Sha’Carri Richardson entered the 2025 season with sky-high expectations but her recent performance in Tokyo left fans and analysts concerned.
At the Seiko Golden Grand Prix last month, Richardson finished a distant fourth in 11.47 seconds a far cry from her 10.65s personal best, while Bree Rizzo took gold in 11.38s.
With just days to go before the highly anticipated Prefontaine Classic on July 5, where Richardson will face familiar rivals Julien Alfred and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in a rematch of the Paris Olympic 100m final, there’s little time left to iron out the flaws.
According to Essentially Sports, these are the three crucial areas Sha’Carri Richardson must urgently address if she’s to reclaim her ‘that girl’ status.
1️⃣ Clean Up Her Starts
If there’s one issue that has persistently haunted Sha’Carri Richardson, it’s her sluggish starts. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, her reaction time in the 100m final was 0.221 seconds, the slowest among the finalists and nearly double that of Julien Alfred’s blistering 0.144s. Alarmingly, this wasn’t a one-off. Even in the prelims and semifinals, her starts lagged behind, ranking her near the bottom for reaction times.
Fast forward to May’s Seiko Grand Prix, and the problem persisted. Sha’Carri Richardson clocked a reaction time of 0.181 seconds — again the slowest in the field. If she hopes to beat explosive starters like Alfred, sharpening her reaction and drive phase is absolutely non-negotiable.
2️⃣ Regain Mid-Race Momentum
Even when she manages to get out of the blocks cleanly, Richardson has struggled to find her trademark mid-race surge this season. In Tokyo, her 11.47s finish into a mild headwind was far off the pace expected from a reigning world champion. The decisive problem is a sluggish acceleration phase.
At her best, Sha’Carri Richardson is known for hitting a smooth, powerful top-end speed, especially after the 30m mark. During her 2023 World Championships-winning run, she transitioned beautifully into her upright position and stormed home with 0.90s splits over the latter half of the race. In Tokyo, however, that rhythm never appeared. Her famed stride length and mechanics, which usually carry her past rivals in the final metres, seemed absent.
Without that mid-race burst, her times have hovered well over 11 seconds, a dangerous sign in a season stacked with in-form rivals.
3️⃣ Race More Often
Perhaps the most overlooked factor in Richardson’s current form dip is her lack of competitive racing. So far this year, she has only run one 100m race. While her automatic qualification for the World Championships as reigning champion grants her the luxury of skipping qualifiers, it may be more of a curse than a blessing.
Track insiders, including coach Rob, have pointed out that a similar strategy backfired for Fred Kerley in 2023. He entered the World Championships underprepared and fell short when it mattered. Richardson risks following the same path if she doesn’t lace up for more races soon.
In 2023, Sha’Carri had already contested eight races before the US Championships, keeping her sharp and race-fit. This season, just one race, with perhaps one more coming before September’s Worlds. Regular racing sharpens competitive instincts, reaction times, and finishing power, all areas where Richardson currently looks rusty.
Richardson’s next opportunity comes at the Prefontaine Classic on July 5, a race where she’s historically thrived. Facing the very sprinters who outpaced her in Paris and with minimal time left before Worlds, it’s a crucial test.
If she can improve her starts, sharpen her acceleration, and stay active on the circuit, there’s every chance we’ll see the return of the electrifying Sha’Carri Richardson who took the world by storm.
