Is Sha'Carri Richardson racing at the Shanghai Diamond League? All about the American's future plans after finishing second in Xiamen

Sha'Carri Richardson will be participating in the women’s 200m at the 2024 Shanghai Diamond League, the second meeting of the annual elite track and field series, scheduled for April 27.

At the Shanghai Diamond League, she will join a star-studded lineup comprising compatriots Tamara Clark and Twanisha Terry, two-time Olympic medalist British sprinter Daryll Neita, and former World Championships medalist Mujinga Kambundji from Switzerland.

The 2024 Diamond League kicked off with the 2024 Xiamen Diamond League in which Richardson entered the event as a heavy favorite in the 200m. However, she was stunned by Australian national record holder (100m) Torrie Lewis who emerged as the winner with a meet record of 22.96s.

As a result, Richardson had to settle with a second-place finish in her season opener, just 0.03 seconds behind Lewis, clocking a time of 22.99. In a post-match interview, the 24-year-old talked about her first outdoor meet of the 2024 season, stating:

“It felt really good about it being the season opener. Kind of late for me in this season to open up, so I was a little nervous. But once I got on the track it felt like home, so I felt really good with this first performance.”

Earlier, Sha'Carri Richardson was scheduled to open her Olympic season at the Miramar Invitational in both 100m and 200m events. However, she later pulled out, announcing her withdrawal via social media.

Sha'Carri Richardson gears up for her potential first Olympic appearance at Paris Olympics 2024

Sha'Carri Richardson celebrates winning the Women's 100 Meter final on day 2 of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on June 19, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Sha'Carri Richardson will be aiming for her debut Olympic appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She defined her status as one of the leading sprinters in the world after winning two gold medals at the World Athletics Championships 2023 in the 100m and 4x100m disciplines.

There, Richardson defeated top athletes like Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the 100m showdown with a sensational championship record time of 10.65s. She also bagged a 200m bronze at the event.

Richardson, unfortunately, missed out on an opportunity to represent the USA team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics despite finishing first in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials held in 2021 as she tested positive for a chemical found in marijuana which banned her for a month till July 2021 by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

She will be in action at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Track & Field 2024 scheduled from June 21 to 30, 2024, in a bid to participate in her first Olympics.