“It's like chess. The Olympics, that's checkmate”- Sha'Carri Richardson ready to battle for 100m gold at Paris Olympics 2024

By Zahid Rashid Dar

Modified Jul 09, 2024 14:25 GMT

Sha'Carri Richardson is oozing confidence ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024 after dominating the 100m circuits in the last couple of years, a run that also includes a world title. The American claimed that the sport is just like chess, and with the Olympics being the ultimate prize, she was ready to checkmate in Paris.

From being awarded a doping suspension to winning the second most coveted title in track and field, Richardson has come a long way. She's the sixth fastest woman in the sport, and 4th fastest American of all time, and has a lot left in her tank.

Richardson opened her outdoor season in the 100m at Prefontaine Classic 2024 with a blistering run in 10.83s. If that wasn't enough indication of a hot run of form, the 24-year-old ran a world-leading 10.71s at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024.

Speaking with Vogue in an interview, Sha'Carri Richardson claimed that she had done the ‘trial and error’, and now the time was for 'checkmate'.

“It’s like chess. Every move you make leads to checkmate. So the Olympics, okay, that’s checkmate, that’s the moment an athlete dreams about. But every race I have leading up to that matters too—that’s my opportunity to grow, so by the time I’m on the track in Paris, I know I’ve done my trial and error,”she said.

In another interview with NBC5 earlier this year, the world champion highlighted her progress as an athlete and claimed that compared to 2021, she was in a much better position.

"I'm better, I'm stronger and I'm wiser. I just knew that I was in a different position that I've never been in my entire life,” Richardson said.

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Sha'Carri Richardson won the U.S. Olympic Trials despite block problems, and that means she can go way faster than 10.71

2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Day 8

Sha'Carri Richardson leads the women's 100m field this year with her blazing run of 10.71s from the U.S. Olympic Trials Finals. In all three races, including finals, the 24-year-old ran at the Hayward Field, she didn't get her usual brisk start and was slow off the blocks.

Although Richardson did fix her blocks to some extent in the finals, with a perfect start, she could have breached her personal best of 10.65s. She started celebrating a few meters before the finish line, which again implies the world champion can run faster.

Sha'Carri Richardson is meters ahead of her competition right now, with the next fastest woman of 2024 being Jacious Sears in 10.77s. If the American can hold on to her form for a month, she could very well be returning with gold from the Paris Olympics 2024.