Sha’Carri Richardson will prepare for a high-stakes battle at the Brussels Diamond League Final, where she will compete against reigning 100-meter Olympic champion Julien Alfred.
Their rivalry stretches back to the women’s 100-meter finals at the Paris Games, where the American had to settle for second place. The event on September 13 will be an excellent opportunity for her to take vengeance.
Alfred and Richardson will compete in the coveted 100-meter Diamond League crown race alongside seven other athletes: Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith, Dina Asher-Smith, Tamari Davis, Daryll Neita, Gina Mariam Bass Bittaye, Patrizia Van Der Weken, and Rani Rosius.
However, all eyes at King Baudouin Stadium will be on these two athletes and their fierce rivalry.
Women’s 100m entries – Brussels Diamond League final
Julien Alfred
Sha’Carri Richardson
Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith
Dina Asher-Smith
Tamari Davis
Daryll Neita
Gina Mariam Bass Bittaye
Patrizia Van Der Weken
Rani Rosius– Sept. 13th
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) September 10, 2024
According to World Athletics statistics, Richardson and Alfred competed in six 100-meter events against each other and tied the results with a score of 3-3. They first met in the 2023 Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix, where the Saint Lucian runner defeated the American sprinter.
Eventually, these two clashed at the Olympic Games this season. However, Richardson was a fan favorite entering the 100-meter sprint finals.
Yet, the spectators at the Stade de France were treated to a demonstration of sprint dominance by Alfred, who ran a time of 10.72 seconds to win the gold medal, while Richardson had to settle for silver with a time of 10.87 seconds. There was a 0.15-second margin between them, and the American had fallen short of winning her first individual Olympic gold medal.
Eventually, Richardson became an Olympic champion owing to her prolific anchor leg in the women’s 4×100-meter relays. She was observed crying during the medal ceremony, indicating an emotional milestone in her career.
However, her season was far from over, as the American competed in the Zurich Diamond League. In the track meet, she defeated her Saint Lucian adversary in 10.84 seconds.
As the 2024 season comes to its end, the Brussels Diamond League Final will be the main event. The track at King Baudouin Stadium will serve as the perfect site for her Olympic gold medal retribution, allowing her to capture her first Diamond League Final victory.
