It may be nine years later, but Sanya Richards-Ross still feels the emotional pain.
It may be nine years later, but Sanya Richards-Ross still feels the emotional pain.
The former US track star, who won a gold medal during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, revealed in her new memoir, Chasing Grace: What the Quarter Mile Has Taught Me About God and Life, that she had an abortion just days before competing.
“The culmination of a lifetime of work was right before me, ” she wrote, according to People . “In that moment, it seemed like no choice at all. The debate of when life begins swirled through my head, and the veil of a child out of wedlock at the prime of my career seemed unbearable. What would my sponsors, my family, my church, and my fans think of me?”
Richards-Ross made the decision with fiance and now-husband Aaron Ross, who was a cornerback for the Giants. She wrote that she feared what entering the public spotlight under those circumstances.
“Everything I ever wanted seemed to be within reach, ” she wrote. “The culmination of a lifetime of work was right before me. In that moment, it seemed like no choice at all. The debate of when life begins swirled through my head, and the veil of a child out of wedlock at the prime of my career seemed unbearable. What would my sponsors, my family, my church, and my fans think of me?”
Ross couldn’ t be present for the procedure because of training camp, and although it was done quickly, Richards-Ross writes that the emotional pain took far longer to deal with.
“I made a decision that broke me, and one from which I would not immediately heal, ” she wrote. “Abortion would now forever be a part of my life. A scarlet letter I never thought I’ d wear. I was a champion — and not just an ordinary one, but a world-class, record-breaking champion. From the heights of that reality I fell into a depth of despair.”
Now, with both athletes moving on from their careers, they are looking forward to settling down and beginning a family together, with the couple announcing a new pregnancy in February.
“Many parts of our lives have felt like a fairy tale, but this is our biggest blessing yet, ” the couple told People. “We are so excited to start a family and can’ t wait to begin this new adventure!”
