SZEKESFEHERVAR, Hungary (July 17) — The 2023 Gyulai Istvan Memorial, the penultimate Gold meeting in this season’s World Athletics Continental Tour Gold, is set to take place in Szekesfehervar on Tuesday (18).
The spotlight will be on U.S. champion Sha’Carri Richardson, who is undefeated in the 100m in 2023 and is fresh off her second win over Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson in a high-profile showdown at Sunday’s Diamond League meeting in Silesia. The American clocked 10.76 seconds compared to the Jamaican 10.78 secs in the runner-up spot.
Read more: Shericka Jackson ready to rebound in 200m at Gyulai Istvan Memorial
Richardson, who has a personal best (PB) and season best (SB) time of 10.71 seconds, will aim to keep her winning streak alive as she prepares for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest next month. After a few setbacks during a disappointing season in 2022, the 23-year-old says she’s now in a better place, and her performances on the track have been nothing short of exceptional.
“For the World Championships, I know what I want to achieve, but I am not going to say it,” Richardson said after her win on Sunday. “I wrote it down for myself.”
The competition is expected to be fierce for the sprint standout at the 2023 Gyulai Istvan Memorial this week.
Can Julien Alfred hand Sha’Carri Richardson a 100m first defeat season?
Among her top challengers at the meeting will be the NCAA five-time outdoor champion and Saint Lucia record holder Julien Alfred, who has clocked 10.83 this year.
Alfred, who comes into the race on very good form, which has been carried over from the collegiate dominating performances, has a personal best of 10.81 secs, while her season-best is not too far off that time, at 10.83. The 22-year-old recently won the 2023 CAC Games title in El Salvador and is the Commonwealth Games silver medalist from 2022.
Tamari Davis, who finished third at the USATF Outdoor championships behind Richardson, is another strong contender for a top-three spot on Tuesday. She enters with a PB of 10.83 and clocked 10.89 earlier this year.
The rest of the Gyulai Istvan Memorial field
Other notable athletes in the field include USA’s 2022 national champion Melissa Jefferson and her teammate Twanisha Terry, both finalists at the U.S. championships.
Jefferson, the eighth-place finisher at the world championships last summer, has a lifetime be of 10.82 but has only clocked 11.03 so far this year, while Terry, who anchored the USA 4x100m relay team to gold in Oregon at the world championships, has matched Jefferson’s PB of 10.82, but her season-best stands at 11.05.
Also competing is Natasha Morrison, who is in very good form and is coming off a third-place finish at the 2023 Jamaica Track and Field Championships in Kingston, earlier this month, where she clocked a season-best of 10.98 secs. Her PB is 10.87.
Meanwhile, Boglarka Takacs, who has a best time of 11.14, will carry Hungary’s hope on her home soil.
PHOTO: Sha’Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson competes in the 100m dash. Photo by Randy Miyazaki
Here is the start list for the Gyulai Istvan Memorial, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold, taking place on July 18, 2023, in Szekesfehervar:
- Alfred Julien, LCA, Personal Best (PB): 10.81, Season Best (SB): 10.83
- Tamari Davis, USA, PB: 10.83, SB: 10.89
- Melissa Jefferson, USA, PB: 10.82, SB: 11.03
- Natasha Morrison, JAM, PB: 10.87, SB: 10.98
- Sha’Carri Richardson, USA, PB: 10.71, SB: 10.71
- Boglarka Takacs, HUN, PB: 11.14, SB: 11.14
- Twanisha Terry, USA, PB: 10.82, SB: 11.05
For more information about the 2023 Gyulai Istvan Memorial, click here
