Sha’Carri Richardson has had to watch her rivals get the better of her several times this season, but the Diamond League Final in Brussels could give her a chance to end that run on a high. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden edged Richardson by just 0.01 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic before beating her again in Silesia, where she won in 10.78 to Richardson’s 10.96. 

Richardson is set to return to action in Brussels on September 4 as the Diamond League season reaches its final stop. With Jefferson-Wooden and 2024 Olympic champion Julien Alfred both absent from the Brussels 100m, Richardson now has a clearer path to a statement victory, as per Track & Field Gazette. Richardson brings a 10.77 season’s best and a 10.65 personal best into the race, making her the fastest entrant on paper by both marks. But with several other strong contenders lining up alongside her, it is not expected to be an easy night for her.

Jamaica’s Tina Clayton shapes up as one of the biggest threats to Richardson, bringing a 10.85 season’s best and a 10.76 personal best into the race. Her compatriot Jonielle Smith has also gone under 11 seconds this season with a 10.89, while Great Britain’s Amy Hunt and New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs have posted 10.97 and 10.93, respectively. Italy’s Zaynab Dosso, Belgium’s Delphine Nkansa, Hungary’s Boglárka Takács and Luxembourg’s Patrizia van der Weken complete the field.

Van der Weken enters with an 11.05 season’s best and 11.00 personal best, while Dosso has clocked 11.07 this year and owns an 11.01 personal best. But beyond the runners lining up in Brussels, it is the names missing from the race that could have the biggest impact on Richardson’s chances.

Jefferson-Wooden’s absence will be particularly significant given how the rivalry has played out this season. The world champion has beaten Richardson in both of their meetings in 2026, first edging her 10.78 to 10.79 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on July 4. They met again in Silesia on August 23, and Jefferson-Wooden once again came out on top, winning in 10.78 ahead of Julien Alfred’s 10.83 and Richardson’s 10.96.

Alfred has also emerged as a familiar obstacle for Richardson, albeit from a different angle. The Saint Lucian Olympic champion beat Richardson to 100m gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024, and she finished ahead of the American again in Silesia. With both Jefferson-Wooden and Alfred now missing in Brussels, Richardson will have neither of the two sprinters who have recently had the edge over her standing in her way.

The rivalry took another turn on August 27 in Zurich, where Alfred produced one of the fastest times of the season, running 10.70 for a Saint Lucian national record. Jefferson-Wooden also clocked 10.70 but was relegated to second after the photo finish, while Richardson finished third in 10.97. Neither Alfred nor Jefferson-Wooden will line up in Brussels, giving Richardson an opportunity to take advantage of their absence. But she may not have to wait long for another showdown with her rivals. 

Budapest could bring Richardson and Jefferson-Wooden together again

Richardson could get another shot at Jefferson-Wooden at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest from September 11-13. A return to the Hungarian capital would carry particular significance for Richardson, who announced herself on the global stage there three years ago by winning the 100m title at the 2023 World Championships in a championship record of 10.65 seconds.

This time, however, Richardson could return to Budapest with Jefferson-Wooden standing in her way. The world champion has already secured places in both the women’s 100m and 200m at the Ultimate Championship following a breakthrough 2025 season. At the World Championships in Tokyo, Jefferson-Wooden stormed to the 100m title in 10.61 before completing the sprint double with a 21.68 victory in the 200m.

The two first met at the 2023 Doha Diamond League, where Richardson won in 10.76, and Jefferson-Wooden finished seventh in 11.19. Their rivalry grew more significant the following year at the U.S. Olympic Trials, where both were competing for a place on the Paris Olympic team. Richardson won the 100m in 10.71, with Jefferson-Wooden finishing second in 10.80 and Twanisha Terry third in 10.89. Their next meeting came on the biggest stage of all at the Paris Olympics, where Julien Alfred claimed gold in 10.72, Richardson took silver in 10.87 and Jefferson-Wooden bronze in 10.92.

But the balance shifted at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic, where Jefferson-Wooden won in 10.75, and Richardson finished ninth in 11.19. Since then, Jefferson-Wooden has continued to strengthen her claim as Richardson’s biggest American rival, beating her again in 2026. Now, with both sprinters potentially heading back to Budapest, the Ultimate Championship could provide the latest chapter in a rivalry that has already changed hands more than once. For Richardson, it would also offer a chance to reclaim the upper hand on the same track where she first became a world champion.