Sha’Carri Richardson is often seen as the heart and soul of track and field, but it wasn’t always this way. Her journey to becoming one of the sport’s biggest stars took years of dedication. She started running at just 9 years old, and from there, her talent was undeniable. Sha’Carri earned strong sprinting results from the start of her time in middle and high school. At age 24, she isn’t just a fast runner—she received a silver medal at the Olympics plus accumulated numerous career highlights. One of the most memorable moment came was in 2019, at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships.

During that year, she shattered two world records for under-20 athletes during a single event. She started in 100m where she completed the race in 10.75 seconds which shattered Marlies Gohr’s 42-year old 100m record. Shortly after this achievement, she ran the 200 meters in 22.17 seconds and beat the Olympic 2004 record that Allyson Felix held. That day was a turning point in her career. But things are turning as the 23-year-old athlete is almost ready to break her record again.

Jacious Sears takes a bold step

In last year’s Tom Jones Invitational event, Jacious Sears who was senior at the University of Tennessee earned the second-fastest 100m sprint time for an NCAA student-athlete. Sears reached 10.77 seconds in his run as she held a tiny 0.02-second deficit to Sha’Carri’s record. By running 10.77 seconds Jacious Sears achieved the second-fastest NCAA sprinting performance ever and stood behind Sha’Carri Richardson alone in the standings. Track fans now take Sears seriously as a challenger to Richardson’s title because she ran close to her record.

But here’s the twist: things have changed for Jacious Sears since that performance. She recently made the bold decision. On January 23, Owen shared a post on X featuring Jacious Sears’ picture. He captioned it, “Jacious Sears 🇺🇸 is set to make her professional debut this weekend!! 🔥🙌. Jacious, who stunned the world after clocking 10.77s in the 100m last year, is set to make her professional debut over 60m and 200m at the Orange and Purple Invite in Clemson.”

This will be her first meet in over 8 months, following the premature end of her 2024 season due to injury. After coming so close to Sha’Carri Richardson in May 2024, the Tennessee standout was on track for the SEC 100m title the following month—until she pulled up at the 60m mark with an apparent injury.

Now that she’s turning pro, Jacious might be the one to challenge Richardson in the future. But let’s not forget, Sha’Carri Richardson had already defeated Jacious Sears before the Tennessee standout ever got close to threatening her record.

Sears aiming to steal Sha’Carri Richardson’s spotlight

Back in 2023, Sha’Carri Richardson was absolutely on fire at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships. She set a personal best, running the 100m in a blistering 10.71 seconds, and kept it rolling in the semifinal with a solid 10.75. But here’s the twist—Jacious Sears, the SEC champion at the time, was also in the race and was all set to give Richardson a run for her money. While Sears did make it to the finals, her time of 11.08 wasn’t close to Richardson’s.

After her race, Jacious Sears was asked if she had Sha’Carri Richardson’s collegiate record in her thoughts, to which she replied, “Yeah, of course. She ran that race beautifully & I pray to God that I can run my next few races beautifully and PR even more.” When asked if her goals had changed following her strong performance at the Tom Jones Invitational, she made it clear: “No, no. My coaches have always encouraged me and told me the goals they have for me. They’ve made me believe more in myself. Goals haven’t changed.” Given her impressive form and recent victories, it’s evident that Sears is on the rise and could soon be a challenger to Richardson.