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Sha'Carri Richardson's coach and former sprinter Dennis Mitchell pointed out a major flaw in the early part of the American sprinter's run behind her loss at the Paris Olympics. The 100m world champion settled for silver in 10.87s while Alfred took home the gold medal in 10.72s.
Richardson was the favorite heading into the 2024 Paris Olympics. She was the reigning world champion in the 100m and had run the fastest time of the season at the U.S. Olympic Trials. The 24-year-old had beaten Alfred earlier in the season at the Prefontaine Classic and held a head-to-head advantage over her as well.
However, the American has faced a lingering problem with her block starts and has at times gotten stuck due to high air time in the first stride. She faced a similar situation during her first round at the trials and although her first round went well at the Paris Olympics, her start cost her big time in the following two rounds.
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Richardson failed to chase down Alfred in the semifinals, and after nearly getting stuck in her blocks in the final, the 24-year-old could only cross the finish line in 10.87s. Alfred won St. Lucia's first Olympic gold medal in 10.72s. Explaining the reason behind her loss, Richardson's coach Dennis Mitchell said in season 2 of the Netflix docuseries 'SPRINT':
"We just didn't take care of the first 30m like we were supposed to. That's the last thing I told her but we're good man."
Earlier, the former Olympic gold medalist pointed to high air time at the start behind Sha'Carri Richardson's loss to Alfred in the semifinals.
"She had too much airtime on her start. She didn't execute well. Julien got a jump on her and she wasn't able to reel her in," he said.
Mitchell added that if the world champion could get her start right, no one could beat her. While it didn't happen in the final, the 24-year-old will have her sights set on reclaiming the title at the 2025 World Championships.
After 100m final loss, Sha'Carri Richardson displayed her brilliance in the 4x100m relay
While Sha'Carri Richardson couldn't capitalize on her form in the 100m final, she played a pivotal role in USA's gold medal victory in the women's 4x100m relay.
The 24-year-old didn't receive the baton on the first attempt from Gabby Thomas, who ran the third leg. The pair exchanged the batons just before the allowed 10m mark with Team USA struggling at the fifth position.
However, Richardson sprung into top gear quickly and overtook the rest of the sprinters in a flash. The Dallas native split an impressive 10.09s as Team USA won the gold medal in 41.78s.
