American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson failed to qualify for the 100m final at the USA Track and Field Championships, marking a major setback in what had been expected to be a major step towards making the world championships in July. Richardson finished fifth in the first round of the Hayward Field meet's 100 meters -- a race won by Tamari Davis -- which was not good enough to advance to the next round of her signature event.
Although she can still qualify for the world championships through the 200m, Richardson will need to finish in the top three in order to make the field.
Richardson's bid to make the world championships -- the biggest event in track and field outside of the Olympics -- comes one year after she was stripped of her 100 meter title and suspended from the Tokyo Olympics for failing a drug test for marijuana.
Although Richardson acknowledged she had made a mistake in an interview with the "Today Show" at the time, she lamented ever having done the interview altogether in a Twitter post earlier this June.
I wish I never did this . I wish I had the choice when it was time for me to tell my story. https://t.co/9mxl2KPRIy
— Sha’Carri Richardson (@itskerrii) June 21, 2022
Richardson's poor showing in the 100 meters at Hayward Field came as a surprise after her recent string of performances: She finished second in the 100 meters at the Prefontaine Classic, and then repeated that result at the NYC Grand Prix before winning in the 200 meters.
According to the Associated Press, Richardson did not speak to reporters after her result in the 100 meters.
