Sha’Carri Richardson is the fastest woman in America—again—and with her latest victory, she earns a trip to the Olympic Games in Paris.
Richardson, 24, won the 100 meters at the Olympic Trials in 10.71 seconds, putting daylight between herself and the field in the last 15 meters of the race. Melissa Jefferson was second (10.80) and Twanisha “TeeTee” Terry (10.89) was third to round out Team USA.
The three women train in the same group, Star Athletics, under coach Dennis Mitchell in Clermont, Florida.
It was the best race of the meet for Richardson, who stumbled out of the blocks in the first round before recovering to win the race with one shoe untied. In the semifinal, she had another poor start but made up ground quickly and won the heat in 10.86.
Her next race will be the first round of the 200 meters, which begin on Thursday, June 27. The final will be contested two days later, June 29, at 5:27 p.m. PT.
Three years ago, during the pandemic-delayed 2021 Olympic Trials for the Games in Tokyo, Richardson won the 100 meters, but she tested positive for THC, the main ingredient in marijuana, during a drug test. Marijuana is permitted outside of competitions, but not during competition. Richardson was subject to a 30-day suspension, and she missed the Olympics.
In 2022, she failed to qualify for the U.S. team for the World Championships, held in Eugene, Oregon. But by 2023, she had regained her previous form, winning first the U.S. championships, and then the world title in Budapest, in 10.65 seconds, a personal record.
Asked about how she has changed in the past three years, Richardson said at a post-race press conference that she has learned to take care of herself and nuture her talent. She said she has “a deeper respect and appreciation for my gift that I have in the sport, as well as my responsibility to the people that believe and support me. I feel like all of those components have helped me grow.”
The three teammates talked about how pushing each other in practice has helped them all. They have difficult conversations, Richardson said, and hold each other accountable, give each other confidence, and help each other strengthen their weaknesses.
After winning the U.S. title in 2022, Jefferson missed making the U.S. team for the World Championships in Budapest in 2023. She told herself that would the last time she missed making Team USA, and she joined Star Athletics.
“These girls, they’re literally like my sisters,” Jefferson said of Richardson and Terry. “If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now. They push me in ways I never knew I could be pushed. The group in itself, it takes you to another level mentally, when you step out here on the line, I know nobody else could do what I do.”
Although she stands only 5-foot-1, Richardson has an outsized presence in track and field. She is known for her jubilant celebrations, and she has tried to organize athletes for a bigger voice in the sport.
Her time at in the 100 finals is the fastest in the world so far this year. When asked if she and her teammates put the world on notice, Richardson said, “We didn’t put the world on notice. The world already knew who we were.”
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
