2012 Olympic 400-meters champion Sanya Richards-Ross has revealed that she had an abortion the day before she left for the Olympic Games in Beijing , China in 2008.
The Jamaican-born Richards-Ross, made the revelation in her book ‘Chasing Grace’
She is now a track and field analyst on NBC.
Recognized as one of the world’s premier middle distance runners, Richards-Ross was tipped to win the one-lap sprint in China but was beaten by Great Britain’s Christine Ohuruogu and Jamaica’s Shericka Williams, after coming into the home stretch well clear of the field. She claimed then that a hamstring injury had affected her ability to close with a 100 meters to go.
However, in her much anticipated book, Richards-Ross, who is now pregnant with her first child, made the startling revelation.
“I literally prayed about that [revealing the abortion] for almost two years because it is something that is really private, and a lot of women don’t talk about it,” Richards-Ross said on a podcast. “When I found out I was pregnant before the Olympics, it was the toughest time of my life. … It wasn’t an easy story to share. Even, I think about, oh my God, I wonder how people are going to receive it. But, ultimately, I did it to glorify God and to tell people that you can come back from any decision, no matter how hard it is to make.”
“Chasing Grace” was released Tuesday.
