"Opportunity to incorporate one of the most impactful track and field women" - Relay coach on working with Sha'Carri Richardson at World Championships

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Nov 22, 2024 04:24 GMT

Sha'Carri Richardson made her mark at the Paris Olympics, winning a gold medal in the women's 4x100m relay and a silver medal in the individual 100m final at the Paris Olympics 2024. Her relay coach and former Olympian, Mechelle Lewis Freeman, opened up about working with the 24-year-old sprinter during the Budapest World Championships and recognizing her true potential.

In a podcast session with Justin Gatlin and Bahamian Olympian Rodney Green on their YouTube channel 'Ready, Set, Go', Freeman talked about how she chose Richardson as the anchor leg runner for the women's 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympics.

"She's [Sha'Carri] uh, one of the best anchor legs um that I have....She showed it, she showed the people, she showed the world that she was the best anchor leg, so um it was an opportunity to, to incorporate one of the most, uh, impactful track and field women in the history of the sport, into the groove," mentioned Freeman [45:50 onwards]

Freeman also revealed that the preparations for the event, including the selection of Richardson, had begun as early as the Budapest World Championships held in 2023. In her words,

"Budapest, that was the year that we finally got to, that was the year that I finally got to work with Sha'Carri on a senior team, because no one knows but I work with Sha'Carri on a junior team, and she actually ran third leg, and yeah like, Sha'Carri is an amazing third leg. She's an amazing any leg, that's what great about Sha'Carri."

Sha'Carri Richardson ran the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay finals for Team USA at the Paris Olympics. Her split timing of 10.09 seconds helped the American team to win the Olympic gold medal after eight years in the women's 4x100m relay event.

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Sha'Carri Richardson on meeting childhood idol Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce again at Nike event

Sha'Carri Richardson on reuniting with childhood idol Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce [Image for Representational Purposes] [Image Source : Getty]

More than a week ago, Sha'Carri Richardson attended a promotional Nike event. She also had the golden opportunity of meeting her childhood idol and Jamaican sprinting legend, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

Richardson uploaded a photograph with Fraser-Pryce, Sophie Hahn, and Dina Asher-Smith, writing 'Literally' in response to Hahn's Instagram story that captioned,

"Track Queens"

A few days later, Richardson uploaded another Instagram story, with the caption,

"Win, Lose, Draw. But Always Get Back Up. A True Winner."

Richardson was to face Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce for the first time at the Olympics in the semifinals of the women's 100m event at the quadrennial event in Paris. However, Fraser-Pryce withdrew at the last moment, and Richardson qualified for the finals, only to lose the Olympic gold medal to Julian Alfred, who hailed from Saint Lucia.

Sha'Carri Richardson ended the athletic season of 2024 on a slightly disappointing note. Despite being one of the top favorites for the coveted Diamond League Finals, Richardson couldn't hold the momentum and barely managed to avoid a last-place finish in the Diamond League Finals held at Brussels. Julian Alfred won the event, becoming the first athlete from Saint Lucia to win the coveted championship.