Sha’Carri Richardson won the women’s 100 meters with a world-leading time of 10.71 seconds, securing her spot in the Paris Olympics. Despite a sluggish start, she accelerated past the other sprinters at 60 meters, finishing well ahead.
“This time around, I feel as if it was more — definitely still confident, still my exciting, normal self, but more so the overwhelming feeling of joy,” Richardson said after the race.
Richardson, the reigning world champion, overcame a bad start and a loose shoelace in the opening round and continued her dominance in the semifinals and final. Melissa Jefferson finished second with a personal-best 10.80, and Twanisha Terry took third with 10.98. All three train together and will advance to the Paris Olympics.
“It definitely confirmed the year we’ve been training for. We’ve been preparing for this moment, it’s a full circle moment,” Richardson said. “We’re grateful and appreciative and I’m super excited to grow and build from this momentum that we’ve already established. It’s more than exciting to continue to go forward with my girls. We didn’t put the world on notice, the world already knew…We knew this moment could be possible if we put our minds, body and spirit into it.”
ICYMI, Richardson is in the midst of an impressive career stretch, having won gold at the 2023 world track and field championships and the Prefontaine Classic. Her consistent performances have made her one of the brightest stars heading to Paris.
Get this, the race marks Richardson’s second time qualifying for the Olympics in the 100 meters. In 2021, she made international headlines after testing positive for THC, resulting in a one-month suspension that kept her out of the Olympic 100 meters. This time, she is poised not only to compete in Paris but also to be the early favorite in the 100 meters.
“Everything I’ve been through is everything I’ve been through to be in this moment right now,” Richardson said. “And I would say going into the (Olympics), I don’t put a time on myself, I just know that if I execute and run the race that I trained and prepared for, the time comes with it. I’m just excited to go out there and run a well-executed race.”
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