Sha’Carri Richardson didn’t get a storybook finish on Saturday at the Paris Olympics ― but she did get silver.
Richardson lined up in the 100-meter dash at Stade de France looking to continue her ascent, after the disappointment of not making it to the last summer games in 2021.
Then Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia exploded out of the blocks to dampen the entire field’s expectations.
Alfred powered to a convincing victory in 10.72 seconds to earn her country’s first gold medal.
Richardson took second in a time of 10.87 ― well off her season-best of 10.71 and career-best of 10.65 ― followed by American teammate Melissa Jefferson for bronze (10.92.).
Alfred’s winning margin was the longest in a women’s 100 Olympic final since Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won in 2008 at Beijing, The Athletic noted.
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The Olympic 100-meter had appeared to be Richardson’s for the taking. She dominated the U.S. trials with a finals victory time of 10.71 seconds, and looked effortless in her Paris Olympics first-round heat on Friday, cruising to an easy win.
She also received outside help in her quest for redemption.
One of her rivals, two-time 100 gold medalist Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, dropped out of the semifinals.
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Shericka Jackson, another Jamaican sprinter who finished second to Richardson in the 2023 world championships, dropped out of the 100-meter last week to concentrate on the 200-meter. The two share the same career-best 100-meter time.
On top of that, Rio and Tokyo 100-meter gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah never even made it to the Olympics after she dropped out of the Jamaican trials due to an Achilles tendon injury.
But Richardson’s toughest opponent might have been herself.
It had been 3 long years since Richardson was disqualified from the Tokyo Games after being suspended for testing positive for marijuana.
It took her a while to get her swagger and speed back.
After one disappointing result closely following her suspension, she declared: “Count me out if you want to, talk all the shit you want, because I’m here to stay. I’m not done,” she said.
Richardson didn’t flop at this year’s Olympics. She just wasn’t golden.
