U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson outran an elite group of competition to win gold in the women’s 100-meter race at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Monday.
Richardson ran an insanely fast 10.65 time, setting a new world championship record, and she did so in Lane 9 as a star-studded group of runners, including Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, had a better starting position.
The immortal Florence Griffith-Joyner is the only one who owns a faster time in the 100-mete racer, as her world record of 10.49 still stands. Richardson’s time ties her as the fifth-fastest woman over 100 meters in history.
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It was just two years ago that Richardson had her Olympic dreams shattered after testing positive for marijuana use, leading to a suspension. It came after she won the 100-meter race at the Olympic trials in 2021, as she wasn’t allowed to compete in Tokyo that year.
Now, this performance, which appeared to stun Richardson herself as she crossed the finish line, has the 23-year-old at the top of women’s sprinting with the 2024 Paris Games ahead.
SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON WINS 100 METERS AT US CHAMPIONSHIPS TWO YEARS AFTER SUSPENSION
Richardson’s lane position is uncommon for the winner of the race, but she ran 10.84 in her semifinal heat after a bad start — something she isn’t used to doing. She came in third there, with Jackson and Marie Jose Ta Lou of Ivory Coast finishing before her.
Richardson actually had to wait to see if the other semifinal heat had faster times that could’ve knocked her out of the final race. But she made the final, and despite the bad lane position, she made the best of her situation.
Richardson was in awe, sending a kiss to the sky as she wore an American flag and her gold medal around her neck. She also let out pure emotion, screaming in excitement.
Richardson also won the U.S. championships in the 100-meter back in July at a time of 10.82 seconds, beating out Brittany Brown (10.90) and Tamari Davis (10.99). The former LSU standout said after that victory, “I’m not back, I’m better.”
She proved that on Monday night in Hungary, where she was crowned the fastest woman alive.