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Sanya Richards-Ross to retire after Rio Olympics

Sanya Richards-Ross

BEIJING, CHINA - AUGUST 29: Sanya Richards-Ross of the United States competes in the Women’s 4x400 Metres Relay heats during day eight of the 15th IAAF World Athletics Championships Beijing 2015 at Beijing National Stadium on August 29, 2015 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for IAAF)

Alexander Hassenstein

Olympic 400m champion Sanya Richards-Ross plans to make the Rio Olympics her final meet, according to her social media.

The announcement was not a surprise from Richards-Ross, 31 and a three-time Olympian.

Richards-Ross previously said she could see Rio being her final Olympics and that she (very briefly) considered retiring during this injury-plagued Olympic cycle.

Richards-Ross will be older in August than any woman who owns an Olympic 400m medal, according to sports-reference.com.

One woman has won back-to-back Olympic 400m golds — France’s Marie-José Pérec in 1992 and 1996.

Richards-Ross must finish in the top three in the U.S. Olympic Trials 400m final on July 3 to clinch a berth in the individual 400m in Rio. She likely needs to be top six to earn a place on the Olympic 4x400m relay.

Richards-Ross shockingly failed to make the eight-woman final at the 2015 U.S. Championships but was still named to the 4x400m relay team for Worlds last August.

She entered the U.S. Championships as the second-fastest woman in the world in the event in 2015.

Now, World champion Allyson Felix is the Olympic 400m favorite. Countrywoman Francena McCorory finished 2015 as the second-fastest American, followed by Richards-Ross.

Two more Americans -- Courtney Okolo and Quanera Hayes -- have already posted 400m times in 2016 that were faster than Richards-Ross’ best all of last year.

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