The Fastest Woman in the World
Sha’Carri Richardson of Team United States won the Women’s 100m Championship.
Congratulations to Sha’Carri Richardson for becoming the fastest woman in the world after setting a new world record on Monday, August 21, 2023 for the women’s 100 meter race.
The 23-year-old American sprinter flew across the finish line at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary with a time of 10.65 seconds. After seeing her winning time, she described the moment as “surreal… Honestly I don’t even know what to say.” The Championships are the largest track and field competition outside of the Olympics.
Richardson broke the world record from the outside lane, the farthest lane to the right, typically reserved for the slowest runners. In the semi finals, she finished in third place with a time of 10.84 seconds, fast enough to compete in the finals in lane 9.
After her victory, Richardson had this advice to share with others: “I would say ‘never give up,’ Never allow media, never allow outsiders, never allow anything but yourself and your faith define who you are. I would say ‘Always fight. No matter what, fight.’”
Florence Griffith-Joyner (“Flo Jo”) is the only other woman with a faster time in the 100 meter race. Flo Jo, who died in 1998, set world records in 1988 for the 100 meter and 200 meter. She passed at the age of 38 during a severe epileptic seizure. Her world record of 10.49 seconds still stands.
Richardson won that gold medal at the World Athletics Championships two years after she was banned from participating in the Tokyo Olympics for using marijuana. She told NBC Sports that she’s no longer worried about how she’s perceived by others. She is instead focused on being true to herself.
“I’ve seen the world be my friend. I’ve seen the world turn on me. But at the end of the day, I’ve always been with me,” Richardson said at the World Athletic Championships. “It’s always been my time, but now it’s my time to actually do it for myself and the people that feel like me, the people that look like me, and the people that know the truth about themselves as well. I represent those people.”
