Olympian Sanya Richards-Ross Reveals Abortion Before The Beijing Games

Five-time Olympic medalist Sanya Richards-Ross is opening up about having an abortion only weeks before the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.

In her new memoir, Chasing Grace: What the Quarter Mile Has Taught Me About God and Life, the 32-year-old athlete says that she made the decision with her fiancé at the time, now husband Aaron Ross, to have the abortion.

“Over the phone, we didn’t go into details,” she wrote. “As if not saying it would alleviate some of the guilt and the shame.”

In 2008, Sanya and Aaron were engaged and were planning on marrying in 2010, according to People. Both Sanya and Aaron were athletes heading into the primes of their careers. She was getting ready for the Olympics and he was playing in the NFL.

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“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 wasn’t present at the time of her procedure as he was at training camp. Sanya Richards-Ross wrote that the experience was done “quickly” but that she couldn’t shake the emotional pain.

“I made a decision that broke me, and one from which I would not immediately heal,” she writes. “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.”

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The day after the procedure, Richards-Ross flew to Beijing for the Olympic games. Even though her doctor recommended that she rest for two weeks, she still competed.

During an interview with ESPN, Richards-Ross opened up about why she chose to speak out about her abortion in her memoir.

“The name of the book is called Chasing Grace. Chasing is something I’ve been doing all my life.,” she said. “I’m chasing gold medals; I’m chasing records, and chasing the best version of myself. So, for me, if I didn’t share the toughest moment in my life where I felt God’s grace the most, it would be disingenuous to this journey. I think there are lots of young girls who experience this especially female athletes. I look forward to having more discussions about it and helping young women heal from it.”

In February, Sanya and her husband announced that they are expecting a child.

“Many parts of our lives have felt like a fairy tale, but this is our biggest blessing yet,” the couple said. “We are so excited to start a family and can’t wait to begin this new adventure!”