It’s been an up-and-down few years for U.S. track and field star Sha’Charri Richardson.
via: Revolt
Sha’Carri Richardson is leaving her opponents and critics in the dust after securing the fastest 100-meter time at 10.92 seconds during her heat at the World Athletics Championships today (Aug. 20) in Budapest, Hungary. The race marked the 23-year-old’s debut at the international competition. It comes two years after she made headlines as one of track and field’s most promising athletes during the 2021 Olympic Trials.
Despite bearing witness to supporters turned doubters, Richardson is more clear on her purpose, and it is not to prove her speed to the world. In a post-race interview, she said, “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.”
Her Tokyo Olympic dreams were derailed after she tested positive for THC following her qualifying 100-meter performance (where she ran a 10.86) in 2021. At the time, she told “TODAY,” “I want to take responsibility for my actions. I know what I did. I know what I’m supposed to do and am allowed not to do, and I still made that decision. I’m not making an excuse. I’m not looking for any empathy in my case.”
Richardson was subsequently hit with a one-month ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. The Texan admitted to smoking marijuana after learning her biological mother had died. The Olympic hopeful has more than found her stride in the competitive sprint.
In April, she was a blur on the track when she clocked a 10.57 seconds pace. Her speed at the Miramar Invitational, however, was not eligible to become the official world’s fourth fastest time due to it being wind-assisted. She made up for it, though, when she ran a 10.71, the fastest of the year according to CNN, in July at the US Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
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