The hint had been there all along. The astute track and field sports enthusiasts were the first ones to notice in October. But what happened in that month? As per the expectations, Netflix dropped the trailer for Sprint: Season 2. The minute-long snippet was sufficient to shed light on the prime theme of the docuseries. Moreover, it had faces like Noah Lyles, Fred Kerley, and Gabby Thomas sharing something in the context. In the background as well, Kishane Thompson, Julian Alfred, Kenny Bednarek, and many others appeared. But Sha’Carri Richardson’s glorified avatar was missing in the crowd. 

In an intense moment in the trailer, SCR did appear. But compared to her presence in Season 1 of Sprint series, that glance was almost nothing. Meanwhile, comments flooded the social media, criticizing Netflix’s approach of keeping Richardson out of contention. One such comment read, “No Sha’Carri, won’t be watching; everybody outside of Noah is a snooze fest.” In the end, the prediction was proved to be on the spot. 

Sha’Carri Richardson didn’t find much screen time in Sprint: Season 2. However, at the Paris Olympics, she had two medals (silver in the women’s 100m event and gold in the women’s 4x100m event). Still, her boisterous appearance can be seen only in the US Olympic track and field trials and before entering the 100m event in the final in Stade de France. Isn’t that quite out of the flow, given Sha’Carri’s stature in the sports? However, her coach did something commendable in the docuseries. 

In Sprint: Season 2, coach Dennis Mitchell claimed something big on his mentee in Star Athletics. Notably, for the last several seasons, Star Athletics has been Sha’Carri’s den. So Mitchell is someone who has seen the athlete closely. In his segment on the docuseries, he reminisced about those parts with pride. One such moment came in the first episode, where the former Olympic champion had his chances. There, he eventually said, “I call her (Sha’Carri) my little bit, but she’s a lot and then we got Tee Tee Terry. She’s the group mom.” Calling the 24-year-old athlete “little bit” was based on her performance till she reached the trial events. And how had that performance been? 

In the same episode, the 58-year-old coach described it as unbelievable. On the screen, Dennis said, “She went on a rampage last year. She was our number one athlete.” That’s exactly what she did last year. The fans may remember her performance at the Budapest World Athletics Championships last year. 

In the Hungarian capital, Sha’Carri Richardson took 10.65 seconds to defeat opponents like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Julien Alfred. It was her maiden World Championships gold medal. Moreover, just three days later, she returned to the women’s 200m event. This time, she didn’t have the top finish. But the third rank was a miracle against names like Shericka Jackson, Gabby Thomas, and Julien Alfred. Her presence affected the relay team’s performance positively. 

In the women’s 4x100m relay final, Richardson’s performance kept the squad away from anyone’s reach. Meanwhile, her resume collected another world championship gold medal. In this season as well, Sha’Carri claimed the world-leading timing in the women’s 100m event before entering the Paris Olympics. Naturally, all those fireworks led the fans to expect from her in the French capital. Richardson also tried hard to fit in. Allegedly, Netflix’s docuseries didn’t do justice to her. The cameras kept missing her in Paris. But she’s not the only one to come at the receiving end. 

Sha’Carri Richardson’s teammate faced similar treatment from Netflix 

Since the beginning of the season, McKenzie Long’s meteoric rise in track and field sports has come as a shocker. First, the 24-year-old athlete claimed the top crowns in the short-distance events in the NCAA meet. Later, she came back to the US Olympic track and field sports trials in Oregon and secured her berth for the Paris Olympics. Notably, in the 200-meter trial event, she defeated Sha’Carri Richardson to confirm her seat for the Games. 

However, in the French capital as well, she continued her magic. In the women’s 200m event final. McKenzie Long finished seventh, missing the title. But here comes the juice. The University of Mississippi alum attained all these performances while fighting her grief. Why? She lost her mother before the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. For her, the grief was something way above her tolerance level. Yet she continued to fight.

Netflix filmed her fight through the lenses. But the scenes couldn’t pass the last cut in Sprint. Such turns of events irked Long. After watching the series, she took to X to post, “I was another who they had followed all post-collegiate…” But capturing in the video doesn’t guarantee a gate pass in the final scenes. The athlete realized that truth in a hard way. On X, she slipped the emotion by penning, “Was informed I wasn’t making the cuts in this season.” That has been the story for both Sha’Carri Richardson and McKenzie Long.