Richardson shocks the world to win Women's 100m Gold

Few gave American Sha'carri Richardson a chance at winning the Women's 100m Final - but she proved her doubters wrong, cementing her place on the world stage and claiming a first ever gold medal in the event at the 2023 Athletics World Championships in Budapest.

World Athletics Championships. Budapest 2023.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY: August 21: Sha'Carri Richardson of the United States celebrates as she crosses the line in lane nine to win the Women's 100m Final during the World Athletics Championships, at the National Athletics Centre on August 21st, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images) Source: Getty / Tim Clayton - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

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Richardson ran a blistering 10.65 to set a new championship record, beating out legendary Jamaican duo Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who took silver and bronze respectively.

Lined up in lane nine all the way at the end, she was off the block a little slower than her rivals, but powered home in the final metres to edge Jackson over the line by 0.07 seconds, Richardson in disbelief of her own effort and waiting to celebrate only when the result was confirmed.
It was a triumphant return to competition for the American, who missed the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 following a ban for testing positive to cannabis, as well as last year's World Championships in Oregon where she failed to qualify.

"I'm here. I'm the champion," Richardson said after the race.

"I told you all. I'm not back, I'm better."

Asked what the victory meant to her, the 23-year-old said, "I would say, 'Never give up'.

"Never allow media, never allow outsiders, never allow anything but yourself and your faith define who you are. I would say, 'Always fight. No matter what, fight."

“It’s about knowing that no matter what happens, you never lose sight of yourself. You’re going to have good days, you’re going to have bad days, you are going to have better days. You’re going to have worse days. But you live to see tomorrow.
"Every day the sun doesn’t shine but that’s why I love tomorrow.”

She had to battle to make the final, slow off the blocks in the semi-final which caused her to scrape into the medal contest with a third-place finish and heaped more doubt on her potential to cause the stunning upset she did.

This put her into lane nine, away from heavyweights Fraser-Pryce and Jackson who were in the centre of the track where we often see winners emerge from, but Richardson was able to make her winning run unbeknownst to the rest of the field as a result.

Now that she's shown the world what she's really capable of and put her past missteps behind her, the only way is up for Richardson as track and field may now have a new superstar.

Richardson's win also capped off a clean sweep of the 100m gold for Team USA, after Noah Lyles claimed the men's title on Day 2 of the World Championships.

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3 min read
Published 22 August 2023 12:40pm
Source: SBS

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