Olympics track and field Day 2 results: Ryan Crouser takes gold, Sha'Carri Richardson settles for silver

For Olympic track and field, it doesn't get much bigger than the women's 100m.

Plenty of events have tried to match the star power the 100m possesses. Many have failed. It's hard to keep spectators captivated for hours on end. But seconds? That's a different story.

Leading the pack of contenders is Team USA's Sha'Carri Richardson, who is hoping to garner gold and tie a bow on what has been a splendid comeback story. Richardson missed the 2021 Games after a controversial ban following a failed drug test for marijuana.

The 24-year-old posted a 10.84-second time in her preliminary heat, the fourth-best showing in all of qualifying. You'd have to imagine she'll turn things up with a gold medal on the line.

Richardson is far from the only talented sprinter set to take the blocks Saturday in Stade de France, however. So too will Côte d’Ivoire's Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, the leading performer during the preliminaries and a two-time silver medalist at the World Championships. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will be in the mix, too, looking to spoil Richardson's party and nab another win for Jamaica.

The women's 100m promises to captivate. But there are multiple events declaring a champion Saturday, including men's shot put, women's triple jump and the mixed 4x400m relay. The U.S. put together quite the effort in the latter, cruising to first place with a world record 3:07.41 time. Did we mention they did all that in qualifying?

All of that is to say, there's plenty to be interested in beneath the baroque architecture of Saint-Denis. Who knows? You might see some history being made.

The Sporting News is tracking live updates from Day 2 of the track and field portion of the competition. Follow below for highlights, analysis and more.

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Olympics track and field results

Saturday, August 3

Live track and field updates, highlights from 2024 Olympics

3:23 p.m.: Julien Alfred takes the gold, outdoing Richardson and Jefferson with a scorching 10.72s time. That's St. Lucia's first-ever Olympic medal.

3:22 p.m.: Here we go from the women's 100m.

3:03 p.m.: Netherlands does it! Femke Bol with a sensational run in the final stretch to hold off the Americans. Went from fourth to first in the blink of an eye! The Dutch take the gold with a scorching time of 3:07.43.

2:59 p.m.: The mixed 4x400 final is here! Watch for Team USA, which set the world record in the apparatus yesterday. Could they best their feat this time around?

2:50 p.m.: The shot-put final has concluded. And was there ever any doubt? Crouser takes home the gold, while fellow American Joe Kovacs nabs the silver. Rajindra Campbell held off Payton Otterdahl to prevent an American monopoly on the podium.

2:28 p.m.: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's absence the big story in today's race. She shockingly withdrew from the 100m semis with nary a reason why.

2:10 p.m.: Jamaican teenager Tia Clayton puts on a show in her heat, outdueling American Twanisha Terry to punch her ticket to the finals. Terry and Great Britain star Daryll Neita qualify — Terry doing so on time.

2:02 p.m.: Richardson makes it to the finals! She falls just short to St. Lucia's Julien Alfred, who showcased an elegant stride in the opening stages to race out in front.

1:58 p.m. : Richardson stands on the starter's block. We're but moments away from her racing here. Plenty of support for the 24-year old in the Stade de France concourses.

1:52 p.m.: Jefferson wins her heat (10.99s), just outpacing Ta Lou-Smith (11.01s) after getting a wondrous start in the opening 20 or so meters. They'll both be taking part in the women's 100m finals. Richardson and the rest of her heat are up next.

1:50 p.m.: Women's 100m stars are headed to the starting blocks. The first heat will see Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith take the starting blocks. She had the fastest time of any runner during the first round. American Melissa Jefferson will also feature in the run.

1:49 p.m.: Wonderful toss by Crouser to start kick things off. 22.64 meters with relative ease. It might be a long night for his colleagues.

1:30 p.m.: Men's shot put final is on the horizon. Expect Ryan Crouser to be in the mix for a gold. If he were to end the night on top, it would represent his third career Olympic title.

1:00 p.m.: Impressive showings by Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles as the Americans make their mark in the men's 100m. Setting up for a solid showing in the semifinals, potentially.

Olympic track and field event schedule

The Olympic track and field events will mostly be held in Stade de France, a stadium just outside Paris that can hold more than 77,000 fans. Events will take place beginning on Aug. 1 until Aug. 11.

Thursday, Aug. 1

Friday, Aug. 2

Decathlon events

Saturday, Aug. 3

Decathlon events

Sunday, Aug. 4

Monday, Aug. 5

Tuesday, Aug. 6

Wednesday, Aug. 7

Thursday, Aug. 8

Heptathlon events

Friday, Aug. 9

Heptathlon events

Saturday, Aug. 10

Sunday, Aug. 11