Back in 2024, Sha’Carri Richardson arrived at the Paris Olympics as one of the favorites for the women’s 100m gold medal. But the final did not go exactly as planned. Richardson crossed the line in 10.87 seconds to claim silver. Following the race, Richardson avoided the media, leading many fans to speculate that she was disappointed with the result. Now, nearly two years later, it appears the American sprint star has turned her focus toward a new target: the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Richardson opened her 100m season on June 14. When she finally stepped onto the track at the Los Angeles Grand Prix, the 25-year-old raced and won in 10.99 seconds. Her training partner Kayla White finished second in a season-best 11.08, while Tamari Davis placed third in 11.11. The race was held at Allyson Felix Field. The venue is less than a mile away from the LA Memorial Coliseum, which will host track and field events during the LA 2028 Olympics.

That fact was not lost on the interviewer after the race. During Richardson’s post-race interview, the interviewer pointed out how close the future Olympic stadium was and asked whether the 2028 Games were already on her mind. “Oh my gosh, even though it’s a ways away, it’s still right around the corner,” she said.

Sha’Carri Richardson added, “Every race, every practice, it’s still in the back of our minds. That’s what we’re truly preparing for.” She then delivered perhaps the most revealing line of the interview. “So every single time I get on the track, I’m thinking about LA.”

While many athletes are focused only on the current season, Richardson appears to be viewing every race as a step toward Los Angeles. Her season opener was encouraging, even if it was not close to the fastest performance of 10.65. Ever since 2024, her 100m results have been less consistent, especially in finals.

In 2025, she opened her season at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo, finishing fourth in 11.47. She followed that with 11.07 for second place at the USA Championships in Eugene. At the World Championships in Tokyo, she ran 11.03 to win her heat and 11.00 in the semifinals, but did not reach the 100m final.

Her last major 100m final win before this came in 2024 at Weltklasse Zürich, where she clocked 10.84. After that stretch, she finally returned to winning form.

Still, Sha’Carri Richardson was pleased with how her first race of 2026 unfolded. “I feel good for it to be a season opener,” she said afterward. “I definitely am just prepared to keep training, keep running and just finish off this season stronger than before, and just work on the things that are my weaknesses and just add them to execute better and more.”

And that weakness is her start. Throughout her career, she has often found herself trailing during the opening stages of races before relying on her exceptional top-end speed to hunt down competitors. That pattern was visible even during the Paris Olympics, where her reaction time of 0.221 seconds in the 100m final was the slowest in the field. Gold medalist Julien Alfred, by comparison, reacted in 0.144 seconds.

In today’s race, Sha’Carri Richardson had a good start – partly because of her training environment. She trains alongside Christian Coleman under coach Dennis Mitchell. Coleman is one of the best starters in sprinting history and is the former 60m world record holder with a time of 6.34 seconds.

Earlier this year, Sha’Carri Richardson explained how training with Coleman has benefited her development. “I think we do a great job of iron sharpening iron,” she said. She also admitted,  “I’ve been known to be a chaser in a couple of races, so actually the challenge of the stagger makes me more technical and sound, and with that comes great results.”

For now, Richardson’s first 100m race of the season ended exactly how she would have wanted: with a victory. But for Sha’Carri Richardson, the significance of LA28 runs deeper than just another Olympic Games.

Sha’Carri Richardson’s LA28 hope after a long road back

The Olympic Games have always been emotional for her. Back at the Tokyo Olympics 2021, what could have been her first Olympic appearance ended in a big setback. Before the Tokyo Olympics, Sha’Carri Richardson ran the trials in Eugene and won the women’s 100m final in 10.86 seconds. This helped her automatically qualify for the Games.

Just days after her victory, it was announced that Richardson had tested positive for THC. As a result, her Trials result was disqualified, she received a 30-day suspension, and she lost her place in the Olympic 100m event. That meant she missed the Tokyo Olympics completely.

Paris was to be a redemption stage for her. She came back full of energy and experience. After all, Richardson claimed the World Athletics Championships 100m champion title in 2023, defeating some of the biggest stars such as Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. She broke her championship record with a run of 10.65 seconds, one of the fastest times in the championship.

She carried that form into 2024 as well. At the U.S. Olympic Trials, Richardson won the 100m in 10.71 seconds, the fastest time in the world that season at that time. In the Olympic final, she finished second in 10.87 seconds behind Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred, who took gold in 10.72 seconds. Melissa Jefferson of the United States won bronze in 10.92 seconds. After that, her mindset shifted toward the LA 28.

“Honestly, competing in Paris, at the Olympics, has been an honor it has been humbling, it has been fun, and I literally can’t wait for LA. I’m almost like jumping like three years ahead because this experience was something like totally unbelievable,” she said. She also told For The Win, “It’s never too soon to look forward to LA Olympics.”

A home Games in Los Angeles will carry special meaning for her, especially after everything she has gone through since 2021. Richardson has spoken about pride in representing Team USA and what it means to her identity and journey, saying, “to have the brand Team USA across my chest represents a level of pride that I am as a Black woman…and I will continue to, you know, open that door up to anybody that feels like that door has been closed on them.”

And in 2028, the women’s 100m final will open the athletics schedule in a city that now feels closely tied to her story.