Richardson’s hopes of going to the Tokyo Olympics were crushed when she tested positive for marijuana. On Monday night, she won the 100-meter world title, making it clear that she will be a medal candidate in Paris in 2024.
At the 2023 World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre, the 23-year-old sped around the track in 10.65 seconds, which was his best time ever.
The Jamaican sprinters Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who came in second and third, were shocked by Richardson’s victory.
She told reporters after the race, “I’m honored, I’m blessed, I had great competition, which brought out the best in me, and I’m just honored to leave with a gold medal.”
Sha'Carri Richardson is a WORLD CHAMPION in the 100m!#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/Mx3mxv5UzL
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 21, 2023
Sha'Carri Richardson's reaction says it all. ❤️#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/6JrHGCHXkw
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 21, 2023
Richardson said that she won’t rest on her world title, and she promised to keep working and getting better.
“I’m going to stay humble,” she told him. “I’m not back, but I’m better, and I’ll continue to get better.”
Her win was also the first time “an American woman has won the 100-meter” world title since Tori Bowie did it in 2017.
Richardson also made it to the 100-meter final, which was a big deal because she came in third in her semifinal heat and missed out on one of the two automatic spots to fight for the title.
Richardson got out of the blocks slowly and took a few steps to the right in her first few steps, which cost her time. But she ran a good finish, and her 10.84 in the semifinals was the best time of anyone who wasn’t in the top two. This got her into the final.
“She was more than capable of running 10.65, we knew that,” said her coach Renaldo Nehemiah, who used to be a world-class sprinter and hurdler. “We just knew that doing it on the biggest stage in the world is a lot harder than just saying it.”
Richardson had a big change of luck on Monday night. At last year’s U.S. Track and Field Championships, he didn’t make it out of the 100-meter heats.
Nehemiah said, “I’m just so proud of her because a year ago we were light years away from having everything we needed to compete at this level, and she’s worked hard.”
Richardson “won the women’s 100-meter race at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field” Trials in Eugene, Oregon, in 2021. This seemed to be her ticket to the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games.
But she was grounded and couldn’t go to Tokyo because she had THC, which is found in marijuana.
The sprinter took blame for what she did and said she used drugs to deal with the stress of her mother’s unexpected death.
Even before her win on Monday, she was seen as a favorite to make it to the Olympics in Paris because she won the U.S. 100-meter title last month.
Richardson said that she hopes her experience on the track will help fans see players as more than just their results.
“It was great to know that people see me not only as an athlete but also as a person,” she said. “I want people to see that being an athlete isn’t all there is to it. You bring who you are to the track.” You let your talent become a part of your life.”