Sha’Carri Richardson sprints onto US Olympic team after winning 100 in 10.71 seconds

 

Eugene, Oregon (AP) – Sha'Carri Richardson began to beat her chest two steps before she crossed the finish line.

She was certain she had won. She is the sprinter to beat at the Olympics in Paris later this summer, so anyone who doesn't believe so should probably reconsider.

With a 10.71-second sprint in the 100 metres at the U.S. track trials on Saturday, Richardson completed the most recent leg of her "I'm Not Back, I'm Better" tour. This achievement officially earned her a trip to France, where the women's races begin on August 2. Richardson is now the fastest woman in the world this year.

This meet's final was the third time Richardson's poor start occurred. She finished well in the clear for the third time in the meet.

She beat 2022 U.S. champion Melissa Jefferson, her training partner, by.09 seconds. Twanisha Terry, another sprinter in coach Dennis Mitchell's squad, placed third and was selected for the women's 100-meter team.

Richardson remarked, "I feel honoured." "I believe that every experience I've had in life has prepared me for this moment."

She was obviously overcome with emotion as she dropped to one knee just moments after her line-crossing celebration.

"It was pure joy because of all the hard work I did to become the mature young lady I am today—not just physically on the track, but also mentally and emotionally," she said.

For the 24 year old Texan, it has been an interesting journey. She had won this event three years prior as well (in 10.86 seconds), but the victory was revoked due to a positive marijuana test, which revealed everything from her personal depressive difficulties to an anti-doping policy that had not been updated. 

That was the start of the hard work. What surfaced, according to Richardson, was a more refined and attuned individual than the one who captivated this very Hayward Field in 2021 — her orange hair flowing, evoking the image of this sport's breakout hero.

When the results reappeared on the track, it took over two years. However, she followed up her 2023 national championship victory with a global win a month later, saying, "I'm not back, I'm better."

Richardson remarked, "I'd say the message I'm sending out is to believe in yourself no matter what," essentially restating his remarks from Budapest the previous year. "You want to stay true to who you are. Remain rooted in your efforts and yourself.

Considering the opposition she will face, it is a dangerous move to offer her the gold medal in Paris. Richardson has never attended an Olympic Games, but Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, and two-time defending champion Elaine Thompson-Herah have 19 medals between them and are all scheduled to compete at the Jamaican trials next weekend.

Thompson-Herah's latest injury has complicated that calculation. Fraser-Pryce, on the other hand, has not been seen much in 2024, and Jackson is the two-time world champion in the 200 metres, a race in which Richardson is competing next week at the trials after finishing third at the championships.

Back home, Americans are supporting one another, and Mitchell—a major figure in sprinting during the 1990s—achieved a unique feat by sending all three of his finest sprinters to the Olympics.

According to Mitchell, "there's probably a point-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-something" chance of receiving all three. However, those girls were unaffected by the odds. They went into the situation with a plan, which they successfully carried out, and they are deserving of every success.

It's difficult to contest Richardson's status as the favourite given that, despite a poor start, she beat the season's best time and finished ahead of schedule. She did not bite when asked if she had a timing in mind for the Olympics.

She remarked, "I just know that the time will come with it if I execute and run the race I'm trained for."

Next up, Noah

It's Noah Lyles' time next. The current 100-meter world champion raced his preliminary heat in 9.92 seconds, the fastest time in the first round of men's qualifying, before Richardson took the lead. Sunday, he will compete to earn a spot in the Olympics.

Like Richardson, Lyles struggled with melancholy during the COVID-19-fueled days of the Olympics in Tokyo. Despite making it to the games, he only won a bronze in the 200 metres. Adding the 100 to his repertory has been the focus of the past 24 months. In his first race at Hayward this week, he looked good.

For a very long time, it has been "a long time," Lyles remarked. "And I'm just so grateful to be in this situation, to be content, to be racing, and to feel like myself."

FINAL RESULTS
1) Sha'Carri Richardson | 10.71
2) Melissa Jefferson | 10.80
3) Twanisha Terry | 10.89
4) Tamari Davis | 10.91
5) Aleia Hobbs | 10.93
6) Tamara Clark | 10.95
7) Candace Hill | 11.00
8) Jenna Prandini | 11.02
9) Anavia Battle | 11.12