Sha’Carri Richardson is back on the track, though this time, she is training for the Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League meet on September 5.
On her Instagram account, Richardson posted a handful of videos of her preparing for the event, the first being a boomerang of her wrist showing off a wristband on the track. In the second video, Richardson is seen on the ground, in the midst of stretching, dancing to “JT Coming” by Florida rapper JT.
Of note, the upcoming meet in Zurich marks the first time Richardson will face off against Julien Alfred since the Olympics. Alfred memorably defeated Richardson in the women’s 100m final in Paris during the Olympic Games, winning the nation’s first gold medal, which also happened to be St. Lucia’s first Olympic medal.
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Alfred finished with a time of 10.71 seconds, beating out both Richardson and Melissa Jefferson on the rain-soaked track in Paris. After the race, a visibly frustrated Richardson elected not to talk with media and when she did speak with reporters, it was for a very brief moment.
As she streaked by reporters, Richardson was asked if she was “happy” to be in Paris, joining the rest of the American contingent in their quest for gold. Speaking to reporters for the first time, Richardson quickly replied “Very happy!” as she walked away.
Despite her disappointing outing against Alfred, Richardson was able to make up her silver medal triumph by helping Team USA win gold in the 4x100m Olympic women’s really. Joining Jefferson, Twanisha Terry and Gabby Thomas, the Americans handily defeated the rest of the field.
After the race, Team USA star Gabby Thomas explained just how important it was to have Richardson as the final runner in the relay. Thomas showered Richardson with praise, seemingly putting to bed any talk of animosity between the two track stars that had been perpetuated before the 2024 Olympics.
“Passing the baton to Sha’Carri is a very special and unique thing, she’s so fast,” Thomas said after Team USA secured the gold medal. “We know we’re in good hands as soon as she gets her hands on the baton. I felt very proud and I was grateful. I was grateful to have competed with these ladies, especially Sha’Carri and we got the gold.”
During the race, Richardson memorably looked over at her opponents as she crossed the finish line, leading to a moment that made waves on social media. After the race, Richardson made sure to explain that her looking over at her opponents was her way of motivating her to win gold for her country.
“I wasn’t going to even allow myself to not cross that finish line in first place and not get that medal, or to let down those ladies and the support that we received when it comes to us crossing the finish line, in first place as Team USA,” she said.
Additionally, Richardson’s true colors were on full display when other athletes met the American track star. U.S. Open star Jessica Pegula shared that Richardson, despite her fierce personality on the track, was completely different from what she shows her competitors.
“We did not have time to go see anybody, but, we met a lot of people at the village,” Pegula said. “Katie Ledecky was super nice. Simone [Biles], Sha’Carri Richardson was really, really sweet, super talkative and nice. So yeah, we got to meet a few athletes.”
