The make-or-break moment is almost here! US Track and Field Trials 2024 begin tomorrow at Hayward Field, where top American athletes will be contesting for their Olympic qualification. Interestingly, scheduled to compete on the first day itself is a top contender for gold in the women’s 100m dash, Sha’Carri Richardson.

Notably, Richardson is the reigning 100m world champion after her 2023 Budapest win. However, also slated to appear at the trials is the current world lead in 100m, Jacious Sears. And in a new update for the fans, just hours before the Eugene showdown, the heat assignment lists for the 100m event round 1 have been released.

No Sha’Carri vs Jacious in the event opener?

Round 1 of the 100m event will not only flag off the competition but also set its tone loud and clear. Now, as per the latest tweet by Travis Miller, the NBC Sports Director of Social Media, there are going to 4 heats in this opening round. Every heat will have 9 athletes competing in it. Moreover, only the top six sprinters from each heat will progress to the next round. Therefore, it is a given that everyone would want to steer clear of the last three spots.

More importantly, Miller’s latest post also shows the exact divisions listed in a tabular form. According to that, Sha’Carri Richardson will be running in the fourth heat, in lane number 7. Competing directly with Richardson will be 8 other sprinters, including Tamari Davis, the 2023 USA Championships’ 100m winner.

Even collegiate speedster Semira Killebrew from Texas A&M and Arkansas’ Ariane Linton are slated to appear on the mark in lanes 1 and 3. Moreover, USC sophomore Jassani Carter, Ohio State’s Nya Bussey, and Ole Miss’ Jahniya Bowers will also be going head-to-head with Richardson. Furthermore, 2022 World Athletics Championships winner Tamara Clark in lane 9 and Double NCAA Champion Cambrea Sturgis in six, will ensure Richardson meets strong resistance as she eyes the gold spot.

However, Jacious Sears, who established herself as the 2024 world lead in 100m by clocking a 10.77 at the Percy Beard Track, Gainesville, will not be facing Richardson directly in round 1 at least. As exhibited in the heat assignment lists, Sears will be competing in the second heat, in lane number 9. This will ensure a solid build-up before the two phenoms meet in the succeeding rounds. This will be subject to them qualifying with top-six finishes.

But why exactly is there so much anticipation for the Richardson-Sears clash? And how is the current world number 47 a threat to the current 100m first ranker? Well, let’s look at the history between these two blazing runners.

Sha’Carri Richardson vs Jacious Sears- where it all began

Jacious Sears is a fresh athletic name that sprung to the forefront in April 2024. Namely, the University of Tennessee senior came into the limelight after the Tom Jones Memorial Classic 2024. This was thanks to her 10.77 seconds 100m fly-past. While that remained a laudable achievement for Sears, it appeared a caution alarm for Sha’Carri Richardson. This was because the former fell short of just 0.02 seconds to surpass Richardson’s NCCA record.

However, while this achievement was notable, the result wasn’t the same when Richardson last encountered Sears. Back in 2023, at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships, the two went head-on in the 100m category. As per the popular assumption, Richardson struck gold with an incredible 10.71 personal best. Lagging far behind, Sears had only managed to attain a disappointing 11.12 timing in the finals, thereby finishing 8th.

But there has been a significant improvement in the 2001-born ever since. She bagged 100m gold at the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships 2023 as well as the New Mexico Collegiate Classic this year. Thus, it will be exciting to watch if she can beat the likes of Sha’Carri to seal a ticket to Paris at the Trials. What do you think? Let us know.