Sha’Carri Richardson silenced the naysayers at the Spitzen Leichtathletik meet in Lucerne, Switzerland, by winning the 100-meter sprints.
In a triumphant display, Richardson defeated Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica, nabbing her first win since losing at the Eugene Prefontaine Classic in 2021 and 2022. The sprinter won with an impressive time of 11.29 seconds, with Thompson-Herah right on her heels (11.30).
Richardson last raced on June 26, when she failed to reach the finals in both the 100 and 200-meter races. But this week, she proved that she is still a force to be reckoned with.
Last year. Richardson made headlines when she failed to be cleared to participate in the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for marijuana. Her 30-day suspension from the sport sparked a national debate about whether the ban should have been enforced, considering marijuana is not a performance-enhancing drug.
“I apologize. As much as I’m disappointed, I know that when I step on the track, I represent not only myself, I represent a community that has shown great support, great love … I apologize for the fact that I didn’t know how to control my emotions or deal with my emotions during that time,” Richardson said on NBC’s “Today” show at. “the time.
In February, Richardson made headlines again when she claimed there was a double standard in the IOC’s treatment of Russian skater Kamila Valieva at the Beijing Olympics compared to her public chastisement.
“Richardson’s positive doping test was discovered on 19 June, and the result was received before the start of the Olympics. She was suspended for a month. There is nothing in common between these two cases,” the committee wrote in response. “This Games, which has not concluded, concerns an issue in December. She is in the [center] of a lot of speculation. It must be very tough for her.
“We of course are in touch with the team, her welfare is the team’s first priority, and obviously we are very careful of that but there’s only so much that we can do.”