Sha'Carri Richardson Turns Heads With Dominant Olympic Debut

She missed the 2020 Olympic Games because of an off-track scandal that involved a positive drug test for marijuana, forcing fans of the sport to wait a few years before one of the most electrifying sprinters of the generation could take the biggest stage.

On Friday, Sha'Carri Richardson stepped on the track at the 2024 Olympics in Paris for the first time, and she didn't disappoint.

Running a no-sweat 10.94 in the qualifying round of the women's 100m dash, Richardson dominated the competition and took the top overall spot by a large margin. The next closest competitor was Luxembourg's Patrizia Van Der Weken, who ran an 11.14.

Richardson will now move on to the 100m semifinals, which will take place on Saturday.

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Richardson's 10.94 was the third-fastest time among all preliminary heats, but it's still far from her fastest time ever, which was a blazing 10.65 back in August of 2023 at the World Athletic Championships. For reference, the world record in the women's 100m dash is held by Florence Griffith Joyner at 10.49 seconds, set back in 1988.

Here's a look at how track fans reacted to Richardson's dominant run on Friday:

Richardson will have a chance to be one of eight women to qualify for the Olympic Final, which will take place on Sunday. If she does make it through the semifinals and into the medal race, it will be must-watch television, certainly.

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