Sha’Carri Richardson came to Brussels with one thing on her mind: ending the Diamond League season on a high. Instead, another familiar result has left fans asking an uncomfortable question: what is going on with the American sprint star?
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Richardson finished third in the women’s 100m at the 2026 Diamond League Final on Saturday, clocking 11.07 seconds. Tina Clayton produced a commanding 10.93 to take the title, while Great Britain’s Amy Hunt narrowly beat Richardson to second in 11.06.
For Clayton, it was a night to remember. The Jamaican made her intentions clear from the opening steps, getting away quickly and never allowing the field to reel her back in. The victory was made even more emotional by her decision to dedicate it to her late coach, Stephen Francis, who passed away earlier this year.
“I guess it’s kind of a perfect night,” Clayton said after the race, describing the Diamond League Final trophy as something every athlete wants to take home. She admitted the chilly Brussels conditions were not ideal for sprinting but said her determination made the difference.
For Richardson, it was another really big setback! One of the fans tweeted, “Sha’Carri should shut it down for this season. Something is off.” Another added, “[Sha’Carri]… Third again?????”
But Hunt had plenty to celebrate too. After already earning a podium finish in the 200m, she added another in the 100m, finishing just ahead of Richardson.
“I’m super happy about these past two days,” Hunt said, revealing that she had originally hoped simply to make one podium. Instead, she walked away with two.
Looking at Sha’Carri Richardson’s performance, another fan suggested, “Time to switch coaches for Shacarri!!!!”
For Richardson, though, the result continued a worrying pattern.
This was the third straight Diamond League race in which she had finished third in the 100m. Just days earlier in Zurich, she ran 10.97 seconds behind Julien Alfred and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. Before that, the same two rivals had finished ahead of her in Silesia, where Richardson clocked 10.96.
Another fan highlighted this. saying, “Is sha’carri the new Miss 3rd?”
One fan wrote, “I keep tellin folks, Sha’Carri this, Sha’Carri that! Get off the bandwagon and hype train! 🤷🏾♂️😂 She out here getting beat by Amy Hunt, it’s over.”
The Zurich performance had already frustrated her. Richardson later described it as her “worst 100 of the season,” though she still managed to find a positive in the result. “My worst 100 of the season & still able to place 3rd,” she wrote on X, adding, “I’ll take it, Thank God for health🙏🏽!”
Seeing her performance in Brussels another fan tweeted, “Lol! thought ShaCarri got this one on the back.”
But Brussels was supposed to offer something different.
With Alfred and Jefferson-Wooden missing from the field, Richardson entered as the fastest athlete on paper, carrying a season’s best of 10.77 and a personal best of 10.65. It looked like an opportunity to finally flip the script after repeatedly watching her rivals celebrate ahead of her.
Instead, Clayton took control, Hunt edged Richardson by 0.01 seconds, and the American once again found herself watching two athletes stand above her on the podium.
One fan summed up the race, writing, “Good win by Tina and impressive 2nd place by Amy… Sha’Carri should shut down her season so she can focus on next year with a new team because it won’t get any better in this current set up.”
The concern isn’t necessarily about Richardson’s speed. Her 10.77 season’s best proves she still possesses the ability to threaten the very best. But three consecutive third-place finishes have made the question harder to ignore.
For now, Richardson will have to settle for another podium. After a season filled with battles against Alfred and Jefferson-Wooden, Brussels offered a chance to change the narrative.
Instead, it left fans wondering what comes next for one of America’s biggest sprint stars.