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ย USAโs GOLD in the Womenโs 4ร100m at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships โ what happened, who ran, why it mattered:
ย The Race & Result
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The U.S. quartet of Melissa JeffersonโWooden, Twanisha โTTโ Terry, Kayla White, and ShaโCarri Richardson won the Womenโs 4ร100m 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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ShaโCarri 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 JeffersonโWooden 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)
ย Why This Win Matters
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Sprint Triple Sweep โ For JeffersonโWooden, this win completes the 100/200/4ร100m triple, a rare feat, matching the achievement of Jamaican legend ShellyโAnn FraserโPrayce in 2013. (Reuters)
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Team USAโs Relay Dominance โ The win continues a streak: the U.S. now has three consecutive major championships where its women have won the 4ร100m relay (including Budapest 2023, Paris 2024, Tokyo 2025). (Pulse Sports Nigeria)
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A ComeโFromโBehind Anchor Leg โ Richardsonโs 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 & FraserโPryceโs Farewell โ For Jamaica, this was a bittersweet moment.
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They almost got it, led off by ShellyโAnn FraserโPryce (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 โ With this gold, the U.S. solidified top spot in overall medals; it was part of a finalโday sweep of relay golds (both 4ร100m relays and the womenโs 4ร400m) that pushed the U.S. to a record gold total at a single World Championships. (NBC Sports)
ย 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. Thatโs 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)
๐ฅ Takeaways & Whatโs Next
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The U.S. womenโs sprint program continues to be elite and deep โ not only do they have standout names, but their relay squads can perform under pressure and in lessโthanโideal conditions.
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JeffersonโWoodenโs sprint triple puts her in a rare class historically; sheโll 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 FraserโPryce ending her world championship career. But they remain everโpotent 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.