Julien Alfred and Sha’Carri Richardson will meet at the Zurich Diamond League for the first time since Paris in 2024.
This is Richardson’s first opportunity to face Alfred, the man who won Saint Lucia’s first two Olympic medals in Paris, and it will be the first time since the Paris 2024 final on August 3 at the Stade de France.
Against a charging Richardson, who had to overcome a slow reaction out of the blocks to make up ground, Alfred used a quick start in the rainy Parisian conditions to become her country’s first Olympic winner that evening.
After faltering at the start of the U.S. Olympic Trials, which she eventually won, and needing to surge ahead of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson to win gold at the previous year’s World Championships, Richardson has developed a pattern of starting slowly.
However, Richardson went on to anchor the US women’s sprint relay to 4x100m gold in another incredible down-but-not-out victory, going from fourth to first on her leg. Nevertheless, there was to be no successful return from that sluggish start in Paris.”We all experienced an incredible sensation,” she remarked upon eventually holding Olympic gold.
Aside from facing the European champion Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain in this rematch with Alfred, Richardson and her rival from St. Lucia will also get to face the unexpectedly eliminated British competitor from the Games in Paris.
Before she could put herself to the test against Richardson and Alfred, Asher-Smith had finished fifth in her semi-final heat at the Stade de France. The Weltklasse 100m will be a homegrown highlight for Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland, who finished sixth in the Paris final.
Celebrating the arrival of American sprint sensation Sha’Carri Richardson as the face of women’s athletics, Jackie Joyner-Kersee is ecstatic. Joyner-Kersee recently said in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, “Sha’carri takes it to a whole other level.” Recalling her late sister-in-law, the legendary Florence Joyner-Griffith, the most, according to the three-time Olympic champion Joyner-Kersee, is Richardon.
“In a video interview, Joyner-Kersee stated that you are aware of Sha’Carri’s origins and that you are dealing with a trustworthy individual.” Then she goes on stage and gives a performance to support it. I mean, it’s just incredible to watch her add that flair when you talk about the nails, the clothes, and everything else.”These young women are transcending our sport… and [then] people appreciating their talent,” she stated as well.
When it comes to becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the women’s 100m final since Gil Devers in 1996 in Atlanta, Richardson, 24, will strive to follow in Griffith-Joyner’s footsteps at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The gold that Joyner-Kersee is predicting? She paused, then replied, “I have to go with our world champion,” mentioning Richardson’s victory at the 2023 World Championships. Sha’Carri [winning] is what I hope. Considering that she is the current world champion, I won’t wager against her.”
Sha’Carri Richardson is a sprinting sensation, so being around him is quite unique. The current world champion in the 100m race battled her way through three events at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field held in Eugene, Oregon, last month. She not only secured her ticket in the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, but she also set a track record with a time of 10.71.
She had all eyes on her from the beginning to the conclusion, but her pre- and post-race demeanor is impeccable: Sha’Carri has become a global superstar in women’s sports, and she plans to showcase that in the days ahead on the Olympic stage as well.
In Eugene, Richardson told media following her 100-meter victory, “It’s a full circle moment.” “I’m super excited to continue to grow and build from this momentum that we’ve already established here.”
Ever since she captured the world and American titles in 2023, her catchphrase has been “I’m not back, I’m better.” The 24-year-old Richardson has stated that the most important step in the process is the internal work, even though her times on the track support that.
“Everything I’ve been through… to be in this moment right now,” she continued, adding, “There’s nothing I’ve been through that hasn’t designed me to sit right here in front of you.”