Sha’Carri Richardson became one of the fastest women in history when she captured the 2023 World Championship title in 10.65 seconds. That historic performance immediately ignited widespread speculation that she could eventually challenge Florence Griffith-Joyner’s legendary 10.49-second world record. The American sprinter has recently struggled to replicate that exact championship speed during her current athletic campaign. One prominent track and field analyst firmly believes the reigning world champion can shatter the global record by executing a massive geographical relocation.

The stunning world record prediction recently surfaced during a track and field discussion on the Rae’s Take broadcast. Coach Rae explicitly stated that Richardson could finally break the elusive barrier if she completely abandoned her current Florida training camp to train under legendary sprint coach John Smith.

“She go out to L.A. She’s breaking the world record, bro,” Rae boldly declared to his co-host. The analyst based this drastic recommendation on one highly specific aspect of her racing mechanics.

Rae explained that Richardson’s elite top-end speed perfectly positions her for a historic world-record attempt if cultivated in a new environment. Broadcast co-host Edwards initially questioned the sudden motivation for a cross-country move to California, simply asking,

“Why would she go to L.A.?” Rae immediately doubled down on his bold assessment, responding, “She go to L.A., she go to 10.48.” The analysts concluded that executing this proposed relocation would force her to sever a foundational professional relationship.

But a shift to Los Angeles would be mean a big adjustment for Richardson, who had been coming off years-long tenure with her current coach, Dennis Mitchell. Richardson turned pro in 2019 and was part of Mitchell’s team in Florida. She first met Mitchell during the 2019 U.S. Championships and eventually moved to Florida.

By 2020, Richardson was a serious professional sprinter, working with Mitchell for the past nearly seven years. She is currently training with Mitchell and is a member of Star Athletics, the group headed by the former Olympic sprinter that is based in Florida. Mitchell has had the opportunity to share moments with Richardson during some of her most significant ones. It was under his guidance that she set up the 10.65-second run which won her the World title in 2023.

That makes Rae’s proposal even more interesting. Richardson won’t just be replacing his coach after a brief stint. She would potentially be leaving a training setup that has been part of her professional career since 2019. However, had she the opportunity to train in a different setting, could she have put all those pieces together over 100 meters?

Can Sha’Carri Richardson make the giant leap to 10.48?

There is a significant difference between the time being predicted and what Richardson is at now. Richardson’s individual record still stands at 10.65, the time she won the 100m at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. The world record, however, is Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 10.49, from 1988. If she runs 10.48  she would lower her personal best by 0.17 seconds and break a world record that has stood for almost four decades.

That is a huge jump, even for an athlete who has already proven she can run 10.65. Still, her 2026 season has given fans some reason for optimism. Richardson has improved considerably from last year’s form and has already produced a 10.77 season best. She ran that time to win the women’s 100m at the USATF Championships, putting herself back under the 10.80 mark.

She also showed her competitiveness at the Prefontaine Classic, where she clocked 10.79 seconds to finish second behind Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. Richardson then lined up against another world-class field at the Silesia Diamond League, where she finished third in 10.96 seconds. So while Richardson has not yet returned to her 10.65 personal-best level, she has shown that she can still compete with the world’s leading sprinters.