Sanya Richards-Ross Reveals the Key to Her Successful Switch from Jamaica to Team USA

Sanya Richards-Ross Reveals the Key to Her Successful Switch from Jamaica to Team USA

Abigael Wafula 19:30 - 17.04.2025

Sanya Richards-Ross has explained the key aspect that shaped her journey from Jamaica to the US.

Sanya Richards-Ross has revealed the key aspect that made her transition from representing Jamaica to the US a success.

The four-time Olympic champion was born in Kingston, Jamaica and began running at the tender age of seven. At the age of 12, Sanya Richards-Ross relocated to the US with her family.

In her final year at high school in Florida in 2002, she was named the National High School Female Athlete of the Year and USA Track and Field Youth Athlete of the Year.

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In the same year, she got the full American citizenship and began studying at the University of Texas at Austin. Many athletes tend to find it difficult settling in after relocating to new places, but for Sanya Richards-Ross, the journey was quite easy.

Sanya Richards-Ross reveals the secret

Sanya Richards-Ross

The five-time world champion revealed that she experienced a bit of challenges at first; however, she managed to quickly settle in after she found her tribe.

Coming from a public school and having an accent were Sanya Richards-Ross' major challenges, but she revealed that after joining the track and field community and that is how she managed to cope with most of the issues.

She pointed out that she had a lot of friends, and her winning ways also saved the day since she became a favourite of many students. She admitted that her school was not so good at track and field, and she changed the narrative.

“It was hard for me at first. I remember when I went to school, coming from being in uniforms. I was in a public school for one year before I went private, and just that, then my accent was all of these things,” Sanya Richards-Ross said in an interview on the Meet The Mitchells podcast.

“I was trying to adjust to it, but I remember when I joined the track team, it was like that was like my safe space, you know, and it made me feel like I belonged. I made a lot of friends, and so it made my transition from Jamaica to America very easy.

“My middle school, which I went to, was like not on the radar at all, and so we won the 100m, 200m and 400m, the County championship. So, of course, everybody loved me in the school, you know.”

Sanya Richards-Ross on turning professional

Sanya Richards-Ross

She then moved to St Thomas Aquinas, a school well-known for its track and field exploits, and Sanya Richards-Ross did not rest on her laurels.

She explained that her parents played a huge role in her success as an athlete and in school, providing all the necessary support.

Sanya Richards-Ross only studied for two years in college before turning professional, just like Justin Gatlin did. She signed with Nike, who catered for her school and also paid her for as long as she continued gracing the track with her remarkable talent.

She admitted that the collegiate system is also a bit tough, especially for athletes who are not at liberty to go professional, revealing that there is an aspect of burnout since most coaches are always just focused on winning.

“I only did two years in the college system, and I went pro as well. I won freshman year came back sophomore year, I should have won but I had an injury so my stock was a little bit down,” Sanya Richards-Ross said.

“However, I still thought it was a good time because it was my Olympic year, 2004, and I ended up winning that one and went on to make the team. So, just like Justin (Gatlin), I signed with Nike. They picked up the rest of my schooling.”

Sanya Richards-Ross’ smooth transition from Jamaica to the US and into a successful athletic career came down to finding the right support system early on, staying grounded in her passion, and seizing opportunities as they came, a journey shaped by community, family, and timing.

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