Sha-Carri Richardson weighs in with world-leading 10.71 at US athletics championships
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Sha’Carri Richardson delivered a personal best to continue her strong start to the season.
PHOTO: AFP
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EUGENE – US sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson launched her latest bid for a first World Championships berth with a world-leading 10.71sec in the 100m heats at the US athletics championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Thursday.
The 23-year-old delivered a personal best to continue her strong start to a season highlighted by the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August.
Richardson clocked a 10.76sec at the Doha Diamond League meeting
On Thursday, she improved on the previous world-leading time of the season of 10.75sec set by Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou at the Bislett Games on June 15.
Richardson was infamously barred from the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics
She then saw her hopes of competing for a medal at the same Hayward Field track at the 2022 World Championships vanish when she bombed out of the US trials.
Richardson, who says she is making up for lost time, opted not to discuss her performance, preferring to remain focused with the semi-finals and final to come on Friday.
Only the top three finishers will secure a World Championships berth.
Richardson easily won her heat ahead of Brittany Brown, whose 10.96 was second-fastest overall. Tamara Clark posted the third-fastest time of 11.02.
Christian Coleman, the 2019 world champion who missed the Tokyo Olympics
“You hit 9.95 in the first round, it seems like a pretty good race,” the 27-year-old said.
“So just try to clean it up and let it rip tomorrow.”
Cravont Charleston was second-fastest overall in 10.01, while Kendal Williams and J.T. Smith both posted 10.02sec.
The 2022 100m world bronze medallist Trayvon Bromell and reigning 200m world champion Noah Lyles advanced with identical 10.05 timings.
But Marvin Bracy-Williams, who took silver behind fellow American Fred Kerley at the last world meet in Eugene pulled up with an injury and failed to advance.
Coleman said plenty of work remained to secure a 100m Budapest berth, even with Kerley – who has a bye as defending champion – opting to run the 200m this week.
“Just anybody’s game when you get out there on the line. So I’ve got to earn it,” he said.
Lyles, who is targeting a 100-200 double in Budapest, recovered from a mediocre start to book his semi-final berth. He revealed he had been cleared to travel only on Sunday after a second bout of Covid-19.
“Very wild week. My top end (speed) is there, just got to wake my body up,” Lyles said.
Five finals were on the slate, with Tori Franklin winning the women’s triple jump with a leap of 14.44m.
Maddie Harris won the women’s javelin with a throw of 60.73m and Sam Mattis won the men’s discus with 65.93m.
On the track, Woody Kincaid won the men’s 10,000m in 28min 23.01sec and Elise Cranny aced the women’s race in 32:12.30.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the 400m hurdles world record holder and world champion who has turned her attention to the 400m flat this season, led the 400m heats with 49.79sec.
Reigning 800m world champion Athing Mu sliced almost six seconds off her 1,500m personal best as she advanced to the semi-finals in 4:10.33 – the sixth-fastest of the day behind Sinclaire Johnson’s 4:07.84.
Mu, who has a bye to defend her 800m crown, said she would see how she recovers before deciding if she would run every round of the 1,500m.
At the Jamaican National Championships on Thursday, Tissanna Hickling qualified for her first senior world championships after winning the women’s long jump with a personal-best 6.85m, the qualifying mark for Budapest. The 25 year-old surpassed her previous best of 6.82m set in 2019.
She joined NCAA champion Ackelia Smith of the University of Texas as the Jamaicans who have qualified for the Aug 19-27 championships.
“Well, everybody’s main goal is to just really qualify for the World Championships but like I said, mentally and physically I’ve been doing well this season,” Hickling said.
“So I was really expecting just to come out here and do well.”
Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games champion Lamar Distin confirmed her place at the championships after winning the women’s high jump with a clearance of 1.91m.
Shericka Jackson started the defence of her sprint double titles with an impressive win in her first-round heat.
Jackson, the silver medallist in the 100m and winner of the 200m in Eugene a year ago, clocked 10.99sec to lead the qualifiers into Friday’s semi-finals and final.
Two-time double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah ran a season-best 11.12sec to win her heat and advanced along with national Under-20 record-holder Alana Reid, who won her heat in 11.14sec and Natasha Morrison, who was also a winner in 11.00sec.
Kishane Thompson ran a massive personal-best 9.91sec to lead the men’s 100m qualifiers, much faster than his previous best of 10.21sec.
Kadrian Goldson and Rohan Watson both went under 10sec for the first time. Former world champion Yohan Blake was disqualified after a false start. AFP
