Sha’Carri Richardson is the favorite in the 100-meter event at the Olympics in Paris. Her path to a gold medal got ever-so-slightly easier on Wednesday morning when Shericka Jackson of Jamaica decided to drop out of the race all together.
This is huge news in the sprinting world!
Jackson, 30, is the fifth-fastest woman of all-time and the reigning bronze medalist in the 100. She, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah swept the podium in Tokyo three years ago. Richardson was disqualified after testing positive for marijuana and did not compete.
Sha’Carri Richardson is in a great spot!
The Jamaican trio was supposed to contest the American superstar in Paris. Only one is left.
Fraser-Pryce is widely regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all-time and, barring unforeseen circumstance, will be in the field. She will be Richardson’s greatest competition in the 100, but even she had her competition cycle abbreviated by setbacks during training.
Thompson-Herah is the only women to ever win back-to-back gold medals in both the 100 and 200, doing so in Rio and Tokyo. However, the 32-year-old cut her season short after just two races this year due to injury and will not defend her titles when the track and field competition gets underway later this week.
And then there’s Jackson, who suddenly and surprisingly dropped out of the 100 on Wednesday. An incident on July 9 that was described as a “cramp” raised concerns about her health. Rumors about her condition have been circling for weeks as Team Jamaica and her MVP Track Club stayed silent.
Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah being out is huge for Sha’Carri Richardson. Although the path to gold at the Olympics is easier, it won’t be easy.
Fraser-Pryce is still trucking. St. Lucian sprinter Julien Alfred has been on fire this year. Tia Clayton, a 19-year-old with Team Jamaica, is a rising star. Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain and Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith of Côte d’Ivoire are always in the mix as well.
Women’s 100-meter competition starts on Friday with the preliminary round. The semi-finals and the finals will take place a day later, on Saturday.