Sha’Carey Richardson, the star American runner who won a silver medal in the 100 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was wrapped in the Stars and Stripes on the rain-soaked track at the Stade de France on Saturday, but there was still a smile on her face.
It wasn’t the gold medal, won by St. Lucia’s Julian Alfred in a 10.72-second sprint, but it was a race of revenge for Richardson.
The 24-year-old was suspended for a month and removed from competition at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago after testing positive for marijuana, but returned to compete at this summer’s games.
Richardson finished the event in 10.87 seconds, a decent start, but then made up time to take second place.
Richardson’s training partner, American Melissa Jefferson, won the bronze medal in 10.92 seconds.
Alfred won by the largest margin of victory in the women’s Olympic 100m since 2008, beating Richardson to give St. Lucia its first Olympic gold medal.
2024 Paris Olympics
Alfred got off to a blistering start and battled through the rain to beat Richardson by 0.15 seconds.
“It means a lot to me,” Alfred told The Associated Press. “It means a lot to my coach. It means a lot to my country. I think they’re celebrating right now.”
Richardson was suspended for one month for cannabis use but publicly admitted he used it to cope with the pressures of Olympic qualifying and the recent death of his mother, drawing criticism from senior officials in the US White House.
But since then, Richardson has secured gold in the 100 metres at the 2023 World Championships.
She also qualified for the Paris Games with a time of 10 minutes, 71 seconds at the U.S. Olympic Trials in late June and won her opening meet on Friday in 10 minutes, 94 seconds.
Richardson may have been the overwhelming favorite to win, but the absence of a few notable contenders made the race look very different.
Jamaican star athlete Sherika Jackson was ruled out of the race earlier this week after withdrawing from the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix earlier this month with an apparent injury while running the 200 metres.
Two-time gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was also listed as “not competing” just before the semi-finals, while Elaine Thompson, who won gold in Tokyo, did not compete at all.
Footage has circulated on social media showing Fraser-Pryce and members of the Jamaican national team arguing with officials who appear to be trying to deny her entry to the Stade de France.
According to reports, Fraser-Pryce sustained the injury after a delay in the match meant he was not ready.
Louisiana State University’s Richardson won the silver medal, ending a 28-year streak without a gold medal for the United States in the event.
The last official American winner was Gail Devers in 1996, and Marion Jones was stripped of her 2000 Olympic gold medal for steroid use.
Jamaica has also failed to reach the podium in this event despite winning the last four Olympic gold medals and 10 of the last 12 available medals.
—Ethan Sears contributed to this article.
