Sha’Carri Richardson made history on Saturday (June 22) by winning the 100-metre final at the U.S. trials in 10.71 seconds, the world’s fastest time this year, earning a trip to Paris and her Olympic redemption.
Midway through the race, Richardson pulled away from her rivals, with Melissa Jefferson coming in second in 10.80 seconds and Twanisha Terry third in 10.89 seconds.
On the men’s side, world champion Noah Lyles breezed through the preliminary rounds.
Richardson, the fan favourite, shook off the painful memories with elegance and resilience as she basked in the admiration of a cheering crowd in Eugene, Oregon, three years after a positive cannabis test destroyed her ambitions of competing in the Tokyo Olympics.
I feel honoured: Richardson
“It makes me feel honoured. I feel like every experience I’ve had in my life has prepared me for this,” she was quoted as saying by reuters.com
Richardson and her training partners, Jefferson and Terry, who finished second and third respectively in the 100 metres, celebrated their accomplishment by throwing their arms around each other in an embrace as they crossed the finish line at Hayward Field.
The 200-metre competition for Sha’Carri Richardson is slated to begin on Thursday with preliminary heats.
Noah Lyles, meanwhile, got off to a tremendous start in the 100 metres, setting the initial heat record with a timing of 9.92 seconds.
Rapper Snoop Dogg and Lyles’ mother were in the stands to see his stellar performance. Lyles said that this was the best he had ever felt in the opening round of the 100 metres, following his sprint double victory in Budapest last year.