Sha’Carri Richardson After 100-Meter U.S. Title: ‘I’m Not Back, I’m Better’

The sprinter missed the Olympics in 2021 due to suspension, but showed she’s still the woman to beat on Friday.

In the summer of 2021, Sha’Carri Richardson became a national story in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics. After qualifying for the U.S. track team with a blistering 10.86 100-meter time, she was banned from competition for a month after testing positive for THC metabolites.

The suspension drew widespread condemnation, and Richardson’s fame grew in her absence from Tokyo. However, she struggled at first in her return to track, finishing last in the 100-meter sprint at the Prefontaine Classic.

That made Richardson's 100-meter U.S. title Friday all the more satisfying. Her 10.82 edged second-place finisher Brittany Brown by 0.08 seconds.

“I’m ready mentally, physically and emotionally, and I’m here to stay,” Richardson said after her victory in Eugene, Ore. “I’m not back. I’m better.”

"I'm not back. I'm better."

Sha’Carri Richardson after taking the women’s 100m national title. pic.twitter.com/2uJexyoB6S

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 8, 2023

Richardson, 23, will presumably take aim at reaching her first Olympics in 2024, with the U.S. Olympics trials scheduled to be held in Orlando sometime next year.