Sha'Carri Richardson's comeback didn't go exactly as planned at the Prefontaine Classic
Eugene, Oregon - Sha'Carri Richardson started her comeback to the track on Saturday, but finished at the end of the pack in her first race since being suspended from running at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Sha'Carri Richardson (21) made her first appearance at Eugene, Oregon’s Prefontaine Classic on Saturday. It was her first formal outing on the track since being suspended back in July for testing positive for THC at the US Track and Field Trials.
However, her performance was one to forget, as she finished her 100-meter sprint dead last, out of nine runners. Jamaican superstar and 2020 Tokyo Gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah crossed the line first with a winning time of 10.54 seconds, while Richardson crossed in ninth place at 11.14 seconds.
Richardson was banned from running for 30 days after her positive drug test, a ban that forced her absence from the recent Tokyo Olympic Summer Games where she could’ve taken on the best sprinter Jamaica has had to offer. Thompson-Herah was joined by her Olympic teammates Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, who finished second and third, respectively.
Despite the disappointing finish, Richardson is determined to continue her comeback, on her terms.
Speaking to NBC Sports post-race, Richardson was pretty blunt when in comes to her approach: "Count me out if you want to. Talk all the s*** you want, 'cause I'm here to stay. I'm not done."
Richardson also made the decision to withdraw from the women’s 200-meter race that was on Saturday’s schedule.
Cover photo: IMAGO / Action Plus