The U.S. women’s 4×100m squad faced nerves and chaos in equal measure at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. But just before Sha’Carri Richardson started her anchor leg run, her stance was saved by Kayla White. As White reached her stop to hand the baton over, she was captured adjusting the baton so that Richardson could get a good grip on it, avoiding any chances of a baton drop. This was one of the major reasons why the American team surpassed the Jamaican team. And now, it’s time for the big guns to put the well-deserved praise in White’s name. 

Letsrun.com’s Jonathan Gault recently interviewed the USATF relay coach, Darryl Woodson, in a Q&A session. During the conversation, Gault questioned whether Kayla White adjusting the baton right before handing it to Richardson had something to do with their training. But it turns out that it was pure instinct on White’s part. Woodson pointed out, “She has a very high track IQ, or at least relay [IQ], and she did something similar earlier in the year at the World Relays where she was cognizant of not letting the baton go before she actually made the exchange.” And this was one of the reasons why everyone was enthusiastic about working with the American team. After all, the athletes were aware of everything around them. 

The coach continued, “You talk about lane integrity, but that was zone integrity too. Knowing where you’re at, what time is the right place to do stuff.” He also pointed out that the moment was a bit sticky for the team. All because the conditions weren’t ideal. And hence, the athletes had to be more careful about “impediment or bumping another person or something.” 

Nevertheless, things worked out pretty well, with the team claiming the gold medals. And Darryl Woodson was absolutely proud of the team. He said, “We got the exchange off and the result was really good at the end. We put it in a really good place with Sha’Carri Richardson and, there were no doubts at that point.” 

Such things often demand intense coordination among the teammates. And the US program certainly had a role to play in the women’s 4x100m victory at the Tokyo World Championships. 

How did the US program help Sha’Carri Richardson and others win the 2025 World Championship?

As the conversation continued, Gault wondered about how much time the American relay team practiced together. After all, the kind of performance they showcased could only be achieved through intense practice sessions. Well, the USATF coach didn’t really have a count of the days and repetitions that the team practiced. But he had one thing to say.

Darryl Woodson stated, “The one thing about the US program, having so many athletes in this particular time that had individual events — and we had quite a few people doubling — so we had to minimize load management.” 

Even if the team wanted to practice more, there was a smart reason not to. The officials didn’t really want to risk their individual events just for the sake of winning the relay race. In the end, the team had enough practice to claim the win. Talking about the practice sessions, Woodson said, “And actually I’m glad that we didn’t overwork the athlete because that could also interfere with their individual performances.” In the end, smart planning, sharp instincts, and perfect teamwork sealed the deal for Team USA in relays.