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Sha’Carri Richardson is set to make her Olympic debut in Paris after achieving a standout 10.71-second 100-meter run, the quickest recorded by any woman this year, securing her spot at the games.
Her road to becoming an Olympian has been anything but easy, with both personal and professional challenges impacting her career, especially highlighted by her absence from the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Looking back at Richardson’s impressive track career:
In 2019, at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, Richardson not only set new under-20 world records in her category but also claimed the 100m title with a time of 10.75 seconds. This time broke the world junior record, collegiate record, school record, and the record for the competition’s venue, as per NCAA Track & Field.
Although Richardson took second place in the 200m, she set another under-20 world record with a time of 22.17 seconds.
Rising to prominence before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Richardson clinched the U.S Olympic trials 100m race with a time of 10.86. At just 21, she became the youngest woman to win at the trials since the 1980s, as reported by ESPN. Her unique style, characterized by vibrant hair and long nails, made her a standout personality on the track.
However, her Olympic hopes for Tokyo were dashed when she received a one-month suspension for testing positive for THC (cannabis), a substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, despite its legal status for recreational use in Oregon, where she consumed it following the death of her biological mother.
USA Track & Field extended their support and condolences but did not include her in the Tokyo Olympic squad. They stated that altering their policy post-competition would compromise the integrity of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track & Field.
Richardson didn’t let this setback hold her back and continued to excel, clocking the world’s fastest 100-meter time of 10.65 seconds at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, setting a new championship record.
Her recent victory at the U.S. Olympic trials signaled her readiness for the Olympic stage, as confirmed by World Athletics.
Richardson is scheduled to run in the preliminary round of the women’s 100-meter at the Paris Olympics on August 2.