave a look of «you're not catching me,» then took eight more steps. On the ninth one, Richardson slammed her left foot on the ground over the finish line and let out a yell.

The Americans won in 41.78 seconds, good for a .07-second win over Britain, which struggled with two baton changes in the rain.

«Passing the baton to Sha'Carri is a very special and unique thing,» Thomas said. «She's so fast and we know we're in good hands as soon as she gets her hands on the baton.»

Thomas ran the third leg and got her second gold of the Games, this one going with the 200-meter title. Twanisha Terry and 100 bronze medalist Melissa Jefferson rounded out the team. The exchange between Terry and Thomas that nearly wrecked the Americans in qualifying was better this time.

When the Americans headed to ring the victory bell in a corner of the stadium, Richardson went last and tugged at it four times while letting out a scream of joy that was a long time coming.

A week after finishing a surprise runner-up to Julien Alfred of St. Lucia in the women's 100 final, Richardson authored a golden