“You should be overconfident, you should have more confidence. I am the greatest and you should feel that way about yourself, too,” Sha’Carri Richardson had said ahead of Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in 2023. Some 24 hours before going into her first 100m sprint this season at the Prefontaine Classic, is that the way Sha’Carri Richardson is thinking?

The reigning 100m world champion in the women’s category will face Elaine Thompson-Herah in the event at the Prefontaine Classic. But, as of now, the Paris Olympics season hasn’t gone well for Sha’Carri Richardson. In both of her competitions in this season, she ended up behind the podium topper. Moreover, in Prefontaine Classic, SCR has had a forgettable history of performance. But let’s not forget what Sha’Carri had once spelled out loud from the venue of the event, the Hayward Field in Eugene.

The ground once saw Sha’Carri making a promise under the veil of a warning. That later culminated in a phenomenal comeback from her. What was that promise made in Prefontaine Classic 2021 that still comes in? Let’s have a lowdown of it. 

The desperation that blazed into fiery performances 

Being self-aware is one of Richardson’s forte and she also came in the clutch, taking Kanye West as inspiration and bolstering his spirits too. She’d once said that nothing was going to bring her down to the trenches by uttering – “Now, I stand here with you again and I’m ready, mentally, physically, and emotionally.” That is evident if we look at her gradual rise after missing the Tokyo Olympics.

SCR stayed a just step away from being an Olympian because of the intake of banned THC. After that misfortune, Richardson had her chance to announce her track and field return in the Prefontaine Classic 2021. The failure of making it to the USA roster despite topping the 100m trial ignited the LSU alum to put up a reply. However, the result of the 100m event in the Prefontaine Classic did not work in her favor.

The Jamaican powerhouses Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Shericka Jackson claimed the top three positions consecutively, whereas SCR ended up in the last position. Such a defeat put her almost on a burner as she roared to the camera, sending an alert to her Jamaican rivals, “Congratulations to the people that won. But they’re not done seeing me yet, period.” The camera also caught Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce passing by, smirking at the American sprinter. 

Later, the former Olympic champion argued that she didn’t notice Sha’Carri, and that she was happy for the full sweeping by the Jamaicans in the event. But SCR was in no mood to end the rivalry as a minnow. Soon she came up with her reply. Richardson quipped that while she was enthused about the winners, she is not one to let her guard down and will usurp all glory. She bemoaned with a fiery pride,“Can’t nobody take that away from me”.

Sha’Carri Richardson returned to the same Hayward Field in 2022 for the Prefontaine Classic. This time, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was not present, but two of her compatriots were. Ultimately, after the 100m race that evening, the Dallas-born stood at the higher podium than Shericka Jackson while Elaine took the crown of champion. But wasn’t the score settled against Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah? 

Yes, it did. In 2022 and 2023, Sha’Carri Richardson defeated the Tokyo Olympic champion on multiple occasions. In Weltklasse Zurich 2023, SCR improved her 100m timing to humble Elaine Thompson-Herah. And to defeat Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sha’Carri Richardson had to go the extra mile. 

The 10-time world champion tested Sha’Carri Richardson like no one else. In the 100m event in Weltklasse Zurich in 2022, Shelly-Ann topped the leaderboard while SCR made it to the seventh. But the score was settled in the Budapest World Athletics Championships 2023. There, in the 100m category, Sha’Carri lived her promise by defeating both Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, the second and third from the Prefontaine Classic 2021. Furthermore, in 2023, the same Hayward Field witnessed the colorful American sprinter posting another firm message, that eventually turned into an iconic one. 

Eugene has seen the rise and fall of Sha’Carri Richardson 

Alongside defeating the Jamaicans, Sha’Carri Richardson had to prove herself in front of her national audience as well. She thoroughly remembered the moment when she was stripped of her national title because of her positive result in the drug test. 

However, in the Hayward Field, she proved herself again in the USA Championships 2023, by bagging the top place in the 100m event. After winning the race, an elated Sha’Carri firmly boasted, “I’m here to say, ‘I’m not back, I’m better … .’” Through the message, she hyped the mood once she had etched into the Prefontaine Classic 2021. But the Hayward Field had to witness a heartbreak again, in 2023. 

In Prefontaine Classic 2023, the Jamaican rivalry proved heavy again as Shericka Jackson came out to make things settled by taking the top podium. Elaine accompanied her by claiming the third rank. However, SCR was edged to the fourth position. Sha’Carri put an end to her 2023 season by contesting that race. Now, in the Paris Olympics season, this is the first time Sha’Carri Richardson is facing her Jamaican nemesis in that same Hayward field that has become intertwined with Sha’Carri’s fate. It remains to be seen if she can once more bring her promise from 2021 to reality in that arena to set the tone of her Olympic journey.