Sha’Carri Richardson Dominates First Olympic 100m Heat with 10.94 Seconds
- BY Dhiren
- August 3, 2024
- Read in 5 Minutes
Sha’Carri Richardson comfortably advanced to the semifinals in the 100 meters on Friday after dominating a straightforward preliminary round. It was her first-ever Olympic race, which she won in 10.94 seconds in Paris Olympic 2024.
On the first day of track action at a crowded Stade de France, the American won the first of eight first-round races while sporting neon green shoes that looked great against the brilliant purple track.
After the race, Richardson said, “Being an athlete here, competing with the energy, and having a great appreciation for track and field is phenomenal.” She didn’t pause to speak with print journalists.
All of the leading competitors advanced past the first round of competition, including Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who is competing in her fifth and final Olympics after winning this event twice.
Fraser-Pryce ran 10.92, but Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith of the Ivory Coast won the fastest heat of the day with a time of 10.87, placing her in second place.
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Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry, Richardson’s American training partners, also survived.
Richardson got a strong start, unlike earlier this month’s Olympic trials. She shot off the starting blocks, stood up fast, kicked into overdrive, and cruised to the finish, tapping her chest with her fists.
On Saturday night, she will play in the semifinals; a few hours later, if she makes it, she will try for the gold.
She started her comeback shortly after winning the Olympic trials in 2021, but she was disqualified from competing in Tokyo after testing positive for marijuana.
Last year, she wrote another chapter in her story by capturing the gold medal at the international championships.
Ingebrigtsen and Kerr Move Forward
The competitors in what could be the greatest rivalry in track and field continued to collide on the course. In the 1,500, Josh Kerr from Britain and Jakob Ingebrigtsen from Norway made it past their first round of heats.
The last race is on Tuesday, and the next one is on Sunday.
The top high jumper in Ukraine moves on.
Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the world champion and record holder from Ukraine, only had to leap twice to qualify for the final on Sunday night. On her second attempt, she cleared 1.95 meters, which was all she needed to do.
No major surprises were discovered. Australian Eleanor Patterson, the 2022 world champion, and American Vashti Cunningham advanced, albeit with a mark of 1.92 after three attempts at 1.95.
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About Sha’Carri Richardson
Sha’Carri Richardson, born March 25, 2000, is an American athletics sprinter who competes in the 100M and 200M races.
Richardson came to prominence in 2019 as a freshman at Louisiana State University, breaking the college 100-meter record in 10.75 seconds in the NCAA Division I Championships. At 19, her winning time placed her among the top 10 fastest women in history.
From Record-Breaking Times to Redemption: The Journey of Sha’Carri Richardson
In April 2021, Richardson set a new best of 10.72 seconds, making her the sixth-fastest woman in history (at the time) and the fourth-fastest American – USA woman.
She qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics by winning the women’s 100-meter race at the United States Olympic Trials in 10.86 seconds.
On July 1, it was revealed that Richardson had tested positive for cannabis usage following her 100 m final at the U.S. Trials, invalidating her victory and rendering her unable to participate in the 100 meters at the Olympics.
After successfully finishing a counseling program, she accepted a one-month term of ineligibility beginning June 28, 2021. She won the women’s 100 meters at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 10.82 seconds.
Sha’Carri Richardson won gold in the 100-meter race at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, defeating Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in a new championship record time of 10.65 seconds.
On the last day of the 2023 World Championships, she won gold with Team USA in the women’s 4 × 100m freestyle final with a championship record time of 41.03 seconds.
On June 22, 2024, Richardson defended her title as the US national champion in the 100-meter sprint event by winning the women’s 100m final in 10.71 seconds, advancing to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Personal Life of Sha’Carri Richardson
Grandmother Betty Harp and one aunt reared Richardson. Her biological mother died in 2021, only one week before her qualifying race for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Richardson was unaware of her mother’s death until questioned about it by a reporter. Richardson revealed that she used marijuana in Oregon, where it is legal, after learning of her biological mother’s death.
She is known for her long nails and colorful hair on the playing field, and she said that Florence Griffith Joyner influenced her style.
In 2021, Richardson revealed that she had a girlfriend. She congratulated the LGBTQ community on Twitter shortly after her victory in June 2021. Richardson identifies as bisexual.
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Achievements of Sha’Carri Richardson
International Competitions
Year: 2023
Competition: World Championships
Venue: Budapest, Hungary
Positions: #1 in 100M in 10.65 CR, #3 in 200M in 21.92 PB, #1 in 4×100M Relay in 41.03 CR
Year: 2017
Competition: Pan American U20 Championships
Venue: Trujillo, Peru
Position: #1
Event: 4 × 100 m relay
Time: 44.07
