WHY IS SHA'CARRI RICHARDSON'S 4TH PLACE FINISH IN 200M AT THE OLYMPIC TRIALS NOT AN UPSET? EXPLORING THE REIGNING WORLD CHAMPION'S OLYMPIC PURSUITS

Sha'Carri Richardson, the bronze medalist at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in the 200m, couldn't advance to the Paris Olympics 2024 in the women's 200m at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. At Hayward Field, Richardson came in fourth with a time of 22.16s to miss out on an Olympic spot in the 200m after being edged out by compatriots Gabby Thomas (21.81s), Brittany Brown (21.90s) and McKenzie Long (21.91s).

However, Richardson's fourth-place finish in the 200m at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials cannot be called an upset considering the fact that the American sprinter doesn't rank among the top 30 sprinters in the distance. She is currently placed 32nd in the 200m event with a 21.92s which she recorded at the last year's World Championships.

Additionally, Richardson has clocked below the 22.00s mark only four times in her career, two of which came at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, where she equaled her personal best of 21.92s (+1.8 m/s) in the semis and also registered a 21.99s during the heats. Last year, she clocked a 21.94 in the finals of the USA Championships to place second.

However, the 24-year-old is the more dominant sprinter in the 100m event in which she clinched the global title at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in a personal best of 10.65s in the finals, getting past top Jamaican sprinters including Shericka Jackson (10.72s) and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.77s).

Sha'carri Richardson eyes for first Olympic crown in 100m at Paris Olympics 2024

After missing out on her first Olympic Games in Tokyo despite winning the 2021 U.S Olympic Track and Field Trials, Sha'carri Richardson will be gunning for glory at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She qualified for the Quadrennial Games in the 100m at the 2024 U.S Olympic Track and Field Trials by sprinting to victory in a world-leading time of 10.71s.

She also had clocked times of 10.88s and 10.86s in the heats and semifinals of the U.S Olympic Track and Field Trials. She was also impressive at the Prefontaine Classic in the 100m on her season opener as she recorded a time of 10.83s in the presence of a strong field comprising Julian Alfred, Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita, and compatriots Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry.

2024-06-30T16:51:14Z dg43tfdfdgfd