“I’m not back, I’m better,” Sha’Carri Richardson had said after winning the US Championships in 2023—two years after a doping violation rendered her out of her Olympic debut at Tokyo. With renewed vigor, the 24-year-old was ready to show what she was made of in Paris. And many will agree she did, but perhaps not in a way the world had hoped.

Expected to clinch gold, the world watched in disbelief as Julian Alfred secured the top spot with a scintillating display of speed, clocking a whirlwind 10.72s. Sha’Carri, on the other hand, finished at 10.78s, earning a silver. High-stepping in the rain, Alfred sent shockwaves of joy to the 180,854 people, who are currently dancing on the streets after witnessing the crowning of their new queen. 

Richardson also ended up in second place to Alfred in the semi-final run. However, both the athletes seemed to have improved from their qualification timings significantly. While Richardson ran a 10.89s in the semis, Alfred got only 10.84s, surely a huge difference from her final timing. Rounding off the podium was another US athlete, Melisa Jefferson, who secured bronze with a timing of 10.92s. 

Considering her world lead timing of 10.71s, she still remains the world lead, as Julian Alfred was shy of just 0.01s. A closer analysis of Richardson’s run would reveal that she started very slow off the blocks. In fact, she has always been a slow starter and has been criticized heavily for the same. 

Just weeks ago, four-time Olympic gold-winning sprinter, Michael Johnson had said about her starts, “Sha’Carri’s start is very, very inconsistent,” had said, before continuing, “It’s a real struggle, real problem for her.”

During the US trials too, the experts and fans opined that if Richardson was a bit faster initially, her timing could have gone up even further. Ironically, in the finals, Sha’Carri Richardson was haunted by the same slow start and could not recover in time. Additionally, she also missed out on a 200m Olympic berth after getting disqualified in the US trials. Thus, despite her silverware, the fans are not at all happy for Richardson. They immediately flocked to the internet to bash the newly crowned Olympic silver medalist. 

Sha’Carri Richardson faces heat for missing out on Olympic gold

Sha’Carri Richardson has instantly become the subject of acute criticism. Bashing her for her so-called ‘poor’ performance in Paris, the netizens have expressed their disappointment on X. 

One fan criticized Sha’Carri Richardson, mocking her inability to win gold even without facing top competitors, writing, “No Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah but your fav Sha’Carri Richardson still can’t win the women’s 100M. Fraud!!🤣🤣🤣”.

Notably, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdrew this year ahead of the semi-finals an undisclosed injury she suffered during warm-up. The Jamaican sprinter was also entangled in controversy when she was not allowed in the warmup area, owing to a rule change—only athletes arriving on team buses can access the area. Fellow Jamaican Shericka Jackson also withdrew from the 100m to focus on the 200m. Ironically, she also withdrew from the 200m later, for reasons that are still unknown. As for Elaine Thompson-Herah, she opted out of Paris due to an Achilles tendon injury sustained during the NY Grand Prix.

Another fan reflected a sense of disappointment regarding the performance of US athletes in sprinting and swimming events. They suggested that other countries have become more competitive. Despite Sha’Carri Richardson winning a silver medal, the fan criticized her, indicating that the traditional dominance of U.S. athletes in these sports is waning. The user commented, “Us swimming and sprinting no longer the standard. The world has caught up.”

Their words also referred to Caeleb Dressel’s disappointing performances this year. The defending Olympic gold medalist finished in a dismal fifth place in the 100-m butterfly semifinal heat, while he clinched a sixth spot in the 50m freestyle. Breaking down in tears, the swimmer later stated, “Tough day at the office.” 

As for the fan scrutiny on Richardson, a comment read, “She’s a confirmed fraud tbh, all this hype for another choke job”.

Criticizing the hype surrounding her as a top athlete, one netizen implied that her failure to win gold contradicts the expectations set by her supporters. “FIRST? AND ONLY SILVER? I thought this bi*h was good. Thought she was THE GOAT or some s*t the way y‘all been hyping her up. She‘s not even A GOAT LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO😭☠️💀😂🤣”, mocked the fan.

Taking it a notch higher, one social media user wrote, “She lucky they bounced Shelly Ann, she would’ve git bronze, maybe!?!?”.

The varied sentiment focuses on the intense scrutiny athletes face. Let’s face it: While gold is the ultimate dream, being second best in the world is no joke either, which one fan also agreed with. “Alfred just had that good of a start. But that was an incredible race for Sha’carri,” they wrote. 

Another X user also used the platform to encourage Richardson, writing, “When the world is against you, stand for yourself”.

What do you think of Sha’Carri Richardson’s Olympic debut? Let us know in the comments below!