Sha’Carri Richardson solidly placed herself at the top of the 2024 women’s 100m standings, demonstrating her remarkable speed and tenacity despite losing the Olympic gold to Julien Alfred.
After becoming a two-time world champion at the 2023 Budapest World Championship, the American athlete looked forward to a successful campaign. She won gold in the 100-meter individual and relay events.
This was a clear response to her naysayers, as her performance dispelled their doubts. There was a lot of hope for Richardson heading into the 2024 season. However, worries lingered about the athlete, as she began her season late and missed a few competitions during the early outdoor campaign.
Richardson ran 10.71 seconds in the 100 meters at the US Olympic Trials. The athlete’s performance established the world lead in the women’s division for the season, and it has remained so until now, with only Alfred getting close with a time of 10.72 seconds during the Paris Olympics’ 100-meter final.
Both competitors had a strong rivalry this season, and the Olympic Games were not the final stage in which they competed against one another.
Richardson and Alfred battled in Zurich and Brussels, and while the American beat the Saint Lucian athlete in the German track, she slipped behind the grid in the Belgian event, thus losing the Diamond League Final.
The 24-year-old’s 2024 season was full of ups and downs, but as it ended, she remained at the top of the 100-meter rankings; she was closely followed by Alfred in second place.
These are the fastest women in the world for the 2024 season!! pic.twitter.com/sLv3H3qkjE
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) September 25, 2024
In the 100-meter rankings, Richardson and Alfred lead the pack, followed by Jacious Sears in third place with a time of 10.77, Melissa Jefferson in fourth place with a time of 10.80.
Shericka Jackson is fifth with a time of 10.84, Tia Clayton in sixth place with a time of 10.86, Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith in seventh place with a time of 10.87, and Aleia Hobbs, Rosemary Chukwuma, and Dina Asher-Smith tied for eighth place with a time of 10.88.
All of these competitors were very close to each other during the 2024 season, indicating that the following campaign will feature a lot of competitive women’s sprint action for spectators.
