Why Sha'Carri Richardson relishes competing on home soil after clinching first season victory

American Sha'Carri Richardson on her way to winning the 100m at the Prefontaine Classic.

Why Sha'Carri Richardson relishes competing on home soil after clinching first season victory

Joel Omotto 13:00 - 26.05.2024

American sprint queen Sha’Carri Richardson has revealed why she enjoys running on home soil after registering her first win of the season following dissapointments in Shanghai and Suzhou last month.

World 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson has explained why she enjoys running on homesoil after registering her first victory of the season.

Richardson ran her first 100m race this year and claimed a win after clocking a season’s best 10.83 seconds at the Eugene Diamond League with Saint Lucian Alfred Julien in second place in 10.93 while Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith completed the podium in 10.98.

Jamaican Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, however, did not have a good first race of the season, finishing ninth in 11.30 despite pre-race predictions that it was going to be a battle between her and Richardson.

Given it was her first 100m race of the season, coming after concerns over her form after second place in Xiamen before a third-place in Suzhou last month, both in 200m, Richardson admitted she was nervous but used the situation as fuel to fire her to victory.

“Obviously, I definitely was [nervous]. It was my opener. I would not be human to say that I wasn’t nervous, but as my coach says, use that nervousness as motivation,” she said after the race.

Richardson admitted running on home soil made it easy for her as she was on a familiar track where she will be back to in two weeks’ time for the US Olympics trials.

“It's always magical running here and of course, I don't have to travel too far, so I enjoy definitely coming to Hayward Stadium and running. [About Olympic Trials] Just continue to prepare in the way I've been preparing like another race. We've been preparing since the fall, so in a couple of weeks, there's nothing new,” she added.

“I feel like my performance reflects my training as well as my mindset and as well as my faith, continuing to understand who I am and develop me as a person, as well as an athlete and a woman.”

Richardson’s performance has allayed fears that she could have a tough season ahead following her outings in Asia and there is now hope that she can add the Olympics title to her world 100m crown.

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