Today Sha’Carri Richardson ensured that the fastest time of the 2025 season in the 4x100m women’s relay stays with the U.S. So let’s break it down: Jacious Sears started off the blocks, passing the baton to Twanisha Terry. After another good run and a smooth changeover with Kayla White, it was for the 2023 World Champion. Thanks to the first three sprinters, she had a lead that she only had to make longer. But after she comfortably pulled her team through to the final, Richardson was tight-lipped in the mixed zone about a certain personnel change.

The US women won their 4x100m semifinal of the World Athletics Championships in a world lead of 41.60s. Germany followed in behind at 41.86, and Great Britain was third in 41.88. Richardson clocked the second fastest split of her team, i.e., 10.14. Significantly, this was the relay team’s biggest event since the departure of head relay coach Mechelle Freeman earlier this year.

But when asked about their new coach in the post-race interview, White shrugged and said, “It’s been fine,” as Richardson added, “No comment. No comment. We’ve been great, and we’re going to continue to be great because as athletes, we are women are going to show up and our coach and athletes that we all have the same common goal. So, no comment to the coach change.”

In March 2025, USA Track & Field (USATF) announced the appointment of Darryl Woodson as the Head Relay Coach for all international teams. “Darryl Woodson is the ideal coach to lead our new model under the direction of our co-General Managers, Wallace Spearmon and Michael Nussa, and we are excited to begin execution and deliver,” read their statement. But is there more to the story?

Well, Mechelle Freeman, days after the USTAF announcement, posted the following cryptic message: “Imagine building a home from the ground up, and when it’s finished and everything proves to work so nicely, someone else moves in and takes it over. Yeah, Enjoy. 😏“. This had fans speculating about the meaning of the comment and the timing of it, leading some to wonder about the motivations behind replacing Freeman.

Because, under Freeman, the U.S. women’s relay team enjoyed a glut of success. She led the team to three consecutive gold medals in the 4×100m relay at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics. And in that race at the 2022 Worlds, she engineered a huge upset victory over the Jamaican “big 3” of Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Shericka Jackson. Not to mention, Richardson has known Freeman since her early days.

In fact, Freeman was one of the people to recognize Richarson’s anchor potential. In a podcast appearance, she said, “I worked with Sha’Carri on a junior team, and she ran the third leg. And she runs an amazing third leg…She’s one of the best anchors of all time that I have. She showed it; she showed the people running. She showed the world that she was the best anchor leg.”

But if the reporter was looking for a juicy soundbite from Richardson, her words about Woodson were nothing but diplomatic. And when she was asked about the performance at the 4x100m relay semis, she simply said,”Everything these ladies said.” Nevertheless, they have qualified and will be sprinting for gold tomorrow.

Sha’Carri Richardson was the picture of confidence after the semifinal

Though she had little to say about the new coach, Sha’Carri Richardson had no such qualms about her performance today. “Once I got the baton, I knew I’d just have to finish the race,” said Richardson. “Mission accomplished today. We want to bring back that gold again.”

Although Team USA will face stiff competition in the form of Jamaica in the final (who finished their semi in 41.80s), the Americans are still tipped to win. Because Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, the new 100m and 200m world champion, is set to join the lineup, potentially in the anchor spot, with Richardson running an earlier leg.

But with the U.S. and Jamaica recording sub-42 finishes in the semis, fans can anticipate a nail biting face-off in the final. Can Jamaica stage an upset of their own this time, or is Team USA’s firepower too explosive to dampen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.