As Gabby Thomas Wins, America Divided Over Sha’Carri Richardson’s Loss in 200m at US Olympic Trials: “Where’s All the Big Talk”

The expectation was to witness a memorable contest between Sha’Carri Richardson and Gabby Thomas in the 200m event final in the US Olympic track and field trials. The reigning 100m world champion had to erase all her criticism faced because of her back-to-back defeats in her season-opening 200m races. On the other hand, Gabby Thomas had to prove she was the ultimate heavy-hitter in the 200m event from the American bunch. While the result lifted Gabby nearer to the claim, it pushed Sha’Carri Richardson out of the leaderboard. 

With her fourth position (22.16 seconds), Sha’Carri Richardson must continue with her 100m card only for the Paris Olympics. And it did not sit well with the track and field fans. Eventually, criticism followed because of the overflowing of hopes on her. One fan extended that by commenting, “WHERE IS ALL THE BIG TALK NOW?????” However, several fans are not ready to remove SCR from the contention this early. At least, she will feature in the 100m event in Paris. 

Not just that, she has entered the 100m competition, tormenting other participants. The stacked final event held names like Aleia Hobbs, Anavia Battle, and Jenna Prandini. Alongside them, the athlete’s two training mates, Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry, had increased the competition level. 

Yet, the phenomenal sprinter from Dallas thwarted all the challenges and claimed her qualification. Expectedly, the timing stood to be world-leading in this season. Certain fans have noted that part and moved forward to bet on her chances in the 100m event in Paris. Yet, several have criticized her for inserting a needle in the bubble of hope. 

Sha’Carri Richardson deals with both happy and sad faces in her land 

Handling both the 100m and 200m events can be a challenge to any athlete, and Sha’Carri Richardson is no exception. Still, she managed to prove her mettle through all the rounds leading to the final in the Olympic trials. Furthermore, she is the best option in the 100m, without any debate. One fan has accounted for that part on X. 

The comment says, “100m/200m double would’ve been extremely difficult anyway for Sha’Carri. But love that she proved so many people wrong and leads the 100m team to Paris.” Another comment has echoed the same mood. It concedes, “Sh’Cari still going for 100”. But several fans have also noticed that Sha’Carri Richardson is not invincible, even after landing the world lead in the 100m event a few days ago. 

One such fan has commented, “How the tables have turneddd”. Even a fan has gone ahead, ridiculing the pre-game arguments where Sha’Carri Richardson was termed as the clear champion against all the opponents in the 200m trial event’s final. However, in reality, SCR remained behind those names who had not found any place in the pre-race analysis. That ultimately has left a fan comment, “Y’all swore it wasn’t 3 women that could beat her in the 200 now look [smilng emoji]. 4th place”. 

In the meantime, the truth has been spoken by a fan and it is about the sprinters like Sha’Carri Richardson and Christian Coleman. The fan has penned, “Sha’carri is a great 100m sprinter but just like Coleman, they are full blown 100m runner. They will always struggle to run the 200m. Great effort though”. In fact, today Christian Coleman lost his 200m Paris Olympics berth as well, after getting defeated by Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek, and Erriyon Knighton. Meanwhile, a fan has laughed over the issue, stumbling.

Notably, Sha’Carri had faced stumbles in her 100m trials but in the 200m, she felt lucky without catching her feet under such a nuisance. Though, the fan has comically added, “Looks like sha stumbled a little at the start… awww”. With the victory and loss, such criticism has become part and parcel of Sha’Carri Richardson’s athletic life. Somewhere, she has found a way to deal with it.