Whether watching from Jamaica, Japan or the US, it was hard to miss the shock of flowing, orange hair that came streaking across the finish line first in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday night.
It belonged to Sha’Carri Richardson. After the eye-opening show she put on at the US Olympic trials — blowing away the field in the 100m semi-finals in a wind-aided 10.64 seconds, then again in the final in 10.86 seconds — she figures to grab her fair share of attention next month in Tokyo.
With her performance, the 21-year-old out of Louisiana State University picked up a spot in the Olympics and a national title, while also setting up a possible showdown with the Jamaican world champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who is also well-known for colorful hairstyles.
Photo: AFP
“It’s loud and encouraging, and honestly dangerous,” Richardson said when asked why she chose the color orange for her big night. “Knowing I’m coming to one of the biggest meets there is, if you’re going to go out there and be the best, you need to look the best.”
Crossing the finish line first was only the second-best feeling of the night, she said. The best came when she climbed halfway up the stands at Hayward Field and shared a long hug with her grandmother, Betty Harp, who is also known in the family as “Big Momma.”
“To be able to have her here at the biggest meet in my life, and to cross the finish line and run up the steps to hug her, knowing I’m an Olympian, actually that’s probably better than winning the race,” Richardson said.
An over-the-limit tailwind in the semis prevented the 10.64 seconds from becoming official, leaving Richardson only 0.01 seconds behind Fraser-Pryce’s top time of the year. The world record of 10.49 seconds was set by Florence Griffith Joyner in 1988.
“She carries such a firecracker,” Richardson’s training partner, Justin Gatlin, said. “She’s capable of running 10.6 [seconds]. I’ve seen her at practice, and she’s capable of running 10.5 [seconds], actually. She can definitely shock the world.”
In the final, Richardson overcame a slow start to pass her training partner, Javianne Oliver, a 60m indoor specialist who started in the lane next to her. Richardson beat Oliver by three body lengths and 0.13 seconds. Teahna Daniels finished third.
“It’s surreal to put together a full race,” Oliver said. “The 60, I had it. The last 40, I didn’t. I’ve been working on putting those two together, and it came together today.”
While Richardson’s blazing speed made her close to a sure thing in the women’s 100m, the men’s sprint was nowhere near as settled.
The race for the three Olympic spots in their crowded 100m could be the best battle of the meet.
They ran their qualifying heat on Saturday, and all the “big” names made it through. That includes Fred Kerley, whose main distance is the 400m, but who made the 100m more interesting when, on the heels of a 9.91-second performance earlier this season, he decided to be a short sprinter for this Olympic cycle.
“The bigger plan is still 400m for the next coming years,” Kerley said. “Right now, I’m focusing on getting everything correct and getting up my speed up so I can make history.”
He made it through his heat, and now Gatlin (the former Olympic and world champion), Trayvon Bromell (this year’s world leader at 9.77 seconds) and star-in-the-making Noah Lyles, whose chances are more secure in the 200m, have something to worry about as they approached yesterday’s finals.
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
When Paddy Dwyer arrived in China in 1976, crowds jostled to catch a glimpse of him and his companions — the first Western soccer team to play in the country. China was emerging from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, and on the brink of market reforms that would take the country from economic stagnation to explosive growth. “All we could see was lines of people running beside our bus, trying to look in the windows, to see their first visual of a white person,” he said. “It was all bicycles,” he said. “There were very few cars to be seen.” Dwyer,
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
A new NZ$683 million (US$404 million) stadium that was a symbol of Christchurch’s struggle to rebuild after a deadly earthquake struck the New Zealand city is to host its first match tomorrow in front of a sellout crowd. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed 185 people in February 2011 and toppled or damaged buildings, including the city’s old Lancaster Park. The stadium, which hosted international rugby and cricket, and was home to the Canterbury Crusaders, was badly damaged and never reopened. It was bulldozed in 2019 and turned into sports fields, leaving the Crusaders without a permanent home. Government funding for a new stadium was
RSS