Sha’Carri Richardson is headed to the 2024 Summer Olympics — and even a near-miss on the track couldn’t stop her!
During the 2024 US Olympic Track and Field Team Trials on Saturday, June 22, the sprinter crossed the line first in the women’s 100 meters with a time of 10.71 seconds, giving her the record for the fastest time in the world for the year and securing her place at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
Her Olympic qualifying finish at Saturday night’s trials came after she grabbed headlines Friday for finishing first in the women’s 100 meters on the first day of the trials in Eugene, Oregon — despite tripping over her untied shoelace.
Video from Friday night’s race at Hayward Field shows Richardson tripping over her laces just as she exited the blocks, but she quickly recovered and passed all five of her competitors. She won the heat in 10.88 seconds — the fastest time by a female runner in all four heats of the 100 meters on Saturday, according to NBC Sports — and secured a spot in the semifinals.
Sha’Carri Richardson, Jordan Chiles and Kristie Mewis on ‘Trying to Take Over’ the Sports World as Female Athletes (Exclusive)
“I definitely didn’t have the start I’ve been training for at this point,” Richardson told NBC in an interview after Friday’s race. “But I still don’t panic. I stay patient and know that no matter what happens, I keep running my race.”
When asked what it means to her to beat her heat and take home the best time of the night despite her journey, she said, “That tells me I’m ready.”
“I just need to put everything together,” she told the newspaper.
In June 2021, the Louisiana State University student made headlines after qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. At the last US Olympic track and field event, she clocked a time of 10.86 seconds in the 100-meter dash, securing a spot on the team of the USA at only 21 years old.
However, she was suspended from the team for a month after testing positive for THC, a chemical in marijuana, and missed the entire Olympics.
Despite the setback, Richardson was named the fastest woman in the world in 2023 after running the 100m final in 10.65 seconds at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, setting a new record at the prestigious event.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(665x0:667x2)/ShaCarri-Richardson-062224-2-2797aa352482446c8fac3da1cfae97a4.jpg)
Sha’Carri Richardson at the 2024 US Olympic Track and Field Team Trials on June 21, 2024.
Getty
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I’m not back, I’m better,” Richardson said in an April interview with PEOPLE, recalling her famous words after winning the world championship. “That tagline comes from the realization that I’ve been in the world. I’ve been in the world in a way that isn’t necessarily a way that a lot of people can handle or really recover or survive.”
“And the fact that I can stand here and be the athlete that I was, I was the woman that I was,” Richardson added, reflecting on her journey since being suspended. “I’m wiser. I’m calmer, more disciplined and more focused on the responsibility I have, as well as my passion for what I do.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education