It’s been two years since Sha’Carri Richardson’s stunning 100m victory at the Budapest World championships earned her the title of ‘world’s fastest woman’.
But while a silver medal at Paris 2024 cemented her place among this generation’s track & field greats, things haven’t gone exactly to plan for Richardson this season.
Injury has disrupted the sprint sensation’s 2025, leading to performances that have dipped below the sky-high standards she set in the past.
Her best time this year of 11.05 seconds makes her only the 56th fastest in the world.
Yet when Richardson runs, fans around the globe stop and watch. There is arguably no star in the stratosphere of athletics with as much box office pull as the 25-year-old from Texas.
With a wild card to the Worlds meaning she did not need to run a full set of rounds at the US trials, the hope is that the extra time she has had to prepare for these championships will see her back to her best in the coming days.
“I know that I will produce what it is that I want,” she said before July’s Prefontaine Classic, expressing her confidence that she would return to form at the business end of the year.
If she is to succeed in defending her 100m world title, she will need to overcome some stiff, super-fast challenges, with the likes of Olympic champion Julien Alfred and world lead Melissa Jefferson-Wooden enjoying stellar seasons so far.
Add these elements together and Richardson’s race for 100m glory in Tokyo is, without doubt, one of the can’t-miss events of the upcoming Worlds.
On the final two days of action in Tokyo, the 4x100m relay titles are up for grabs, with the USA heading into the championships as reigning world and Olympic gold medallists.
Richardson, who ran the anchor leg for her nation at both Paris 2024 and the Budapest World championships, will have another shot at glory should she compete, and the chance to show her redemption is complete during a season of fierce challenges.
Read on to discover her full schedule at the world championships, and how to watch the competition live.