Former LSU sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson set a meet record in the 100 meters Friday in Doha, Qatar, finishing in 10.76 seconds — the fastest wind-legal time for a woman so far this year.
Richardson broke the Doha Diamond League meet record held by the late Tori Bowie, the Mississippi native who died earlier this week at 32.
Richardson used a strong finishing kick to pull ahead of Jamaican rival Shericka Jackson, the 200-meter world champion. Jackson crossed the line in 10.85 seconds, followed by Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (10.98).
Sha’Carri Richardson wins the women’s 100m at the first #DiamondLeague meet of the year in 10.76 seconds. pic.twitter.com/tuA5ZiYW9o
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) May 5, 2023
Richardson had come into Doha on a tear, having run a wind-aided 10.57 on April 8, the fourth-fastest finish of all time in all conditions.
It is the biggest win in two years for Richardson, a 23-year-old Dallas native who won the 2019 NCAA championship with LSU and became an international superstar during the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials.
Richardson won the 100 meters in 10.86 seconds at the trials and was poised to become one of the biggest draws at the 2021 Tokyo games — but between the trials and the Olympics, she accepted a one-month ban after testing positive for cannabis. (Richardson admitted to using marijuana after having learned of the death of her mother.)
“I’m so blessed and thankful, I feel at peace,” Richardson said Friday, according to the Guardian. “I had to be kicked out from another (100-meter) race, so I had to do my best no matter what.”
Friday marked was the first Diamond League meet of the season. The Diamond League is a series of 14 elite track and field meets, hosted mostly in Europe.
Richardson prevailed over four other Americans in Friday’s race, including last year’s U.S. champion, Melissa Jefferson.
Richardson is the only U.S. woman to break 10.8 seconds since 2017. She and the rest of the American athletes are preparing for the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in July. The top three sprinters in the 100 meters are in line to qualify for the world championships in August in Budapest, Hungary.
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