Who is the fastest woman ever? Where does Sha'carri Richardson stand in all time list
Sha'Carri Richardson, currently the fastest woman on Earth, stands only third in the overall list of the top ten 100m times run by a woman.The fastest time clocked by a woman in the 100m sprint came in 1988 when American runner Florence Griffith Joyner ran a 10.49 in Indianapolis. That record remains unbroken even three decades later.
Second on the list is Elaine Thompson Herah. The Jamaican ran an impressive 10.54 at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic Diamond League, making her the fastest woman alive.
Sha'Carri Richardson's third place on the list of top ten 100m times by women is courtesy of her 10.57 run at the Miramar Invitational 2023. Richardson followed it up with a 10.65 at the Budapest World Championships later in the year, winning a gold in the event.
Next on the list is Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The Jamaican set the fourth fastest time in history with a 10.60 run in the 2021 at Lausanne, Switzerland.
The fifth fastest time recorded by a woman in the 100m came at the 1998 IAAF World Cup, when Carmelita Jones clocked a 10.64 in Shanghai, China.
Following Jones, sprinters Shericka Jackson and Marion Jones share the number six spot on the list, with a time of 10.65. Marion recorded her time in 1998 in Johannesburg, while Jackson set the record at the 2023 Jamaican Championships in Kingston.
Number eight and nine on the list are runners Brittany Brown and Mellissa Jefferson. Brown clocked a 10.66 in April 2022, while Jefferson ran a 10.69 for her place in the record-books.
The tenth place on the list is once again split, this time between six runners. Tori Bowie, Tawanna Meadows, Blessing Okagbare, Aleia Hobbs, Marie-Josse Talou, and Julie Alfred all managed to run a 10.72 at some point in their careers.
Sha'Carri Richardson's exceptional 2023
Sha'Carri Richardson looked like a promising shot for USA to medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, after she topped the trials with an impressive time. Unfortunately the athlete was handed a suspension soon after for testing positive for cannabis.
Two years later, Sha'Carri Richardson made a roaring comeback at the 2023 Miramar Invitational, stunning audiences with her 10.57 race. She followed this up with a victory in Doha at the Diamond League, with a time of 10.76, setting a new meet record.
A few months later, Sha'Carri Richardson raced to her first major international title with a gold at the 100m event in the World Athletics Championships. She clocked a 10.65 for her win. She also took the bronze for the 200m, and another gold in the 4x100m relay in Budapest.