Amidst Rough Start, Sha’Carri Richardson Headlines Prefontaine Classic Despite Last Year’s Loss to Jamaican Rivals

“I definitely want to make the team in both (100m and 200m). I’m not one of those athletes who does just one event,” Sha’Carri Richardson said after her loss in the Xiamen Diamond League in April. But after that, the 24-year-old American athlete landed another disappointing result in the Suzhou Diamond League. But the reigning world champion has remained true to her commitment in the Paris Olympics season. So, now she will move to Hayward Field to face another challenge. This is going to be her 100m season debut this time. 

Citius Mag’s X-handle published the update that Sha’Carri Richardson will take part in the 100m race in the Prefontaine Classic on May 25. Her opponents will be Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, the standout from the Rio Olympics, and Julien Alfred, whom Sha’Carri Richardson herself revered in the past. Notably, these are the tracks where SCR had ended up in the 4th position, getting defeated by Shericka Jackson, Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, and Elaine Thompson-Herah. So what is driving her to take up such a mountainous challenge once again? 

In Xiamen, the LSU alum expressed how she banked on her support staffers for her performances. “I know what I need to work on. Me and my coach… I’m pretty sure by the time I get back to the warm-up area, he’s already formulation on how to get better for the next race,” she confirmed to the sportscaster after the 200m race. So, in the Prefontaine Classic this time, Sha’Carri Richardson will look to return to the victorious path. However, against both Ta Lou-Smith and Julien Alfred, she is set to face a tough challenge given their history of the rivalry. 

Sha’Carri Richardson is on the brink of facing two nemesis 

This year, Julien Alfred climbed the ladder of success rapidly. The St. Lucian athlete started the season with gold medals from the Millrose Games and the World Athletics Indoor Championship in Glasgow. Almost everyone, including Sha’Carri Richardson, felt awed at her blistering pace. But Julien Alfred is not yet satisfied. She is thoroughly looking to break the shackles of her country, not winning a single Olympic medal so far.

“I think it would be a proud moment not just for me and for my family but also for my country,” the former Youth Olympic medalist said. Apart from having a stellar record against Sha’Carri, Julien is the one who handed the American sprinter her first defeat last season in a Hungarian Meet. However, SCR paid her due by defeating Julien in the Budapest World Athletics championships last year. Now it’s Julien’s time to settle the score. 

SCR’s other competitor, Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, faced a crisis of luck to end up on the Olympics podium. In the Rio Olympics, she claimed the fourth position in both 100m and 200m events. Despite being in her best shape, the Ivorian athlete earned the fourth position in 100m again because of a grimacing stomach upset issue. The 200m event ended with her hauling the fifth position. Against Sha’Carri, she holds an enviable record, including her finishing ahead of SCR in the 100m semifinal in Budapest Worlds last year. However, Sha’Carri won the final. But in Prefontaine, Ta Lou-Smith defeated SCR. Now, the field is open to the ladies to add a new chapter.