In Sha’Carri Richardson’s own words: she’s not back, she’s better.
On Monday, Richardson took home gold in the 100-meter race at the 2023 track and field world championships in Budapest, Hungary, running a 10.65 to win in a stacked field. Richardson broke the championship record by 0.02 seconds and was able to best Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson — who had a time of 10.72 — all the while running from the outside in Lane 9 after barely qualifying in the semifinals.
It’s been two years and change since Richardson was suspended by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for a month after testing positive for marijuana, causing her to miss the Tokyo Olympics in a heartbreaking turn of events. It’s been a long comeback for Richardson, but Monday’s victory was an incredibly cool moment for the 23-year-old sprinter.
Sha’Carri Richardson wins the Women's 100M final pic.twitter.com/BuYAu3EwCP
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) August 21, 2023
What a close race! And it’s even better from this angle as well, with incredibly timed slow motion.
Simply stunning. An all-time race. pic.twitter.com/cokIpXXaBf
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) August 21, 2023
Sports fans were in complete awe of this angle of Richardson’s gold medal-winning 100-meter worlds race.