The difference 3 years makes for Sha'Carri Richardson, fastest woman in the world

Sha'Carri Richardson crossed the finish line in the 100 meters at the 2024 U.S. Olympic track and field trials and experienced an intense feeling of emotion distinctly different than she’s felt ever before.

"This time around, I feel as if it was more − definitely still confident, still my exciting, normal self, but more so the overwhelming feeling of joy," Richardson said following the race in Eugene, Oregon in late June.

Richardson won with a world-leading time of 10.71 to clinch her ticket to the Paris Olympics .

Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports' WhatsApp Channel

Rewind to three years ago, Richardson won the 100 at the 2020 U.S. Olympic track and field trials (which were in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) with a time of 10.86 seconds to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and quickly became track and field’s newest star. But it came to an abrupt halt when she tested positive for THC and was subsequently suspended for one month.

At the time, Richardson said she used cannabis to help her cope with the death of her biological mother in 2021, just before the Olympic trials. But her suspension ran through the 100 meters at the Tokyo Olympics and she was left off the Team USA roster.

Her story since then is one of growth and redemption that reached a crescendo when she won the gold medal in the 100 at the 2023 world championships, staking claim as the fastest woman in the world.

She proceeded to win gold at the 2024 Prefontaine Classic against a competitive field. A few weeks later on the same track, she crossed the finish line first to qualify for the Paris Olympics, where she’ll be the gold-medal favorite in the 100.

“I would say in the past three years I’ve grown, just having a better understanding of myself, a deeper respect and appreciation for my gift that I have in the sport, and as well as my responsibility to the people that believe in and support me,” Richardson said. “I feel like all those components have helped me grow and will continue to help me grow into the young lady I have been divined and blessed by God to be.

“Having a deeper love and a deeper care for the talent I have been given and I take advantage of it, nurture it, take care of my body, my mind as well as my spirit. That way I can continue to execute and show up on the track.”

One of track and field’s brightest stars

Richardson’s charisma, confidence, perseverance through adversity and success have launched her to become one of track and field’s biggest stars. During the U.S. Olympic trials, Richardson’s victory in the 100 was the most-watched clip on NBC Sports’ YouTube page with approximately 1.5 million views as of June 25. Hayward Field’s roughly 12,650-capacity stadium had 11,852 ticketed spectators in attendance the day Richardson won the 100. Additionally, she had one of the loudest ovations from the crowd when introduced at the trials in Eugene.

“Sha’Carri Richardson has certainly drawn in a lot of people who I wouldn’t even have called them casual fans before,” four-time Olympic gold medalist and NBC analyst Sanya Richards-Ross told USA TODAY Sports. “I think they were people that didn’t watch track and field at all that now feel very connected and invested in the sport because of Sha’Carri.”

Richards-Ross, like many others, considers Richardson a face of track and field.

Training partners in Paris

Richardson is slated to compete in the 100 and 4x100 relay at the Paris Olympics. Her qualification in the 100 was sweetened when her training partners, Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry, finished second and third, respectively, in the final to join Richardson on Team USA’s 100-meter squad. The trio are coached by former world-class sprinter Dennis Mitchell.

“It definitely confirmed the year we’ve been training for. We’ve been preparing for this moment. It’s a full-circle moment," Richardson said. "We’re grateful and appreciative and I’m super excited to grow and build from this momentum that we’ve already established. It’s more than exciting to continue to go forward with my girls.

“We didn’t put the world on notice, the world already knew. …We knew this moment could be possible if we put our minds, body and spirit into it."

What’s possible in Paris?

Richardson has an opportunity to reach the pinnacle of the sport in track and field’s signature event if she wins Olympic gold in the 100. The 100 is considered her strongest event; she didn't qualify for the individual 200, finishing fourth at trials. She won’t have to compete with 100 and 200 Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury . However, the competition to be on top of the Olympic podium will be fierce with Jamaica’s other sprint star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred. Superstar Shericka Jackson of Jamaica pulled out of the 100 meters to focus on the 200.

More: Eight international track and field stars to know at the 2024 Paris Olympics

If Richardson wins an illustrious gold medal in Paris, her stardom will only shine brighter during an opportune time not only for her but the U.S. as the country promotes its stars in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“If she goes to Paris and takes care of business in this 100 and she’s the Olympic champion, where’s the next Olympics? Oh, that’s right. It’s in America,” former Olympian and NBC analyst Ato Boldon said. “We are grateful that we even have a chance to cover somebody like Sha’Carri Richardson because she is so important to the sport, not just globally but domestically.”

Richardson is undoubtedly a medal favorite in the 100 and as part of Team USA’s 4x100-relay team. But notwithstanding of the medals Richardson collects, she has a chance to add another remarkable chapter to her story. The one about growth, redemption and − regardless of the outcome in Paris – triumph.

“Everything I’ve been through is everything I’ve been through to be in this moment right now. There’s nothing I’ve been through that hasn’t designed me,” Richardson said. “And I would say going into the Games, I don’t put a time on myself, I just know that if I execute and run the race that I trained and prepared for, the time comes with it. I’m just excited to go out there and run a well-executed race.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon .

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The difference 3 years makes for Sha'Carri Richardson, fastest woman in the world