Olympic Gold medalist and reality tv star Sanya Richards Ross covers PYNK Magazine's ELITE issue where she reflects on her career highs, exposing intimate details of her life on television and reveals how she keeps her marriage "spicy." More inside....
For PYNK Magazine's ELITE issue, Sanya Richards-Ross, who stars on the hit WeTV series "Glam & Gold", opens up about surviving low points in her career, winning her first Track & Field gold medal and how she and her NFLer hubby, Aaron Ross, manage to keeping their sex life exciting. We doubt it's all that hard for those two.
Here are highlights from the interview:
PYNK: You started running at age 7. Was there a particular athlete that served as a role model for you growing up?
SRR: “Growing up in Jamaica, I admired Melin Ossie so much. She was a hero in Jamaica. I watched her in the Olympics and wanted to be just like her.”
PYNK: After the race starts, what’s the first thing that goes through your mind?
SRR: “I think most of my thoughts before the gun goes off. After the gun goes off, it’s just about executing my race strategy. When I’m standing behind my block I tell myself that I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. I remind myself how prepared I am for this moment. I really try to encourage myself on the start line. During the race, I’m laser focused on really trying to execute each phase of my race strategy so that I can run my best race.”
PYNK: Most athletes like to listen to Hip-Hop music to get ready for a competition or game. What’s your favorite song that gets you amped up?
SRR: “I love listening to music but my husband and sister are usually the ones that put the music on my phone. I’m that person that’s like ‘download on my phone what you have’ [laughs]. Right now Beyonce’s “Bow Down” is what gets me hype. When I put that on I feel like I’m that chick!”
PYNK: How did it feel the first time you won an Olympic Gold Medal?
SRR: “When I won my first individual metal, it was incredible. I’d dreamt about winning an Olympic championship since I was 9 years old. In fact, we had an assignment in school where we had to write what we wanted to be when we grew up and I wrote that I wanted to be an Olympic champion. It’s something I dreamed of for a very long time. To be able to win and have my entire family there with me, it was more than I ever dreamed of. I felt like I ran into my destiny.”
PYNK: We loved your reality show, “Glam & Gold”. Did you have any concerns about doing reality TV?
SRR: “No, I didn’t. It was a good experience for us. It brought my family closer together so what more could you ask for? It was fun, I enjoyed it.”
PYNK: Was there anything that was left on the cutting room floor that you wish they would have shown?
SRR: “Yeah. It’s pretty hard to tell the full story of your life and relationships in an hour-long show. There were things with my sister and I that I felt like they showed a lot of our drama and struggles but I felt people didn’t get to see as much of how we connect. But I understood and I liked the show. Sometimes, I wished the picture was painted a little differently so that people would have more insight.”
PYNK: What was the lowest moment in your career?
SRR: “My lowest point was in the Beijing Olympics. I was favored to win the 400 [meter] and I won every race that season. The only race I lost was the Olympic finals. I was utterly devastated. It was by far the lowest point of my career because I wanted to win that race so badly. I just didn’t execute. I was overthinking and I was so nervous. There were so many things that happened that night. It was tough. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I realized I had to wait four more years to make it there again. It was a tough pill to swallow. But it made me stronger and my resolve even greater to come back and win in 2012. A huge part of being successful is embracing and learning from your failures.”
PYNK: Is there anything outside of the sports world that you dream of achieving?
SRR: “I have lots of big goals just like on the track! I do want to get into acting. I love acting and it’s something that I want to do when I’m done competing. I like hosting. I’d love to co-host a talk show like The View and I’m also an entrepreneur. My sister and I own a hair salon in Austin [Texas] and we’d love to open more and hopefully franchise our business.”
PYNK: What has been your greatest achievement in life?
SRR: “Having an amazing successful marriage has been one of my greatest achievements. Especially, navigating this world of sports with the travel and all of the demands that are placed on us. I’m so blessed to have a great guy in my corner. We both work really hard and cherish each other. It’s just been great.”
PYNK: How hard is it being married to another athlete?
SRR: “It’s as hard or as easy as you make it. Because [Aaron]Ross and I started dating in college, I think we figured out what worked for us very early on. I met him and then just a month later, I traveled for a month to compete. He would stay with me a lot and I remember my sister said he would be in the house listening to slow jams. You know, missing me [laughs]. But it’s just been great. We encourage each other. We support each other. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. So, when he’s away at training camp, I miss him desperately and can’t wait to see him and vice-versa. I think it minimizes our fights [laughs] because we’re so excited to see each other most of the time. It’s awesome. It works well for us.”
PYNK: Is there ever a power struggle between you two?
SRR: “No. That has been one of the greatest gifts of my marriage. My husband is so confident and comfortable in his own skin that he never feels like I’m doing too much or anything like that. He’s very supportive. For a woman, it’s much easier because we’re naturally supportive. I always want to see him do better and better every year. When he comes to events that are for me, he’s always like ‘no, it’s about her’. When people ask him for autographs, he’s very humble about it. So, we don’t have any power struggles at all.”
PYNK: Our last issue was the Provocative Issue, what advice do you have on how to keep a marriage spicy?
SRR: “Because [Aaron] Ross and I have great trust in our relationship we also have great trust in the bedroom as well. So, nothing is off limits. We have fun in the bedroom. We’ll be in like the most intimate moment, and we’ll just burst into laughter! It’s just amazing because it takes away all my inhibitions and I don’t feel like anything I do is awkward. I think having that level of trust is important so that you can have fun and explore together.”
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Photos via PYNK
