We knew it was going to happen. We just didn’t know when. But now, we do. After her Achilles tear ended Jamaican icon Elaine Thompson-Herah’s dream of achieving the elusive “triple-double” at the Paris Olympics, it seems like the speedster is finally on her way to getting back to the tracks. However, her home fans will still need to wait to see Thompson in action as she is poised to commence her return at a place closer to her arch-rival Sha’Carri Richardson.

For track and field fans around the world, the prospect of watching Richardson and Thompson-Herah cross paths at the City of Love was a stimulating one. While that didn’t happen, track loyalists will finally feel better knowing that the 5x Olympic gold medalist could soon clash against the reigning women’s 100m world champ.

A post on X by track and field enthusiast Dav from November 14 has revealed that the Jamaican celebrity has been given the green flag to start training again by Dr. Greg Haughton. However, Thompson-Herah will be training in Jacksonville, Florida, “under the tutelage of Rana Reider at the Tumbleweed Track Club,” as per the social media update.

The accompanying video notes that Elaine’s recovery journey will be focused on the 2025 World Championship season. Naturally, Sha’Carri will have to pull her socks up fast if she hopes to defend her title in Tokyo next year. A video on YouTube also reminds fans that coach Reider is an accomplished trainer, who was the chosen destination for many athletes who a few years ago left MVP International en masse. Reider has also been instrumental in the success of Canadian track and field star Andre De Grasse as well as the Italian powerhouse and Olympic champ Marcell Jacobs.

It can be speculated that Thompson-Herah has deliberately opted for the former coach of the University of Florida’s track and field program considering the elite athletes Reider has mentored over the years. With that, fans should once again eagerly look forward to seeing Sha’Carri Richarson finally being able to prove her worth by defeating one of the most decorated female track and field stars of all time.

Sha’Carri Richardson is about to have her work cut out

Before the 2024 Paris Olympics, the LSU Tigers star was looking like a champ already. With Richardson being barred from competing at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, the 24-year-old Dallas native was hinting that she would fly to Paris to set the record straight on the grandest stage of them all. Her incredible performance at the US Olympic Team Trials in Oregon earlier this year also made many fans believe that Sha’Carri would haul gold without breaking much of a sweat. And yet, things didn’t pan out as the fans had hoped for.

Richardson had to settle for silver in the women’s 100m sprint, but her fans clamored that several reasons distracted her from giving her best in the final race of the event. The fact that Sha’Carri was restricted from entering the warm-up area before the race didn’t sit well with a lot of fans. However, Richardson seemed like she was eager to put the debate behind her and soon joined the likes of Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson, and Twanisha Terry to win gold in the 4x100m relay race.

On the other hand, being unable to fly to Paris with the Jamaican team was also a blow to the guts for the reigning Olympic champ Thompson-Herah. Right before her 32nd birthday, she took to social media to confess that she felt “hurt and devastated,” that the opportunity was taken from her. But Elaine remained steadfast on her wish to return soon, and in June she announced with determination “I will be back.” So do you think Sha’Carri Richardson will have to run for her money’s worth now that Thompson-Herah is on the fast track to make her triumphant comeback? Tell us where does your allegiance lie in the comment section below!