Favorite Sha’Carri Richardson takes silver in women’s 100m final at her first Olympics

Sha’Carri Richardson was barred from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 for a positive marijuana test

Sha’Carri Richardson took second place in the women’s 100-meter final at the Paris Olympics, winning a silver medal at her first Games.

Richardson came in second place, with a time of 10.87 seconds. Her US teammate, Melissa Jefferson, clinched bronze in 10.92 seconds. Julien Alfred of St. Lucia won gold — her country’s first-ever medal — with a 10.72-second time, beating Richardson by just 0.15 seconds.

“I’m thinking of God, my dad, who didn’t get to see me,” Alfred said. “He passed away in 2013. Dad, this is for you. I miss you. I did it for him, I did it for my coach and God.”

Sha’Carri Richardson pictured moments after finishing second in the women’s 100-meter final at the Paris 2024 Olympics (AFP via Getty Images)

Richardson was the favorite to win gold, having qualified for the competition with a winning 10.71-second run. The 24-year-old’s biggest challenger, Shericka Jackson of Jamaica, had dropped out of the 100-meter event earlier this week to focus on the 200-meter dash instead.

Richardson, who specializes in the 100-meter dash, was vying to become the first American woman to clinch gold in the race since 1999. She is now set to compete again in the women’s 4x100-meter Relay race on August 8.

Julien Alfred crosses the line to clinch Olympic gold in the women’s 100 meters at the Paris Games (AFP via Getty Images)

The sprinter, from Dallas, was also a contender for the 200-meter race but did not advance past the US Olympic Trials after securing fourth place.

The Paris Olympics are Richardson’s first after the US Anti-Doping Agency barred her from the 2021 Tokyo Games due to a positive marijuana test. Richardson, who accepted a one-month suspension for the violation, was expected to win gold in Tokyo.

“I know what I did, I know what I’m supposed to do, what I’m allowed not to do, and I still made that decision,” Richardson said at the time.

“Don’t judge me, because I am human... I just happen to run a little faster,” she added.