Sha'Carri Richardson advances to 100m final
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 03: ShaCarri Richardson of Team United States competes during the Womens 100m Semi-Final on day eight of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 03, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
PARIS - Dallas track star Sha'Carri Richardson is now 100 meters from an Olympic medal.
Richardson finished second in her semifinal race in the 100-meter event on Saturday to advance to the finals.
St. Lucia's Julien Alfred finished ahead of Richardson, but both runners appeared to ease off the gas near the finish line.
Alfred ran a 10.84, while Richardson ran a 10.89. Alfred's time was the fastest in the semifinal round.
Richardson tied Jamaica's Tia Clayton for the second-fastest time.
Americans Melissa Jefferson and TeeTee Terry will also run in the final. It is the first time since 2012 that all US women reached the final.
The final is expected to be held around 2:20 p.m. central time.
Richardson is also expected to compete in the 4x100-meter relay for the US at the Olympic games.
The race has been a long time coming for the track star.
Richardson, 24, missed her opportunity to race in the Tokyo Olympics four years ago. She won the trials but was kept off the team after testing positive for marijuana.
In the years since, she has continued to work to make her dreams come true.
"I'm not back, I'm better," Richardson told a crowd at Dallas' John Kincade Stadium last November.
She has proved it on the track. Richardson won a gold medal at last year's world championships.
Richardson's 10.71 at the U.S. Olympic trials is the fastest 100m time for a woman this year.
Richardson ran track at David W. Carter High School, where she was an eight-time state champion, but she attended Kathleen Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy.
Kincade Stadium officially named its track after the world champion sprinter last November.