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USA’s GOLD in the Women’s 4×100m at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships — what happened, who ran, why it mattered:
The Race & Result
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The U.S. quartet of Melissa Jefferson‑Wooden, Twanisha “TT” Terry, Kayla White, and Sha’Carri Richardson won the Women’s 4×100m relay, clocking 41.75 seconds. (Reuters)
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They narrowly edged out Jamaica, which took silver in 41.79 seconds.
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Germany grabbed bronze in 41.87 seconds. (Pulse Sports Nigeria)
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Conditions: It was rainy and wet in Tokyo, which made the track slippery and exchanges more challenging. (KSAT)
Key Athletes & Highlights
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Sha’Carri Richardson anchored the team.
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At the final exchange she got the baton trailing Jamaica by about 0.01 seconds, then powered it home to win by ~0.04 seconds. (KSAT)
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Melissa Jefferson‑Wooden led off.
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This relay gold capped off a historic sprint triple: she also won the 100m and 200m at these Champs.
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She is only the second woman ever to sweep those three sprints at a single World Championships. (CNA)
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Twanisha Terry and Kayla White ran the second and third legs, respectively, executing solid handoffs and maintaining position under pressure. (Pulse Sports Nigeria)
Why This Win Matters
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Sprint Triple Sweep — For Jefferson‑Wooden, this win completes the 100/200/4×100m triple, a rare feat, matching the achievement of Jamaican legend Shelly‑Ann Fraser‑Prayce in 2013. (Reuters)
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Team USA’s Relay Dominance — The win continues a streak: the U.S. now has three consecutive major championships where its women have won the 4×100m relay (including Budapest 2023, Paris 2024, Tokyo 2025). (Pulse Sports Nigeria)
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A Come‑From‑Behind Anchor Leg — Richardson’s anchor leg under pressure shows depth and mental toughness.
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These moments are crucial in sprint relays, especially when margins are spectrally small (hundredths of a second). (KSAT)
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Jamaica & Fraser‑Pryce’s Farewell — For Jamaica, this was a bittersweet moment.
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They almost got it, led off by Shelly‑Ann Fraser‑Pryce (in her final world champs), but came up just short.
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It adds drama, legacy, and the passing of the torch. (CNA)
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Medal Table & Record — With this gold, the U.S. solidified top spot in overall medals; it was part of a final‑day sweep of relay golds (both 4×100m relays and the women’s 4×400m) that pushed the U.S. to a record gold total at a single World Championships. (NBC Sports)
Context & Comparisons
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Time of 41.75 s is very strong given the conditions.
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Rain and a wet track tend to slow things and complicate baton exchanges.
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That they managed such a tight race is impressive. (KSAT)
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Marginal differences: Silver was just 0.04 seconds behind. That’s literally a fraction of a stride.
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In sprint relays, you barely have room for error.
The U.S. executed just enough to win. (Pulse Sports Nigeria)
💥 Takeaways & What’s Next
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The U.S. women’s sprint program continues to be elite and deep — not only do they have standout names, but their relay squads can perform under pressure and in less‑than‑ideal conditions.
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Jefferson‑Wooden’s sprint triple puts her in a rare class historically; she’ll probably be one of the faces people associate with U.S. sprinting for years.
Jamaica will likely reflect on this as a near miss, especially with Fraser‑Pryce ending her world championship career. But they remain ever‑potent and will look to come back strong.
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For future championships, this win underscores how small margins matter: baton exchanges, resistance to pressure, choice of order, mental strength. Every link in the relay matters.