Sha'Carri Richardson was in cruise control in the women’s 100m Round 1 at the Paris Olympics 2024. The world champion clocked a quick 10.94s to win her heat and qualify for the semifinal on August 02.Richardson was slated to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but was stripped of the opportunity following a suspension due to doping. Three years later, the 24-year-old is a favorite to win the 100m contest in Paris and has started off her maiden Olympic campaign on a high.The world champion was placed in the heat 1 of the women's 100m Round 1 at the Paris Olympics 2024. She got off to a great start from the blocks and by the end of 30-40m, the American had sprung into the lead, holding that all through to the finish line.Finishing second behind Richardson was Patrizia van der Weken of Luxembourg, who clocked 11.14s. Australia's Bree Masters took third place in 11.26s.Both training partners of Richardson, Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry, who finished 2-3 behind the world champion at Olympic trials, also qualified for the semifinals. Jefferson clocked 10.96 while Terry ran 11.15s.Sha'Carri Richardson will now compete in the women's 100m semifinals on August 03, 1:50 p.m. If she does qualify, the 24-year-old will battle for the gold less than two hours later at 3:20 p.m. EST.How did Sha'Carri Richardson qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024?Olympic Games Paris 2024 - Sha'Carri Richardson storms to 100m finish line (Source: Getty)Sha'Carri Richardson started off her 2024 outdoor season with a 200m race at the Xiamen Diamond League. She finished second in 22.99s, and a week later, the 24-year-old was even slower in 23.11s at the Shanghai Diamond League. With Richardson struggling with her speed, several concerns were raised over her form.However, the 200m isn't her premier event, and when she opened her season over the 100m at Prefontaine Classic 2024, all the concerns were put to rest. Richardson clocked 10.83s for the win and followed it up with even faster tiles at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.Sha'Carri Richardson clocked times of 10.88 and 10.86 during the first two rounds at the Olympic Trials. However, in the finals, she ran a world-leading 10.71s to qualify for her maiden Olympic Games. The 24-year-old didn’t make the 200m team after finishing fourth. Nonetheless, she will run in the women’s 4x100m relay.