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"I just feel lighter and free, and so I'm just going to go out there and give it my best and hopefully make it through the semifinals as well," said Richards-Ross, whose husband is Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Aaron Ross.
The only other U.S. gold so far in track and field came Monday night from pole vaulter Jenn Suhr.
For the first time she could remember, Suhr entered a big meet buoyed by a positive message from her husband, Rick, who's been her coach since before they were married.
"Before I went out here, he said, 'You're going to win this,'" Suhr said. "I've competed 100 times and that's not something he says. It puts that extra spunk that I could do this. Someone else believes in me that much."
The takeaway was that no one is unbeatable -- not even Russian superstar Yelena Isinbayeva, the two-time defending champion and world-record holder.
Suhr vaulted 15 feet, 7 inches (4.75 meters) to defeat Cuba's Yarisley Silva, who cleared the same height but lost on a tiebreaker because she had one more miss in the competition. Of greater significance, Suhr defeated Isinbayeva, whose top height of 15-5 (4.70) was only good enough for a bronze this time.
When it was over, Suhr rushed over to the stands to find her husband, who draped a U.S. flag around her shoulders while she sobbed into his chest. What a contrast from four years ago, when Rick was caught on camera berating Suhr after she was the runner-up to Isinbayeva.
Few knew at the time that they were romantically involved and would be married two years later.
"If he could get out there and try to push me over the bar, he would. He's done so much for me. He cares so much. People are like, 'Your coach is intense.' It's because he has that passion and knows how much I want it. It's two people with that kind of passion and drive. We compete, and we compete hard," she said. "You can see the way it goes back and forth. We're talking. We're emotional. It's something we put our hearts into and blood, sweat and tears. It's two people working toward one goal."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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