Sanya Richards

American sprinter Sanya Richards is a three-time U.S. outdoor 400 meter track champion. She won a gold medal in the 4x400 meter event at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Richards placed first in the 400 meter event at the 2008 U.S. Olympic track and field trials and earned a place on the U.S. Olympic athletics team for the 2008 Summer Olympics.United States Olympic Committee: Sanya Richards On August 19, 2008, Richards won a bronze medal in the 400 meter event at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She finished just over three tenths-of-a-second behind gold medalist Christine Ohuruogu from Great Britain.NBC Olympics: Women's 400m Final

Richards and her family moved from Jamaica to Florida when she was 12 years old. She attended the University of Texas, where she won the 400 meter sprinting event at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She also won the 400 meter event at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2006, as well as the 4x400 meter relay event at the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2003. In 2006, Richards was selected as the International Association of Athletics Federations World Athlete of the Year. That same year she was given the Jesse Owens Award, for being the top U.S. track athlete.

• 2002: USA Junior Track and Field Championships, 400 m gold medalUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2002: World Junior Track and Field Championships, 400 m silver medalUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2003: USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, 400 m gold medalUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2003: NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, 400 m gold medalUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2003: World Outdoor Track and Field Championships, 4x400 m relay gold medalUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2004: Summer Olympics, 4x400 m gold medalUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2004: NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, 400 m and 4x400 m relay gold medalsUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2005: World Outdoor Track and Field Championships, 400 m silver medalUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2005-06: USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, 400 m gold medalUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2006: International Association of Athletics Federations World Athlete of the YearNBC Olympics: Sanya Richards
• 2006: Jesse Owens AwardNBC Olympics: Sanya Richards
• 2007: World Outdoor Track and Field Championships, 4x400 m gold medalUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2008: U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, 400 m first placeUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2008: Summer Olympics, 400 m bronze medalNBC Olympics: Women's 400m Final

• 2002-06: University of TexasUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2004: Summer OlympicsUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards
• 2008: Summer OlympicsUSA Track & Field: Sanya Richards

Richards got engaged to Aaron Ross of the New York Giants on December 15, 2007. He proposed to her on live television, before a Giants-Washington Redskins National Football League game.IAAF.org: Sanya Richards says 'Yes' to Fiancé's proposal (January 17, 2008) The couple plan to marry in 2009.NBC Olympics: Sanya Richards

• Mahalo's Guide to the Olympic Athletics
  • Height: 5'8"
  • Weight: 136 lbs