10 fastest Female 100m American athletes of all time ft. Florence Griffith-Joyner, Sha'Carri Richardson

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Jul 19, 2024 04:42 GMT

Florence Griffith-Joyner and Sha'Carri Richardson are two of the finest 100m sprinters the United States have witnessed. While Richardson hasn't attained the same level of success as the former, she is already a world champion in the discipline and is among the frontrunners to win gold at the Paris Olympics.

100 m sprint is a matter of prestige for the American athletes. A few exceptions like Jamaica notwithstanding, the American athletes have absolutely dominated this event, irrespective of gender as well as the tournaments.

With a timing of 10.65 seconds, Sha'Carri Richardson is well on the course to break the long standing world record set by American sprinting legend Florence Griffith-Joyner.

Here are some of the greatest 100 m female American athletes of all time:

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#10) Gail Devers

Gail Devers, a champion sprinter but an unlucky hurdler [Image Source: Getty]

This sprinter has a unique record of being one of the greatest, as well as the unluckiest American sprinters of all time.

Gail Devers has 3 Olympic gold medals, 13 World Championship medals [including both indoor and outdoor], and a personal best of 10.82 seconds, which she clocked at Barcleona Olympics in 1992.

However, Devers could never fulfill her dream of an Olympic double, especially in her favorite event, the 100 m hurdles. The closest she ever came to winning a medal was at Atlanta Olympics in 1996, where Gail Devers finished an agonizing 4th.

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#9) Aleia Hobbs

Aleia Hobbs from USA, a relay specialist [Image Source: Getty]

Although she is more of a relay specialist, Aleia Hobbs has some individual records to her name as well. In 2022, Hobbs timed a personal best of 10.72 seconds, which would have put her in the top 5 American athletes of all time.

However, since her record was wind assisted, only the legal timing of 10.81 was considered, making Hobbs the 9th fastest 100 m female American athlete of all time, with a silver medal from Tokyo Olympics and a gold medal from the 2022 World Championships to her credit.

#8) Inger Miller

Inger Miller from USA, another relay specialist [Image Source: Getty]

Like Aleia Hobbs, this American sprinter was more of a relay specialist. However, at the World Championships in 1999, Inger Miller timed a personal best of 10.79 seconds.

Apart from that, Inger Miller has 1 Olympic gold medal, 2 World Championships gold medals and 2 World Championships silver medals to her credit.

#7) Tori Bowie

Tori Bowie from USA at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, 2019 [Image Source: Getty]

Before her untimely death in 2023 due to complications from childbirth, this champion sprinter from Sand Hill, Mississippi specialized in 100 m, 200 m and long jump.

Just before the Rio Olympics, Tori Bowie had clocked a personal best of 10.78 seconds at an athletic meet in USA. She also shone at the Rio Olympics, with a gold medal in the 4 x 100 m relay, a silver medal in 100 m and a bronze medal in 200 m respectively. Tori Bowie also has 2 World Championships gold medals and a bronze to her credit.

#6) Tianna Bartoletta

Tianna Bartoletta, the American all rounder [Image Source: Getty]

This sprinter cum long jumper from Elyria, Ohio, had impressed many with her performances in both the relays and the long jump.

Tianna Bartoletta [formerly Madison] was a part of the 4 x 100 m relay team that won the gold medal at London Olympics in 2012. However, at Rio Olympics, she went a step ahead. Before the Olympics, she had clocked a personal best of 10.78 seconds individually.

Although Bartoletta did not win a gold medal in the 100 m, she surprised everyone with a gold medal in both the 4 x 100 m relay and the long jump.

#5) Torri Edwards

Torri Edwards [R] in action [Image Source: Getty]

Torri Edwards had clocked a personal best of 10.78 seconds during an athletic meet at Eugene, Oregon in 2008.

However, she has just one Olympic medal to her credit : a bronze medal from the women's 4 x 100 m relay at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

#4) Evelyn Ashford

Evelyn Ashford in action at the Los Angeles Olympics, 1984 [Image Source: Getty]

Before the emergence of Florence Griffith-Joyner, it was Evelyn Ashford who used to dominate the 100 m events.

Just before the Los Angeles Olympics, Evelyn Ashford created a new world record of 10.76 seconds. She also won the Olympic gold medal with a new Olympic record of 10.97 seconds.

Ashford later switched to focusing on relays, although she did win a silver medal at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, clocking 10.83 seconds. Evelyn Ashford has 4 Olympic gold medals and a silver medal to her credit.

#3) Sha'Carri Richardson

Sha'Carri Richardson at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials 2024 [Image Source: Getty]

In 2021 itself, this American sprinter began making waves. Sha'Carri Richardson had almost qualified for Tokyo Olympics, but a drug test on cannabis ruined her plans altogether, although she was exonerated from doping.

However, since then, Sha'Carri Richardson is giving her best to supersede her American compatriot Florence Griffith-Joyner. She has a personal best of 10.65 seconds, which she clocked at the 2023 World Championships held at Budapest.

Sha'Carri Richardson produced an impressive performance in the 100m event during the Olympic trials, which saw her win the competition and qualify for Paris 2024.

#2) Carmelita Jeter

Carmelita Jeter after winning the silver medal in 100 m at London Olympics 2012 [Image Source: Getty]

At London Olympics, Carmelita Jeter won a unique hattrick. She won a gold medal in the 4 x 100 m relay, a silver medal in the 100 m, and a bronze medal in the women's 200 m event.

However, that is not all. Carmelita Jeter is also the 2nd fastest American sprinter of all time. She had clocked a personal best of 10.64 seconds at the Berlin World Championships. However, she ended up with just a bronze medal in the same event.

#1) Florence Griffith-Joyner

Florence Griffith-Joyner [Extreme Right] before her race at Seoul Olympics 1988 [Image Source: Getty]

When this American sprinter finished second behind Evelyn Ashford, nobody had thought even in their wildest dreams, that Florence Griffith-Joyner would become one of the greatest American female sprinters of all time.

However, within 4 years, she proved everybody wrong, and in style. Only a few months before Seoul Olympics, Florence Griffith-Joyner clocked 10.49 seconds in 100 m and 21.34 seconds in 200 m respectively. These were world record timings, that are yet to bettered.