Sha'Carri Richardson triumphed in the 100-meter final at the Olympic trials, held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday, securing her debut at the Olympics. Clocking in at 10.71 seconds, Richardson clinched the top spot and secured her place on the US Olympic team for the upcoming 2024 Paris Games. Her phenomenal performance set a new world record for the 100-meter dash.
Even though she stumbled at the start and had to finish the race with one shoe loose, the 24-year-old runner made it to the semifinals on Friday by winning first place. After finishing in 10.86 seconds in the semifinals heat, the Texas product moved on to Saturday's final.
Three other athletes, Twanisha Terry (third place) and Richardson's training partner Melissa Jefferson (second place), also made it to the Paris Olympics.
With her win in the women's 100-meter race at the US trials, Richardson was supposed to be one of the biggest stars at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, she did not go because she agreed to a one-month ban for testing positive for THC, a chemical found in marijuana.
In 2023, Richardson had a memorable year. At the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary, she set a new record by winning the women's 100-meter race in 10.65 seconds.
In the next race, the American runner won third place in the 200-meter event, behind Shericka Jackson of Jamaica and Gabby Thomas of the United States. As the leader of the American 4x100 relay team at the same event, Richardson won a second gold medal.
Sha’Carri Richardson runs the fastest 100m in the world this year to qualify for the #ParisOlympics! pic.twitter.com/ke9xz7EZ7H
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 23, 2024
Even though she stumbled at the start and had to finish the race with one shoe loose, the 24-year-old runner made it to the semifinals on Friday by winning first place. After finishing in 10.86 seconds in the semifinals heat, the Texas product moved on to Saturday's final.
Three other athletes, Twanisha Terry (third place) and Richardson's training partner Melissa Jefferson (second place), also made it to the Paris Olympics.
With her win in the women's 100-meter race at the US trials, Richardson was supposed to be one of the biggest stars at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, she did not go because she agreed to a one-month ban for testing positive for THC, a chemical found in marijuana.
In 2023, Richardson had a memorable year. At the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary, she set a new record by winning the women's 100-meter race in 10.65 seconds.
In the next race, the American runner won third place in the 200-meter event, behind Shericka Jackson of Jamaica and Gabby Thomas of the United States. As the leader of the American 4x100 relay team at the same event, Richardson won a second gold medal.
