Reigning world 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson, is nowhere near the form that brought her global fame in Budapest last year.
As her 2025 season crumbles under the weight of sluggish performances and off-track controversy, a new generation of American sprinters is emerging, and they’re making serious dents in what was once a Jamaican-dominated sprint legacy.
Richardson’s slow start to the season has been puzzling and underwhelming. A flat 11.47 finish in Tokyo followed by an 11.19 at the Prefontaine Classic, times far removed from championship standards, have raised alarms about her readiness for the upcoming World Championships.
Once famous for dramatic late-race comebacks, Richardson now struggles to even get into contention. Her trademark explosiveness is gone, replaced by tepid starts and a lack of finishing power. And yet, as Richardson fades from the forefront, the American sprint narrative is evolving.
Currently, five American women occupy top-10 spots on the 2025 global 100m leaderboard. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden leads the charge, clocking a blistering 10.65, matching Richardson’s world-title time from 2023. Close behind are Kayla White, Twanisha “TeeTee” Terry, Jacious Sears, and JaMeesia Ford, all posting sub-10.90 times. Collectively, this cohort is surpassing the Jamaican sprint dominance that had become almost untouchable in recent years.
Only two Jamaican sprinters, the Clayton sisters, feature in the top 10 this season. It’s a stark contrast to 2023, when five of the eight fastest women in history, including Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, lined up for the final in Budapest. That race, where Richardson stormed from lane 9 to clinch gold, seemed to mark a new era. Instead, it now reads like a brief interruption in what might be a longer story of missed potential.
This new generation of U.S. sprinters is rewriting that story. They’ve taken the blueprint Richardson laid out, defeating the seemingly unbeatable Jamaicans, and are now executing it with precision, consistency, and raw speed. But as the American sprint scene flourishes, Richardson’s own season has taken a troubling personal turn.
Off-Track Trouble
On July 27, Richardson was arrested at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport on a fourth-degree domestic violence assault charge following an altercation with her boyfriend, fellow sprinter Christian Coleman. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Richardson shoving Coleman and throwing a pair of headphones in his direction. Despite Coleman declining to press charges, the case moved forward, and Richardson spent a night in custody before being released the next day.
Just days later at the U.S. Track and Field Championships, Richardson advanced from the 100m heats but withdrew before the semifinals and opted out of the 200m entirely. The abrupt withdrawal, coupled with the arrest, has thrown her season and her career into limbo.
While she still holds an automatic entry to the 2025 World Championships by virtue of her world title, the momentum she once carried has all but vanished. Her silence, combined with a lack of communication from USA Track and Field and the Seattle Police Department, has only deepened the sense of uncertainty.
For Sha’Carri Richardson, the path forward will require more than flair, headlines, or bravado. If she hopes to reclaim her place atop the world stage, she’ll need form. And she’ll need it fast.
