Sha’Carri Richardson’s quest for her first Olympic appearance is off to a promising start.
On Friday evening, Richardson breezed through the opening round of the women’s 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, clocking in at 10.88 seconds to secure first place and advance to the semifinals.
Despite a less-than-ideal start and a shoelace coming untied during the race, Richardson recovered swiftly to win her heat and post the fastest overall time.
“Definitely didn’t have the start that I’ve been training to have in this moment. But still, not panicking, staying patient and knowing that no matter what’s going on, to continue to run my race,” Richardson said in a post-race interview with NBC.
NBC track and field analyst Sanya Richards-Ross praised Richardson, saying:
“It’s been really beautiful to see how she is now really standing in what it means to be the face of the sprints. It comes with a lot. I think she has a real shot at being the Olympic champion with the way the women’s 100 has been going.”
Richardson’s season-best time of 10.83 seconds ranks as the third fastest in the world this year.
The 24-year-old sprinter is coming off a stellar 2023 season, during which she won her first world championship in the 100 meters, secured a second gold medal with Team USA’s 4×100-meter relay squad, and earned a bronze medal in the 200 meters.
Richardson aims to reach the Olympics for the first time in her career. She had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by winning the 100 meters at the 2020 Olympic trials but was suspended for one month after testing positive for THC, which kept her out of the Olympic 100 meters.
Richardson remains one of U.S. Olympic track and field trials athletes to watch.
“I’m prepared, I just need to put it all together,” Richardson said.
