World athlete and bicon Sha’Carri Richardson became a world champion on Monday in the 100-meter with a championship record-breaking time of 10.65.
Richardson, who was positioned in the ninth lane, came from the outside to beat Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who won silver and bronze respectively. Being put in the ninth lane is usually seen as a disadvantage, but Richardson said it was a symbolic situation.
“I was by myself in my own world, which honestly has been like that all my life. I’ve always been in my own world, my own element, so being in lane 9 was perfect for me to do what it is I know to do and to focus in more on myself. And when I celebrated it was because I felt like I did my best no matter what the result was going to be. I felt like I did my best.”
While Richardson now holds the championship record, the world record is still held by Florence Griffeth Joyner (FloJo) at 10.65 set in 1988.
“I feel amazing,” Richardson told Eurosport. “I feel like hard work pays off. I’ve been dedicating myself. I’ve been keeping my faith strong this season and just believing and knowing whatever you practice is what you put forward, and I’m grateful.”
You may remember Richardson from her debut in 2021, donning a hot orange wig to the Tokyo Olympics qualifying races. “My girlfriend actually picked my color,” she said at the time. “She said it, like, spoke to her, the fact that it was just so loud and vibrant, and that’s who I am.”
After her sensational performance, she was banned for failing a marijuana drug test. Determined to not let this setback affect her, she continued to train hard and believe in herself.
“I would say ‘never give up,’” she told the Associated Press. “Never allow media, never allow outsiders, never allow anything but yourself and your faith define who you are. I would say ‘Always fight. No matter what, fight.’”
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