SANYA RICHARDS
Event: 400m
Height: 5-8
Weight: 136
PR: 400m - 48.70AR (2006); 100m - 11.05 (2007); 200m - 22.17 (2006)
Born: February 26, 1985 in Kingston, Jamaica
Current Residence: Austin, Texas
High School: St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) HS '02
College: University of Texas '06
Coach: Clyde Hart
Agent: Sharon Richards
Club: Nike

Career Highlights: 2007 World Outdoor 4x400m gold medalist; 3-time USA Outdoor Champion ('03, ’05, ’06); 2006 IAAF World Athlete of the Year and Jesse Owens Award winner; 2005 World Outdoor silver medalist; 2005 Visa Champion; 2005 Visa Humanitarian Athlete of the Year; 2004 Olympic 4x400m gold medalist; 2003 World Outdoor 4x400m gold medalist; 2003  NCAA 400m champion; 2003 USATF Youth Athlete of the Year; 2002 World Junior Championships 400m silver medalist; 2002 U.S. Junior 200m & 400m champion

In the spring of 2007, Richards struggled with illness, which forced her to pull out of several early meets. In just her third meet of the season, Richards ran a world-leading time of 50.02 in the semifinals at the 2007 USA Outdoor Championships, but suffered her first loss in the 400m since the 2005 World Championships, finishing fourth in the final. Richards bounced back to a runner-up finish in the 200m to qualify for the World Championships...At age 21, Richards had one of the greatest seasons ever by an American 400-meter runner in 2006. She ran under 50 seconds nine times during the season, including breaking the American record on September 16 with her time of 48.70 at the IAAF World Cup in Athens. The win put her #7 on the all-time world list. Richards ran the five fastest times in the world in 2006, the six fastest times by an American and 10 of the top 11 American performances. She was undefeated outdoors in the 400 on the year, winning a $249,999 portion of the jackpot for sweeping the Golden League series and taking the USA Indoor, USA Outdoor, World Athletics Final and World Cup titles. All told, she won 15 consecutive races and added the World Cup 200m crown as well. For her extraordinary season, Richards added the 2006 Jesse Owens Award to her trophy case...One of the top prep track athletes in United States history at St. Thomas Aquinas High in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Richards now is now the #1-ranked 400-meter running in the world. After winning the 2005 USA Outdoors gold in 49.28, Richards won every race she ran except the final of the World Outdoors in Helsinki, where she finished second in 49.74... her only other loss on the year was at the Nike Prefontaine Classic, to Olympic and world champion Tonique Williams-Darling ... Richards made history in 2005 in becoming the second-fastest American in history and the youngest woman ever to run under 49 seconds in the women's 400 meters. She ran 48.92 seconds to win by 0.38 of a second over Williams-Darling of the Bahamas at the Weltklasse meet in Zurich... she ran sub-50 nine times in 2005... later in 2005 Richards won the Visa Humanitarian Athlete of the Year award for her integral role as a participant in USA Track & Field's "Be a Champion" program. She has participated in several events speaking to young people in communities from Miami, Fla., to Austin, Texas. She spent a great deal of time working with adolescents in at-risk situations. In 2004, Richards ran 50.82 seconds to win gold in the 400 meters to set a collegiate, championship, facility and school records at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships then she also anchored the Texas 4x400m relay to its second consecutive national crown…outdoors in 2004, she broke her own American junior record three times in the 400, including the Olympic Trials first round (50.22) and final, where she was second in 49.85 seconds…her 50.49 in the NCAA semifinals was her first outdoor AJR of the year…in 2003 she won the U.S. and NCAA titles, and anchored Team USA to 4x400m gold at the World Outdoor Championships…she is the U.S. junior record-holder in the 400m…tabbed USATF’s Verizon Youth Athlete of the Year and Track & Field News Women’s Prep Athlete of the Year and Womens Indoor Prep Athlete of the Year in 2002…Richards is a two-time Florida High School Female Athlete of the Year…named the 2002 Gatorade National High School Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year…she holds national high school indoor record in the 400m (52.10)…posted the nation’s top prep 100m (11.39) and 400m (50.69) times and the #2 mark in the 200m (23.01) in 2002…broke the U.S. high school and junior records in the 400m with a 50.69 clocking at the 2002 USATF Junior National Championships. Her 50.69 was the seventh-fastest 400m time in the world in 2002, and she also won the 200m in 23.31 at that meet…she grabbed the 400m silver medal at 2002 World Junior Championships held in her native Jamaica…Richards set the indoor 200m and 400m prep standards at the National Indoor Scholastic Championships in February, 2002, and dominated the Florida 3A prep competition during her career, winning 10 individual gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 400m and long jump and one in the 4x100m relay…she helped St. Thomas Aquinas win four straight state team crowns and she owns the Florida state 400m record (52.51)…she also lettered in basketball in high school and is a member of the National Honor Society, ending her high school academic career with a 4.0 GPA…an engineering major at Texas, she will compete professionally with two seasons of eligibility remaining…Richards is a talented singer and dancer, regularly putting on shows, along with her sister, for family and friends. Her official website is www.sanyarichards.net.

