"2025 owes me nothing"- Sha'Carri Richardson makes feelings known after missing podium at World Athletics Championships

Sha'Carri Richardson sent an optimistic message about how the 2025 season has given her lessons for a lifetime. The American was unable to put up a strong performance in the 100m finals, finishing only fifth as Melissa Jeffersen-Wooden secured her first individual World title.

Sha'Carri Richardson embarked on a redemption journey after the heartbreak of missing the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to an anti-doping sanction. She returned to the track in full form in 2023, winning the national title and eventually claiming her first world title in the 100m. The 25-year-old also anchored the 4x100m relay team, storming to victory in the final leg.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Richardson failed to replicate her gold-winning feat, settling for silver behind Julien Alfred. However, she won her maiden Olympic gold medal with the 4x100m relay team. Her form has declined since then, and in 2025, she had a slow start to her year, failing to achieve a podium, even at the US Championships.

Having received a bye due to her 2023 World title, Sha'Carri Richardson graced the 100m track and topped the heats in the 100m event at the 2025 World Championships. Despite winning her respective heat, the two-time Olympic medalist fell out of the podium in the finals, finishing only fifth, while her training mate, Melissa Jeffersen-Wooden, bagged the title.

Reflecting on her race, Sha'Carri Richardson expressed gratitude for the 2025 season and promised to return even stronger.

"2025 owes me nothing, but I am thankful for what this year has revealed and allowing the tone to be set for the rest of my life. I am Sha’Carri Richardson & there is so much more to come, just wait and see ⏳! “You have to dig through dirt to get to the treasure,'" her caption read.

Richardson will compete in the 4x100m relay event, set to begin on September 20 with the heats, followed by the finals on the 21st.

Sha'Carri Richardson had faced a stumble in the 100m semifinals at the 2025 World Championships

Richardson at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 - (Source: Getty)

Sha'Carri Richardson, who trounced Shericka Jackson in the 100m heats, had a false start and stumbled in the semifinals of the 2025 World Championships. Despite the setback, she received a green card and went on to finish third behind Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith and Shericka Jackson. However, she would not have secured a qualification until all the semifinals were completed and her race time ranked among the top two.

Richardson has been one of the leading faces of Nike, featuring in the Nike x Jacquemus collaboration, and even participated in the “Runaway Anywhere” campaign.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder