Nine months after stunning the field at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Sha’Carri Richardson made a major statement in her first 100-meter race of the season.
On Saturday (May 25), Richardson won the women’s 100 meters at the Prefontaine Classic. Continuing her march to the Paris Olympics, the 24-year-old came in at 10.83 seconds.
After about 30 meters in, it was clear Richardson was going to cruise to a victory, topping Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred (second at 10.93 seconds) and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (third at 10.98). Jamaican star Elaine Thompson-Herah, the defending gold medalist in both the 100 and 200, finished last at 11.30.
“I’m excited, I’m eager going into the rest of this season, I’m growing, developing and just getting ready to make that USA Team,” Richardson exclusively told USA TODAY Sports.
Thompson-Herah faded at the Pre, finishing last in the field of nine. The charismatic Richardson, wearing her long hair tied back in a ponytail, muscled her way to the finish and dramatically pushed off the tape remnants.
After crouching for a moment while her time was announced, Richardson rose to give the crowd at Hayward field a smile and a wave.
Richardson will get her shot at a spot on the U.S. team for Paris at the Olympic trials next month in Eugene. She was denied a chance to run in the Tokyo Games because of a positive drug test for marijuana following her first-place finish in the 100 at the trials.