by Deji Ogeyingbo
Women’s 100m: It’s Richardson’s title to lose, but Jackson will be out for revenge
The last time an American woman won the Gold in the 100m at the Olympics was in 1996.
That’s a very long time for a country that prides itself as the most dominant nation in sprinting. After playing second fiddle to the Jamaicans in the last three Olympics, they finally found a ‘savior; in Sha’Carri Richardson who can stick it up to them and genuinely run fast and win an Olympic Gold.
So, the onus rests on Richardson to deliver when it matters most. After missing the last Olympics in Tokyo, the 24-year-old has got a lot riding on her shoulders. She goes into this year’s Olympics as the fastest woman in the world having run 10.71s at the US trials. Also, the American has put out the demons of not performing/qualifying at a major championship when she won the world title against all odds in Budapest last year.
Richardson has had a flawless season over the 100m so far winning all her races, and it will take a lot from her rivals to beat her to the win in Paris.
Talking about her rivals, one name that comes right off the hat is Shericka Jackson. With the reigning Olympic Champion, Elaine Thompson-Herah now available to run in Paris due to injury, the onus lies on Jackson to push Richardson to the limit and keep the title in the Caribbean country. It won’t be easy though.
Her season over the distance hasn’t been smooth sailing, but she still has some decent times to show for, with the best coming at the Jamaican trials where she clocked 10.84s for the win. Jackson is yet to win a global title over the 100m and this might offer her the perfect opportunity to enact revenge on Richardson who pipped her to the world title in Budapest last year.
One athlete who has been climbing up the list this year and might as well shock the track world is St. Lucian’s Julien Alfred. Since her NCAA success, last year and narrowing coming unstuck at last year’s final. There is a growing feeling amongst fans that she’s more experienced, especially after she won the 60m world title in Glasgow earlier this year.
More importantly, she continues to improve her times over the distance. Alfred has run a Personal Best of 10.78s this year already. Surely this is a medal conversation starter. How she executes her rounds will also be key to which color of medal she will get.
How dare we not mention the mother queen, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce? The thing is all good things come to an end, eventually. After winning three Olympic titles throughout her career, it will all come crashing down in Paris. The purist will surely want her to bow out with one last title, but sport as we know doesn’t work that way.
Fraser-Pryce recently withdrew from the meet in Lucerne due to a persistent issue. She didn’t start her season until June and has only competed in Jamaica this year. Over the past year, she has had to withdraw from several other meets because of this problem. Her 10.77-second run in the final at last year’s World Championships in Budapest was the last time she clocked under 10.8 seconds, since 2022. Maybe a Bronze might suffice for her, but that isn’t a certainty either.
Then we have the contenders; Ivory Coast’s Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith will have one last chance to get a go at picking an Olympic medal. Her form this year hasn’t been stellar as she is yet to win a major race over the distance this year. In fact, she hasn’t dipped inside 11s this year.
Rising American stars Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry impressed at the US trials, and now the pressure is on them to replicate their performances on the global stage. Additionally, Jamaica’s Tia Clayton, who outperformed Fraser-Pryce at the Jamaican trials, appears to be her successor. She will be looking to make her mark and go all the way.
