Sha’Carri Richardson wins silver behind Julien Alfred in the 100m

SAINT-DENIS, France — Sha’Carri Richardson, kneeling on the wet track, looked up at the video screen. Whatever she saw, perhaps the final times from the race replay, was confirmation of what must have felt surreal. Second place.

Richardson nodded, as if approving of her reality. Accepting the challenge. Then she stood up, calmly clapped her palms, then did her ritual of kissing her hand and pointing to the sky. A measured smile on her face, staring into the cheering sea of ​​fans, she looked torn.

There must be something good about winning a silver medal on her sport’s biggest stage. It’s a dream come true to make it from Oak Cliff, Texas, to the podium at the Olympics. There must be something unsatisfying about winning a silver medal on her sport’s biggest stage. Disappointing. Expectations change paradigms.

A silver medal is good, which makes it the enemy of the great she is supposed to be. This should be her moment. This evening should end with a crown on her head as the queen of the sprint. The fastest woman in the world. Only a gold medal seems worthy of her prowess.

But if anyone knows this truth, it’s Richardson: If it’s not your time, it’s not your time.

She waited three extra years to make her Olympic debut, thanks to a failed marijuana test that led to a ban a month before the Tokyo Games. Now she must wait another four years if she wants to climb that mountain. Her anointing has been postponed yet again.

Julien Alfred just won the FIRST EVER Olympic medal for Saint Lucia! 🇱🇨 #Olympic Games in Paris photo.twitter.com/2GP4jATT2g

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 3, 2024

Because this night belonged to Julien Alfred and her country, Saint Lucia, who both won their first gold medal in athletics. She left no doubt as to who this podium belonged to. Alfred defeated Richardson twice, in their semi-final heat together and in the race for the medal, the latter more convincingly than the former.

Alfred was so fierce that Richardson didn’t even threaten her. Alfred won the women’s 100-meter dash in 10.72 seconds, claiming her home country’s first medal. Richardson’s time of 10.87 was good enough to win silver, her first Olympic medal.

American Melissa Jefferson finished with a time of 10.92 and won bronze.

“One thing I said to myself was, ‘You’re not going to leave here disappointed, angry and empty-handed,'” Jefferson said. “And here we are.”

Richardson’s start problems left her in big holes to start both races on Saturday. Normally, she overcomes that with her vaunted closing speed. And she posted some decent times, including a 10.89 in the semi-final. But she didn’t catch Alfred. Not tonight.

This is not unusual in sprinting. Great talents have great nights. Richardson has been both a winner and a victim of unique greatness.

Yet this was all set up for Sha’Carri’s coronation. She has been dominant all year, the number 1 sprinter in the 100.

Jamaica, which has dominated the women’s sprint, was without its top three sprinters. Defending champion Elaine Thompson-Herah and expected future champion Shericka Jackson dropped out earlier. Legendary Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was a late scratch in the semi-finals.

The door stood wide open for Richardson. Alfred ran through it faster.

SAINT LUCIA TO THE WORLD ‼️

Julien Alfred from 🇱🇨 storms to the Olympic 100m gold medal with 10.72 🤩

That is the first medal in Olympic history for her country. #Paris2024 #Olympics photo.twitter.com/3c92Ql9EoP

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 3, 2024

Richardson could still win a gold medal in the 4×100 relay on August 9. The US appears to be the odds-on favorite, especially if Jamaica is in jeopardy. But the 100 is the most important event. It is her main flex. It is her calling.

Richardson missed out on the United States’ first gold medal in the women’s 100 meters since Gail Devers in 1996. She also failed to return the glory of gold to the American women, a goal they have been pursuing since Marion Jones lost her gold medals from the 2000 Sydney Games.

Richardson was seen as the one to do it, to restore the United States as an athletic powerhouse. She has all the makings of that one. The talent. The work ethic. The superstar personality and the equipment. Her worth is unquestionable.

That was evident at the 2023 World Championships, when she defeated all the best in Budapest. Saturday’s loss was so astonishing because of how formidable she has been in 2024.

What she lacks is Olympic gold. Her anointing as an American track and field legend has thus been a rain check. While she has proven herself to be one of the best in the world, legacies are built on the Olympic podium.

Until she wins an Olympic gold medal, the prophecy of her greatness will remain unfulfilled. That is Sha’Carri’s burden.

Questions about whether she is the next great American sprinter will linger in the meantime. She chose not to answer questions after the race. But they will be there until Los Angeles 2028.

It feels inevitable that she will get there, at the pinnacle of the sport. She is only 24 years old. She is still a special talent. And if the way she has dealt with adversity so far is any indication, she will grow from this too.

A defining moment on American soil would be a fitting climax to the epic journey. In Los Angeles, the capital of scripts? There’s poetry in the idea. She just has to wait four more years.

Required reading

(Photo of Sha’Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred: Benoit Doppagne / Belga Mag / AFP via Getty Images)