Sha’Carri Richardson secures spot on US Olympic team with a victory in the 100-meter race, clocking in at 10.71 seconds.

Richardson achieved the most recent milestone on her "I'm Not Back, I'm Better" tour by clocking a 10.71-second sprint in the 100 meters at the U.S. track trials on Saturday. This performance solidifies her position as the fastest woman in the world this year and secures her a place in France, where the women's races begin on August 2nd. In this meet, Richardson faced challenges at the start for the third time, but managed to finish strongly for the third time as well. She crossed the finish line .09 seconds ahead of her training partner Melissa Jefferson, who is the 2022 U.S. champion. Twanisha Terry, another sprinter from coach Dennis Mitchell's camp, came in third and also secured a spot on the women's 100-meter team.

“I feel honored,” Richardson said. “I feel every chapter I’ve been through in my life prepared me for this moment.”

A few seconds after her line-crossing celebration, she was down on a knee, clearly caught up in emotion.

“The emotion was just joy because of the hard work I put in, not just physically on the track, but mentally and emotionally to grow into the mature young lady I am today,” she said. It has been quite a ride for the 24-year-old Texan. Three years ago, she won this race, too (in 10.86 seconds), only to see the victory stripped because of a positive marijuana test that laid bare everything from her own struggles with depression to an anti-doping rulebook that hadn’t changed with the times.

The commencement of rigorous efforts marked a turning point. Richardson highlighted a significant transformation, portraying a more refined and attuned individual compared to the one who dazzled the spectators at Hayward Field in 2021 with her vibrant orange hair, resembling a rising star in the sport.

Nearly two years passed before tangible outcomes materialized on the track once more. However, she clinched the national championship in 2023 and confidently proclaimed, “I’m not back, I’m better,” substantiating her statement a month later by securing the world title.

“I believe the message I am conveying is to have faith in yourself under any circumstances,” Richardson reiterated, echoing sentiments akin to those expressed in Budapest last year. “It is crucial to maintain self-assurance. Stay rooted in yourself and your diligent efforts.”

It would be a bold move to predict her victory in Paris, considering the formidable competition she will encounter. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, and two-time reigning champion Elaine Thompson-Herah collectively possess 19 Olympic medals — a realm Richardson has yet to enter — and all are set to compete in the upcoming Jamaican trials next weekend.

A recent injury to Thompson-Herah has mixed up that math. Meanwhile, Fraser-Pryce has been a rarely seen commodity in 2024 and Jackson is the two-time world champion at 200 meters — a race Richardson finished third in at worlds and is entered in next week at trials.

Back in the U.S., the Americans are feeding off each other, and Mitchell, a huge name in sprinting in the 1990s, pulled off a rarity by placing all three of his best sprinters in the Olympics.

“The odds of getting all three is probably a point-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-something,” Mitchell said. “But those girls didn’t care about those odds. They went out there and had a plan and they executed well and they deserve everything they got.”

Despite a lackluster start and prematurely ending the race by pounding her chest and pulling up, Richardson managed to surpass the season's best time, making a strong case for her as the favorite. When asked about her target time for the Olympics, she chose not to disclose any specific numbers.

"I firmly believe that by executing my race plan and relying on my training, the desired time will naturally follow," she stated.