Sha'Carri Richardson continued to show her frustration on winning silver at the women's 100-meter final in Paris during the 2024 Olympic Games .
However, there was a moment when she broke her frustration to tell reporters how she felt about coming in second behind St. Lucia's Julien Alfred. As Richardson walked through the mixed zone at the Stade de France on Sunday, a reporter asked the American star if she was "happy."
As she streaked by reporters, Richardson replied : "Very happy!" This marked the first time the star spoke to reporters after her disappointing outing against Alfred.
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Aside from a tense back-and-forth with a reporter, about 15 minutes after her race when she corrected how her name was pronounced, Richardson has remained silent, electing not to speak to journalists about her outing. Favored to win the women's 100-meter final, Richardson was shocked by Alfred , who came in first with a time of 10.71.
Meanwhile, Richardson clocked in at 10.87, good for second while Melissa Jefferson came in third, with the gap between Alfred and Richardson being the largest margin since 2008 The win was massive for Alfred, as she became St. Lucia's first Olympic medalist, which is a feat in and of itself considering there are fewer than 200,000 St. Lucians.
Shortly after the race, it appeared as if there was no ill will between the two Olympians, as Richardson was quick to congratulate Alfred after her stunning win. Known as the fastest woman on Earth thanks to her time during the Olympic Trials in Oregon, Richardson's loss came as a shock to fans.
Once the dust had settled, many fans determined that Richardson's start was what ultimately ended her chase for a gold medal. Richardson was clocked leaving the blocks at .221 seconds, the slowest among all sprinters, and was almost a full tenth behind Alfred.
Because of her slow start, the American immediately put herself at a disadvantage. Still, the 24-year-old was able to sprint past six other competitors to get to second place, showing that had she had a quick boost off the blocks, the gold medal was within her grasp.
Richardson has had a history of slow starts. During the Olympic Trials, Richardson failed to qualify in the 200-meter race and in the 100-meter semifinal, she lost to Alfred, again due to a slow start.
Because the American has elected not to speak to reporters the last two days, it remains to be seen how she will share her reaction to the world. But it is clear that the expectations placed on Richardson certainly didn't help how she reacted after her race.
Elsewhere, Polish star Ewa Swoboda, who missed out on a chance to race against Richardson and Alfred, confused fans before her race for how she addressed fans on social media. She originally saluted with her right hand before immediately shaking her head and saluting with her left.
Fans noticed her quick correction and believed it was her way of showing respect to the military. "Military salute is with the right hand," a fan said. "So, she switches to her left to say hello."
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