Sha’Carri Richardson suffers stunning setback at US Championships

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Wanted to represent the United States in an international event after losing her berth at the Olympics last year, Sha’Carri Richardson suffered a stunning setback at the U.S. track and field championships on Thursday by failing to make it out of a preliminary heat. to reach the 100 meters.

Richardson was fifth with a time of 11.31, much slower than the 10.85 she set earlier this month, while finishing second in the 100 at a meeting in New York.

In Eugene, Oregon, the site of the domestic championships, the top three finishes in the finals ensure athletes a place in Team USA for the world championships. That event, also being held at Eugene’s Hayward Field, will take place next month.

Richardson can still qualify for the world championship by finishing in the top three in the women’s 200 meters, the first round of which will take place on Saturday. She won the 200 at the New York Meet in a time of 22.38.

At last year’s U.S. Olympic trials, also in Eugene, Richardson ran the 100 in 10.86 to win the event and make himself a favorite for the medal at the Tokyo Games later that summer. However, after marijuana was detected in her system, her result was invalidated and she was given a one-month suspension that prevented her from participating in the 100 in Tokyo. Richardson’s suspension ended in time for her to potentially compete in the 4×100 relay at the Olympics, but she was not selected for the US team.

After Missing the Olympics, Sha’Carri Richardson Stays on Her Own Path

After failing to advance in her 100 heat on Thursday, Richardson rushed through the mixed zone and refused to speak to the media.

Richardson, a 22-year-old from Dallas, became instantly famous for both her performance in the Olympic trials and her striking personality, including a confident demeanor and striking look. She won the sympathy of many fans after explaining that she was using marijuana to cope with her mother’s devastating death. Two members of the House Oversight Committee, Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.), wrote a letter to key anti-doping agencies urging them to review the rules and circumstances that led to Richardson’s suspension.

At the New York meeting, Richardson still proved to be a very popular figure among fans.

“Don’t let the media, let people, don’t let a company stop you from shining, because you are sunshine,” she told a group of young supporters there (according to the Associated Press). “We are the light.”

Her second-place finish in New York was her second in a row at a major event, following a similar show at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene in May. Richardson recorded a time of 10.92 in that event, but sprinting on the same track Thursday produced a much worse result.

Her time of 11.31 was the ninth slowest out of a field of 31 participants. Aleia Hobbs, a 26-year-old who was fastest in a time of 10.88 in a time of 10.88, was a member of the US silver medal winning 4×100 women’s team in Tokyo. Sixteen participants qualified for the semi-finals of the 100 ladies on Thursday, which will be held on Friday.

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