Sanya Richards Ross Addresses Race, Family and Philanthropy

Sanya Richards Ross is a former Olympic gold medalist and one of the most decorated track and field athletes in history. She is also an entrepreneur, wife and mother. Despite the demands of her career, she continues to lead a healthy lifestyle through fitness and philanthropy.

She has been a Nike brand ambassador since 2010, and in 2011 she was honored to be named one of Glamour magazine’s “Top 50 Women in Sports.” Aside from her professional accomplishments, Richards-Ross is an advocate for social justice issues and is a member of MommiNation, an online support group that provides resources for Black moms and bloggers.

The former track and field star currently lives in Atlanta with her husband, NFL cornerback Aaron Ross, and their son, Aaron Ross II. They moved to the area in October of last year, and are excited to enjoy life as a family with their new neighborhood and all that the city has to offer.

As a mom, Richards-Ross tries to incorporate fitness and wellness into her family’s daily life, but she also makes sure to keep her priorities in check and not let other things take over. In fact, she’s so focused on her family that she didn’t want to shoot any reality shows during her track season this year.

During the shooting of her new show, “Glam & Gold,” she said her husband and parents helped her stay focused on the project. The couple is hoping the show does well and they’ll be shooting again in September.

When she wasn’t busy working, Richards-Ross found time to spend with her family, even going on vacation. She recently revealed that she and her family are planning a trip to Walt Disney World.

She is excited to see the different areas of the park. She especially likes the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom because she loves animals. She plans to bring her son along so he can experience the parks and meet some of the characters as well.

Richards-Ross grew up in Kingston, Jamaica and began competing in track and field at age 12 for her high school. In 2007, she founded Fast Track Program, a nonprofit organization that tutors children in literacy and mathematics and promotes an active lifestyle through sport.

While she was a college student, she ran for UT, where she was the NCAA 400-meter champion and an All-American. She also anchored the 4×400-meter relay team to gold in 2012.

Now, she works as an NBC Sports track and field analyst. She’s also a fitness and wellness enthusiast and teaches an intermediate six-part workout series through interactive personal training company iFit.

When she’s not focusing on her career, Richards-Ross enjoys running and volunteering. She’s also a huge fan of fashion and has appeared in multiple spreads for Seventeen, Vogue and Glamour.

She and her husband, Aaron Ross, have been together since college and have a son, Aaron Ross II. They live in a house with nine people in it, including their pets.