Sha’Carri Richardson’s highly anticipated return to the track didn’t go exactly as she’d hoped.
The American sprinter finished ninth in the 100-meter race at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday. Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica placed first three weeks after winning gold in the same race at the Tokyo Olympics.
The Olympic champ does it again! 🥇@FastElaine snags the win with a 10.54 in the 100m!#PreClassic x #DiamondLeague📺 NBC🖥 https://t.co/fCGsZxrtwT📱 NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/kWc2BidPXM— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 21, 2021
The Olympic champ does it again! 🥇@FastElaine snags the win with a 10.54 in the 100m!#PreClassic x #DiamondLeague📺 NBC🖥 https://t.co/fCGsZxrtwT📱 NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/kWc2BidPXM
The race was Richardson’s first time competing since receiving a 30-day ban after testing positive for marijuana, forcing her to miss the Tokyo Games. The 21-year-old American had qualified for the Olympics after winning the 100m dash in 10.86 seconds at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Following the competition Saturday, Richardson addressed her doubters directly, telling NBC in a post-race interview that she’s “not done.”
“I wanted to be able to come and perform having a month off,” she said. “Not upset at myself at all. This is one race. I’m not done. You know what I’m capable of.”
Richardson, who recorded the sixth-fastest time by a woman (10.72) in the 100m dash in April, let her competition know that she’s here for the long haul.
“Count me out if you want to. Talk all the s— you want, ’cause I’m here to stay. I’m not done,” she said. “I’m the sixth-fastest woman in this game, ever. And can’t nobody ever take that from me. Congratulations to the winners. Congratulations to the people that won, but they’re not done seeing me yet. Period.”
Thompson-Herah’s race-winning time of 10.54 seconds is the second-fastest in women’s history. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson finished second and third on Saturday for a Jamaican sweep and a repeat of the Tokyo podium.