2007: World Outdoor 4x400m gold medalist (3:18.55)...5th in 200m at World Outdoors (22.70)...2nd in 200m (22.43) and 4th in 400m (50.68) at USA Outdoors...1st in 400m at Nike Prefontaine Classic (50.74)...1st at Oslo (50.26)...1st at Paris (49.52)...1st at Rome (49.77)...2nd in 200m at Sheffield (22.44)...1st at London (49.79)...2nd in 100m, 400m at Stockholm (11.05PR, 49.72)...ranked #1 in the world (#1 U.S.) at 400m, #4 in the world (#3 U.S.) at 200m and #8 in the U.S. at 100m by T&FN...bests of 49.27, 22.31 and 11.05.
2006: World Cup 200m and 400m champion (22.23, 48.70AR)...USA Outdoor Champion (49.27)...USA Indoor champion (51.28) ... 4th in semifinal 2 at World Indoors (52.46), while battling illness... 1st in 400m, 2nd in 200m at World Athletics Final (49.25, 22.17PR)...1st in 200m at adidas Track Classic (22.42)...1st at Nike Prefontaine Classic (50.89)...1st at Kingston (49.89)...1st in the 200m at the Norwich Union GP (22.25)...1st at the Oslo (49.82)...1st at Paris (49.73)...1st at Rome (49.31)...2nd in 200m at Stockholm (22.35)...1st at London (49.05)...ranked #1 in the world (#1 U.S.) at 400m and #2 in the world (#2 U.S.) at 200m by T&FN...bests of 22.17 and 48.70AR.
2005: World Outdoor silver medalist (49.74)...USA Outdoor champion (49.28)...race was 1st time 3 American women ran under 50 in the same race...1st in Zurich (48.92PR)...1st at Lausanne (49.95) and Rome (49.82)...2nd in 400m at Nike Prefontaine Classic (49.98)...1st in 400m at adidas Track Classic (50.00)... ranked #1 in the world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN...best of 48.92.
2004: 4x400m Olympic gold medalist (3rd leg - 3:19.01)...Olympic Trials 400m runner-up (49.89)...6th at Olympic Games (50.19)...NCAA Indoor 400m (50.82 collegiate record) and 4x400m (3:28.69) champion...NCAA Indoor 200m runner-up (22.49i)...3rd in 400m at NCAA outdoors (50.68)...4th at Zurich (50.91)...1st at 100m (11.32) & 200m (22.73) at Big 12 Championships...1st in 400m at the NCAA Midwest championship (50.66)...1st in 60m (7.21i) & 1st in 200m (22.86i) at Lincoln...1st in 400m at Tyson Foods Invitational (51.45i)...ranked #6 in the world (#3 U.S.) by T&FN...best of 49.89.
2003: USA Outdoor 400m champion 400m (51.01)...NCAA Outdoor champion (50.58PR)...2nd at NCAA Indoors 200m (22.90)...2nd at NCAA Indoors 400m (51.87)...1st at NCAA Indoors 4x400m relay (3:27.66)...won Big 12 Indoors 60m (7.32)...won Big 12 Indoors 200m (23.04)...1st in Sacramento (50.58, U.S. Junior record, U.S. leader)...4th in heat 2 of World Outdoor Championships semifinal (51.32)...World Outdoor 4x400m relay gold medalist (anchor leg 3:22.63 - World Leader)...ranked #8 in the world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN...bests of 22.86 (200m) & 50.58 (400m).
2002: USA Junior 400m champion in U.S. Junior and High School record time (50.69)...won 400m silver medal at World Junior Championships (51.49)...won bronze medal at World Juniors 200m (23.09)...2nd at Nike Prefontaine 400m (51.16)...1st at Raleigh 200m (23.03)...1st at 100m at Raleigh (11.39PR)...ranked #5 at 200m, & 400m in the U.S. by T&FN...bests of 11.39PR, 23.03PR & 50.69AJR.
2001: best of 23.09.

2/2/08