Sha’Carri Richardson overcame a shaky start to win her heat and advance to the semi-finals of the women’s 100 meters on Friday at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
The world champion stumbled out of the blocks but quickly recovered, powering past her competitors to clock 10.88 seconds, the fastest time of the day.
“Definitely not the start I wanted,” Richardson told NBC on Friday after her race. “It says that I’m prepared, I just need to put it all together.”
– Read Also: Day 1: 2024 U.S. Olympic track and field trials schedule, live stream, results
Richardson’s time was just 0.05 seconds off her season best of 10.83, set at the Prefontaine Classic in May on the same Hayward Field track.
“I am enjoying the recognition of hard work, and the support that comes with it,” the Dallas, Texas, native added.
“The fact that the world can see so much work I’ve done on myself, for myself, and that it’s well-received. I’m appreciative and I always show up for my fans.”
Three other women dipped under 11 seconds in the first round. Former national champion Melissa Jefferson won her heat in a season-best 10.91, while NCAA champion McKenzie Long took another heat in 10.94. Aleia Hobbs rounded out the sub-11 club with 10.97.
Other notable qualifiers included were Tamari Davis (11.01), Jenna Prandini (11.03), Morolake Akinosun (11.04), Dajaz Defrand (11.05), and Tamara Clark (11.05).
Also making progress through the semi-final round was Abby Steiner, who pushed back into fifth place behind McKenzie Long in heat one with a time of 11.13 seconds. The former Kentucky sprint star will certainly need to improve on this performance if she’s going to advance beyond the next round.
The semi-finals and final are set for Saturday, with the top three finishers earning spots on the U.S. team for the Paris Olympics.
Richardson is aiming to make her first Olympic team after being disqualified from the Tokyo Games in 2021 due to a positive marijuana test. She rebounded to win the world title last year in Budapest and will start as favorite to win Team USA first women’s 100m gold medal at the Olympics since Gail Devers in 1996.
