Track and field sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson is back in the spotlight as she gives the United States hope of its first women’s 100m gold medal since Gail Devers in 1996 .
Richardson qualified for the 100m in Paris last week and finished in a stunning time of 10.71 seconds. But on Thursday, she went one step further in qualifying for the 200m, finishing first in her heat with a time of 21.99, the second-fastest time in the women’s world this year. The fastest female athlete this year is American athlete McKenzie Long, who won the championship at this month’s NCAA championships on behalf of the University of Mississippi with times of 21.83 seconds and 21.95 seconds.
“Every time I step on the track, it’s an opportunity for me to be the best version of myself,” Richardson told NBC after an Olympic qualifying event at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Richardson’s road to the 2024 Olympics is a redemption story.
The 5-foot-1 sprinter was just 21 when he first qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were held in 2021 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) but was discovered after routine drug testing for sports doping , she was recently disqualified from participating in the 100-meter dash due to smoking marijuana.
Richardson blames her marijuana use on the recent death of her biological mother and the pressure of being in the public eye.
“I’m human,” she wrote simply on X (formerly Twitter) at the time.
After she was excluded from the Olympics, proponents of less stringent marijuana laws and other athletes spoke out on Richardson’s behalf, calling on USADA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to reassess why marijuana is smoked — and that marijuana is not Considered a drug.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said in 2021 it would review its cannabis ban, but by 2024 “all natural and synthetic cannabinoids” will remain banned, with the exception of cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD.
In the years since the controversy, Richardson has returned to the sport, winning the 100 meters at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, earning her the title of the fastest woman in the world.
Speaking to NBC after Thursday’s 200m trials, Richardson gushed about the crowd’s welcome back to the world track and field stage.
“It’s an extraordinary feeling,” the Texan and former LSU Tiger said. “I feel like they feel a sense of growth. They feel a real love and a sense of responsibility that I have for my talent and this sport.
“As the roar grew, so did I.”
Richardson will compete in the 200m semifinals on Friday, hoping to secure a spot in Saturday’s final, where the top three athletes will travel to Paris for Team USA.
