Sha’Carrri Richardson continues her run to the 2024 Summer Olympics after running the fastest 100-meter time during her heat at the World Athletics Championships in Hungary on Sunday.
The former LSU track star easily won her heat, posting a time of 10.92 seconds, pretending to wipe sweat off her brow as she crossed the finish line ahead of Jamaica’s Natasha Marrison, who finished second.
After the race, Richardson said she is more focused on her Olympic goals this time around and is not out to prove herself to the world.
“The world — I’m not worried about the world anymore. I’ve seen the world be my friend. I’ve seen the world turn on me. But [at] the end of the day, I’ve always been with me. God
has always been with me, so being on this scale now, it’s my time. It’s always been my time, but now it’s my time to actually do it for myself and the people that feel like me, the people that look like me, and the people that know the truth about themselves as well. I represent those people.”Richardson received worldwide acclaim and
was expected to bring home a medal at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, but tested positive for THC after a qualifying performance. The track star admitted to smoking cannabis to cope with the death of her biological mother at the time and was given a one-month ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.This yea,r Richardson has been on her game, posting a 10.57
seconds pace at the Miramar Invitational in April and a 10.71, the fastest of the year according to CNN, at the US Championships in Eugene, Oregon, last month.If Richardson qualifies for the Paris Olympics, she will have some stiff competition from Jamaican sprinters Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Shericka Jackson, who won the gold, silver, and bronze medals in Tokyo.