The athletics (or, as we call it stateside: track & field) portion of the 2024 Paris Games is in full swing, and Sha’Carri Richardson is set to make her Olympics debut on the eye-catching purple track. Richardson missed the Tokyo Games last time around because of a a positive drug test (THC, found in cannabis, banned by the World Doping Federation), and is heralded as one of the fastest sprint runners on the U.S. Track & Field team.
Her absence was missed in the Tokyo Games in her main event, but it also underscored a weaker showing from the team all around. U.S. brought home 26 athletics medals in Tokyo, down from the 32 they secured in Rio 2016 and the 28 they secured in London 2012.
Her speed was the expectation and the reality at the U.S. Olympic Time Trials in June, when Richardson was the fastest female in the 100-meter race, securing her spot to run in Paris 2024.
Sha’Carri Richardson Fastest 100m Times on Record Before Paris Games
Here are her fastest 10 times recorded in the 100-meter race:
At the risk of stating the obvious, Richardson is fast. Fans can expect she’ll compete for a medal on Saturday, and the first chance to see her will be on Friday in preliminary and first-round action. The big race takes place on Saturday, expected around 2:20 p.m. ET.
She will likely need to log a new personal record in order to medal, presuming her qualification for the final. In Tokyo, gold (Elaine Thompson-Herah, Jamacia) was faster than Richardson’s PR, with silver and bronze last time around also rivaling some of Richardson’s fastest times. Here’s how the women’s 100m played out the last time an Olympic medal was on the line:
Teahna Daniels finished seventh in Tokyo in the event.