Richardson dominated at the Diamond League meet in Zurich.
A week after being crowned world champion, Sha’Carri Richardson has continued her winning ways. The 23-year-old dominated the 100m event at the Diamond League meet in Zurich. While she wasn’t as dominant as she was in Budapest, she still recorded a winning time of 10.88. Jamaica earned a silver-bronze tandem behind Richardson thanks to Natasha Morrison and Elaine Thompson-Herah. While Thompson-Herah did not participate in the event at the World Championships, Zurich was a bounce back for Morrison. The 30-year-old finished 12th, failing to qualify for the medal race.
“I am feeling really good being able to finish this season as fast as I can,” Richardson said after the race. “I am definitely grateful, and I am excited with the way this season is going. Honestly, just knowing that my training has gotten me here – physically training, mentally training, emotionally training myself – to understand what it takes to finish an entire season and beyond the World Championships.” Furthermore, the 0.12-second win once again cements Richardson’s status as the gold medal favorite for Paris next summer.
Can Anyone Catch Sha’Carri Richardson?
The win in Switzerland marked Richardson’s third Diamond League title of the season, following wins in Doha and Silesia. However, the tight schedule eases up somewhat for Richardson. After Worlds and Zurich 10 days apart, Richardson won’t have a 100m race until the final meet in Oregon in mid-September. A lot can happen between now and the Olympics next summer. However, Richardson has set herself up as the fastest woman in the world this year and the person to beat next summer.
However, she wasn’t the only American taking gold in Zurich. Noah Lyles, who earned a sprint treble in Budapest, also came away with a 200m gold in Switzerland. Of course, Lyles is now better known after making statements in which he mocked the US’ liberal use of “world champions” when discussing regional sporting titles. “It is business as usual,” Lyles said. “Everybody wants to beat me and everybody wants the cake and the crown, but I am not giving it to them.”
