Sha’Carri Richardson on Worlds: “I like to be a secret weapon”
An unspecified injury set Richardson’s season preparations back in February. She opened her 2025 at the Golden Grand Prix in May, held in the same venue that will host Worlds, the Tokyo National Stadium.
She was fourth there (11.47), and then didn’t compete again in until the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene in early July, where she faltered to ninth (11.19) in a race that saw Jefferson-Wooden just edge out Olympic champion Julien Alfred.
Is she flying under the radar ahead of her title defence at Worlds?
“I think so,” Richardson said. “I like to be a secret weapon. So right now, I’m kind of just cruising under the radar, but when it’s time to hit, it’s gonna be a bang when y’all see my name.”
While she has that aforementioned bye into Worlds, Richardson said it was important for her to come to Eugene and show progress.
“I wanted to come out here and be a competitor,” she said. “I’m not just relying on that bye. I wanted to show up and show that I’m a competitor no matter what happens.”
Richardson, Thomas and Jefferson-Wooden are all set to attempt the double here in Eugene, racing both the 100m and 200m.
Saying she’s “been going through a lot” this year, Richardson says it all comes back to consistently showing up: For herself, her team and to test her limits as one of the best sprinters in the world.
“I think the most I’ve learned about myself is just always show up, no matter anything else,” she told Olympics.com. “Just always show and leave what it is that you want the world to see and know [about you] on the track.”
