The U.S. women’s relay team pulled off a stunning upset over Jamaica, clinching gold in the 4×100 relay at the world championships Saturday.
The team, which featured Melissa Jefferson, Abby Steiner, Jenna Prandini and Twanisha Terry, finished with a winning time of 41.14.
Terry held off 200m world champion Shericka Jackson down the stretch to edge out Jamaica for a thrilling .04-second victory.
Still not over this finish 🤯Melissa Jefferson 🇺🇸, @abbysteiner1 🇺🇸, @J_Prandini 🇺🇸 and @TeeTeeTerry_ 🇺🇸 make the home crowd go crazy and strike women's 4x100m gold for the USA!#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/H9BGofdiIu— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) July 24, 2022
Still not over this finish 🤯Melissa Jefferson 🇺🇸, @abbysteiner1 🇺🇸, @J_Prandini 🇺🇸 and @TeeTeeTerry_ 🇺🇸 make the home crowd go crazy and strike women's 4x100m gold for the USA!#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/H9BGofdiIu
Jamaica’s lineup boasted big names, including Jackson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Kemba Nelson and Elaine Thompson-Herah.
While Jamaica held the speed advantage heading into Saturday’s event, the U.S. was in sync.
“You can have the fastest runner, but if there’s no chemistry and there’s no trust, and the baton isn’t moving through the exchange, you aren’t going to produce that fast of a time,” Terry said.
Saturday’s victory marks the U.S.’ first 4×100 relay victory since 2017.