Sha’Carri Richardson yet again failed to deliver on a global finals stage. Getting her Paris Olympics revenge after beating Julian Alfred in the women’s 100m event at the Zurich Diamond League, the expectations were sky-high from the US sprint queen in Brussels at the Diamond League Final. Fans anticipated yet another blazing dash from Richardson to extend her lead over the Olympic champion 2-1. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan, and it was Julian Alfred who took home the Diamond League title in 10.88. 

But more than Alfred beating Richardson, it was the American’s performance in Brussels that shocked the entire track and field fraternity. Richardson did not even secure a podium finish! In fact, the Brussels Diamond League finals recorded one of the worst races of the Olympic silver medalist. She finished 8th, managing a time of 11.23s.

Soon after her dismal performance, the floodgates opened for criticism once again. An unfortunate trend seems to accompany Sha’Carri Richardson in big tournaments where she is touted as the favorite. These included the Prefontaine Classics 2021, USAs 22, Paris Olympics 2024, and the latest, Brussels 2024. 

Back in 2021, the entire track and field world was ready for the emergence of a new US sprinting powerhouse in Sha’Carri Richardson. Despite stiff competition from her Jamaican counterparts, Richardson was expected to bring home an emphatic victory. But what transpired was quite tragic. While Richardson not only lost the race, she ended up in the ninth position with a time of 11.14s. Next up, at the USA track and field championships in 2022 too, Richardson failed to make a mark.

However, it was post-2022 that the US sprinter had some significant success that once again made her a prominent force coming into the Paris Olympics. But once again, the weight of expectations seemed too heavy on Richardson’s shoulders. Running for gold, Richardson’s slow start allowed Julian Alfred ample time to head home and become the first female Olympic gold medalist from St. Lucia. Well, while Brussels was surely a black spot in Richardson’s shining career, there were ominous signs early on that the race might go haywire for the Olympic silver medalist.

Sha’Carri Richardson evoked fans’ doubts while practicing for Brussels 

Starting slow off the block has been a recurring issue with Sha’Carri Richarson that has plagued her success multiple times. After the Olympics debacle, Richardson came back strongly to win the Zurich Diamond League, beating Julian Alfred. But ahead of her big final in Brussels, video footage of Richardson practicing made the fans fear the worst.

The video uploaded on X by Track & Field Gazette showed Richardson bracing up alongside Brandon Hicklin and Christian Coleman. However, the track had a problem. It was soaking wet from the continuous rain. In fact, there were patches of water all over the track that compelled Richardson to take a cautious approach to avoid any injuries. 

Such a condition of the track made her fans fear the worst. Battling the slow start issue, things would become worse for Richardson if she had to run under such wet conditions. One fan even went on to analyze the flaws in Richardson’s technique. They stated, “Positioning of her spine and lack of lower back/glute activation in blocks explains her struggles. I’ve never looked closely from that angle before.” That’s not all!

Yet another noted, “Watch carefully here. Richardson start position is high therefore the drive from the blokes is deceptively more sluggish. She needs to breed 0.5 a inch lower maybe more. Practice gun anticipation. With those she will be more explosive.”And while the controversies and speculations will continue following her unexpected performance, it will be up to Sha’Carri Richardson to figure out how she wants to craft her path to redemption.