Sha’Carri Richardson is heading to the Olympics in Paris for the first time in her athletic career. Her most recent accomplishment comes after her thrilling victory at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, where she set a record by running the 100 meters in 10.71 seconds, the quickest time ever recorded by a woman in the competition this year, according to World Athletics.
According to ABC News, after her triumph, the 24-year-old track and field sprinter went to her knees before embracing and celebrating with Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry, who also qualified for the Paris Olympics in times of 10.80 and 10.89 seconds, respectively.
Despite having won the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials, the trailblazer was disqualified from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to a positive test for THC, a substance present in marijuana. She had become the fastest woman in America and was set to contend for gold.
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Richardson then told reporters that she turned to marijuana during the Olympic trials in Oregon—a state that has legalized the drug for recreational use—to help her deal with the death of her biological mother. Because of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibition on cannabis, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspended her for 30 days.
According to Sports Star, she flopped out of the U.S. trials, ruining plans to restart her career at the 2022 World Championships. But in 2023, Richardson returned to form with a stunning victory in the 100 meters at the World Championships in Budapest, setting a championship record with a time of 10.65 seconds.
Beginning on August 2 in Paris, Richardson will compete in the preliminary round of the women’s 100-meter race at the Olympics.
Her feat on Saturday came after she finished first in the women’s 100-meter dash on day one of the trials in Eugene, Oregon on Friday despite tripping over her untied shoelace.
