yet to win any individual world or Olympic title. Up until then, the young athlete had run a total of 27 races below the 50-second barrier. After winning the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials, Richards-Ross was favored to win gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However, in Beijing, the heavy favorite faltered, coming off the curve with a huge lead and having nothing left to come home. She held on for the bronze medal as Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain and Shericka Williams of Jamaica surged ahead. Richards-Ross later avenged her individual loss by making up a ten-meter deficit in the women's 4 × 400 meters relay and catching the Russian sprinter on the anchor leg right before the finish line, allowing Team USA to win by a 0.28-second margin. Throughout her entire sporting career, Richards-Ross answered questions regarding the 2008 Olympic 400 meters race with self-described half-truths, attributing her loss to a sudden right hamstring injury, lack of sleep, or fate. In her 2017 memoir Chasing Grace: What the Quarter Mile Taught Me about God and Life, she finally revealed the underlying reason for her disappointing loss at the 2008 Olympics; one month before the Games, Richards-Ross discovered that she was pregnant and decided to terminate the pregnancy the day before leaving for Beijing. A devout Christian woman and a world-class athlete at the prime of her career, she endured much physical and emotional turmoil following her difficult decision, even into the 2008 Olympics, as explicated in the book: "I made a decision that broke me, and one from which I would not immediately heal from. Abortion would now forever be a part of my life. A scarlet letter I never thought I'd wear." 2009–2011 With the echoes of her Beijing loss still lingering into 2009, Richards-Ross began working with a sports psychologist, at the urging of coach Clyde Hart, to overcome her bouts of anxiety and emotional anguish. Her efforts on the track coupled with her mental preparation made a difference as the 2009 season became her most successful to date. Richards-Ross won the 400 meters U.S. national title in 50.05 seconds, 0.74 seconds over second-place finisher Debbie Dunn, and qualified for the 2009 Berlin World Championships. In Berlin, she won her first global 400 meters title by dominating the 400 meters final from start to finish, winning in 49.00 seconds and proving to her critics that she could