Olympics 2024: Favourite debutant, Richardson cruises into 100m semis with ease

Sha’Carri Richardson made a strong impression in her Olympic debut by winning her opening-round heat of the women’s 100m with a time of 10.94 seconds, advancing to Saturday’s semifinal round.

Richardson had a solid start and surged ahead of the other sprinters around the 30-meter mark, cruising the rest of the way. Patrizia van der Weken of Luxembourg finished second with a time of 11.14 seconds.

Running in the first of eight heats on Friday morning, Marie-Josée Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast clocked the fastest time in the opening round at 10.87 seconds. Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce recorded the second fastest time (10.92 seconds).

Richardson advanced to the semifinals with the fourth fastest time among all qualifiers. As the U.S. Olympic track and field trials champion in the event, she holds the world’s top time this year at 10.71 seconds.

Richardson is the favorite to win the 100m at this year’s Paris Olympics, being the defending world champion and arriving with significant momentum. Additionally, Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson withdrew from the event earlier this week.

All three American sprinters advanced to the semifinals. Melissa Jefferson posted a time of 10.96 seconds to place second in the third heat, while Twanisha Terry won her sixth heat with a time of 11.15 seconds.

Richardson, Jefferson, and Terry are training partners in Florida. Terry expressed the benefits of having teammates by saying, “Having other teammates here to train with, to have that extra support, and to push each other is great. When one of us is down, the other two might be up. It’s a great feeling to have moral support aside from our coach and family.”