EUGENE, Ore. — Shacarie Richardson continued her revenge Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field, winning the girls 100-meter dash in 10.83 seconds, and the sprinting dynamo says she’s just getting started.
After about 30 metres, it was clear that Richardson would win handily ahead of St. Lucia’s Julianne Alfred (second in 10.93 seconds) and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (third in 10.98 seconds). Jamaican star Elaine Thompson-Heller, last year’s gold medallist in both the 100 and 200 metres, finished last in 11.30 seconds.
“I’m excited and I’m excited for the rest of the season, growing, developing and getting ready to make the U.S. National Team,” Richardson told USA Today Sports in an exclusive interview after the game, her small stature radiating joy.
The pre-meet is unique in that there are no prelims, only a final. It’s considered a fan-friendly, made-for-TV event. Saturday was Richardson’s first outdoor 100 this season. (She didn’t compete in the LA Grand Prix on May 18, finishing second and third in two 200-meter races in April.) After the race, she admitted she was nervous about stepping onto the starting block. “I’m human, after all,” she said, but her coach encouraged her to use her nerves to get out on the track. Clearly, the advice worked.
Every time Richardson squats down to enter the block, she blows a kiss into the sky to show her faith in God and gratitude for all he’s blessed her with. “It’s a reminder of the faith I have in myself first and the blessings I’ve been given to give back to the world and to be a vessel for it and to shine and let God’s glory and love reign through me,” she said.
It’s been a long journey back here, she admitted.
Just three years ago, Richardson had a spectacular rise and fall ahead of the 2021 Olympics: After winning the 100 meters at the qualifying trials, she was ruled out of the Tokyo Games after testing positive for the banned substance marijuana, which she later said she used to cope with the devastating news of her mother’s death (Richardson was raised by her grandmother).
She was ridiculed by fans and the media after the blunder, and much of the criticism was racist. She disappeared from public view for a while. Upon her return, she flopped at the 2022 USATF Championships, missing the finals in both the 100 and 200. A year later, when she won the U.S. Track and Field Championships, also in Eugene, by 10.82 seconds, she told NBC as she came off the track, “I’m ready mentally, I’m ready physically, I’m ready emotionally. And I’m here to stay. I’m not back, I’m better.” She followed that performance up by winning the 100 at the World Championships in Budapest, winning gold in the women’s 4×100 relay and bronze in the 200.
A few months later, when she placed fourth in the 100 meters at the 2023 Pre-Meet, she said with emotion afterwards that she had “fallen in love with my sport all over again.” She was cheerful, talkative and clearly in good mental shape.
But she aims to go further.
“We’ve been preparing for the (Olympic) Trials since November,” she said with a laugh Saturday, “(We) continue to maintain focus, love and a positive mindset because I know my growth will continue at the Trials and even further at the Olympics.”
According to Richardson, the past year in particular has been one of “self-exploration, learning about myself, and deepening the love for myself and everything I work on.” The key, she learned, is to love yourself first, so that you can continue to have a “love of the process” throughout your career.
The process consists of three steps: hard work, focus and growth before June 21, when she is scheduled to compete in her first Trials qualifier.
Keep an eye on these three and you can bet Richardson will make a comeback.
Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media. Lindsay Schnell
