The Prefontaine Classic provided much-needed track action for the community, ahead of the Paris Olympics. It also demonstrated how prepared the athletes are for the upcoming Olympics, which are only about a month away. World Champion of the 100m event, Sha’Carri Richardson competed in the event, and she defeated the 100-meter grid to earn her first win of the season in her season opener.
The American athlete later revealed that she approached the Prefontaine Classic with a different mindset. She was puzzled and nervous about herself because it was her first 100-meter race of the Olympic season. However, according to her post-race interview with Citius Mag on YouTube, her coach was always behind her to provide her with the motivation she needed.
The athlete was quite open about her performance. She knows it was her 100-meter season opener, and they are always difficult, especially in an Olympic season.
Her prior efforts in season openers have been strong; however, every athlete out there is on their way to gold, and she does not want to miss out. Richardson is focusing on the 100-meter and 200-meter events; thus, this race was critical for her.
All of the pressure made her nervous before the sprint, but her coach, Dennis Mitchell, on the other side, gave her the support that she needed, as she says:
“I wouldn’t be human to say that I wasn’t nervous, but I was nervous, but used that, as my coach said, ‘Use that nervousness as motivation'”
Her coach provided her with a significant push. Those words also helped her score an impressive time of 10.83 seconds, leaving the entire grid shocked. It was a fascinating season opener for Richardson, and her coach has been by her side since her debut in the Diamond League, where she also performed magnificently.
Sha’Carri Richardson’s Diamond League Adventure
Sha’Carri Richardson arrived at the track meet in Xiamen with great expectations from the track community. She had skipped a couple of events leading up to the race, but this time she was eager to run on the 200-meter grid.
And, as soon as the race began, the American athlete gained the lead and held it until the last few meters. However, at that point, she was overtaken by Australian runner Torrie Lewis, and they both crossed the finish line with a 0.03-second difference. Richardson missed first place by a razor-thin margin, but she didn’t mind taking silver because she was pleased with her season debut.
In the post-race interview, she also stated that her coach would have already pointed out the necessary improvements for the Olympic season. Sha’Carri is as thrilled for the upcoming track meets as her supporters, as the athlete has many goals to reach.
