Sanya Richards-Ross has done it again.
The Fort Lauderdale track star qualified in first-place position for the final of the women’s 200-meter, which she will run Wednesday at 4 p.m. in hopes of earning another Olympic gold. Watch it live here.
She also qualified for the event’s semifinal with the fastest time, beating two-time defending Jamaican champion Veronica Campbell-Brown.
Richards-Ross achieved that victory with only four to five hours of sleep. She won the gold medal in the 400-meter Sunday and was busy celebrating.
"Not much (sleep)," she said. "My entire family ... we all got together, my coaches, (Aaron) Ross, everybody was there. We kind of celebrated until about 2 this morning. Everybody kept saying, 'Go to sleep, go to sleep, you have to run tomorrow.' Even when I laid down I couldn't sleep. I was just so excited."
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Her gold medal is currently under the care of her father, although she said it will be kept in Austin, Texas with other awards.
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"I had my gold medal on all night," she said. "I've never done that, worn the medal. I actually laid down in it for a minute, then I gave it to my dad, who has been on this journey with me and has worked so hard to help me accomplish my goals. He's now the proud — temporary — holder of my medal."
But Richards-Ross’ success comes after a disappointing third-place finish in Beijing in the 400-meter.
"It took me some time to get past that," Richards-Ross was quoted as saying in the South Florida Sun Sentinel. " … After I was able to come to grips with it, I felt like I was going to learn a lot from that experience and I wanted to see where it would take me."
Maureen Anderson, her aunt in Miramar, said the family expected her to finish strong after the defeat.
"We were confident that something special was going to happen after the disappointment in the 400 meters," Anderson was quoted as saying.
Richards-Ross and Team USA then finished first in the 1600-meter relay that she anchored.
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Her aunt and uncle, along with friends and relatives, have joined her in London in a rented house that the 30-plus supporters decided to share, the newpaper reported. Her uncle, Leroy Anderson, whose niece told him “this is the year,” is making the Olympics trip for the first time.
"I told myself that I can't afford to miss this one," Leroy Anderson was quoted as saying. "I want to see it when she crosses that line first."
Richards-Ross was also accompanied by her husband Aaron Ross, a Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback who took time off from training to watch her.
"He has been such an inspiration for me and my best friend, my biggest confidante," Richards-Ross told the Sentinel. " … Just having him there and also being so motivational and encouraging has played a huge, huge part in me getting back to where I was in 2009."
Richards-Ross will also run in the 1600-meter relay, which falls on Saturday. She said she’s motivated by the “U-S-A” chants and the feeling that comes from standing on the podium.
"It's definitely been my motivating factor after Beijing," she told the newspaper. "It's what has kept me in the sport. That's how special it is."
