American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson took a major step in her comeback Monday in Budapest, Hungary, bringing home the 100-meter world championship. Her time of 10.65 seconds was a personal best and world championship record as she blazed past Jamaican Olympic medalists Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Richardson ran from lane 9 after a third-place finish in the semifinals as her 10.84 seconds wasn't good enough for one of the two automatic spots in the final. She's the first person to win the gold after not auto-qualifying out of the semifinals.
"I was by myself in my own world, which honestly has been like that all my life," Richardson told reporters after the race. "I've always been in my own world, my own element, so being in lane 9 was perfect for me to do what it is I know to do and to focus in more on myself. And when I celebrated it was because I felt like I did my best no matter what the result was going to be. I felt like I did my best."
It's fitting that Richardson had to overcome some adversity on her way to the thrilling victory.
In 2021, Richardson seemed ready to become a star with her colorful hair flowing freely as she won the Olympic Trials on June 19. But result showing a positive drug test were released on July 2, dashing her dreams of Olympic glory. Her doping sample tested positive for marijuana, sparking debate about marijuana as a banned substance for Olympic athletes.
Richardson never stopped proclaiming that she was back from the ban to win gold medals, even when she dealt with a ninth-place finish in August 2021 at the Prefontaine Classic. Detractors questioned her motivation after she failed to qualify for the semifinal heats at the 2022 U.S. Championships.
Her agent and former hurdler Renaldo Nehemiah—a former world record holder in four hurdling events who missed an Olympic opportunity when the U.S. boycotted the 1980 Moscow Games—is one of the people who continued to encourage her while she started her path back.
"A year ago, she was in no-man's land, as far as not making the team. And then, to come back and finally find her happy place, which is on the track, and to not try to compete with any kind of negative influences out there," Nehemiah told reporters after the race. "I personally told her, 'You'll never win that battle on your best day.'"
Richardson's world championship win is a testament to her dedication. Now she is riding the wave of redemption as she prepares for the 2024 Olympics, which begin July 26 in Paris.
"I would say 'Never give up,'" Richardson said to a reporter who asked her what the winning the race meant to her. "Never allow media, never allow outsiders, never allow anything but yourself and your faith define who you are. I would say 'Always fight. No matter what, fight.'"
American Florence Griffith-Joyner holds the world record time of 10.49 seconds set at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, Indiana, before the 1988 Seoul Games. Richardson's time is tied for fifth-fastest ever with Jackson (last month in Jamaica) and Marion Jones (1998).
Richardson also competes in the 200-meter event, which runs Wednesday through Friday. She enters the event with the fourth-best time in the 200 in the world this season. She's also one of six American women in the pool for the U.S. 4x100 relay team.
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Nubyjas Wilborn is Newsweek reporter based in Auburn, Alabama. Wilborn joined Newsweek in 2023 after winning the 2022 National Sports ... Read more
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