Around 2000 athletes from nearly 200 countries will land in Japan in September, when the World Athletics Championships commence in Tokyo. So, who is the US sending? Defending champion Sha’Carri Richardson is a definite. Sure, her 2025 season didn’t start on the brightest note, but her best is yet to come. As for the rest of the women’s squad, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone seems like a strong pick for the 400m hurdles. And who knows, she might just shatter another world record. And then there’s the big question: Who’s coaching this powerhouse team? Well, there’s no mystery there anymore…

Dyestat took to their official Instagram handle on July 1, 2025, to announce the head coach for the women’s team that would go to the World Athletics Outdoor Championships. They wrote, “🐶➡️🇺🇸 After leading the @ugatrack women to the program’s first NCAA outdoor national title, @coachcarylsg has been named the women’s head coach for Team USA at this year’s @worldathletics Outdoor Championships in Tokyo. Along with being in charge of the entire women’s team, Smith-Gilbert will also be responsible for coaching the sprint and hurdle events.”  Given how it directly affects the athletes, Sha’Carri Richardson didn’t wait long to let her feelings be known.

Taking this post to her Instagram story minutes after the Dyetsat announcement, Sha’Carri tagged the coach and wrote and expressed her excitement. She wrote, “@coachcarylsg LETS GO!!!” The praise for Caryl Smith-Gilbert from the legendary track and field athlete did not just stop there. Quoting a picture of the coach with the NCAA trophy, she wrote on X, “A woman coach that will actually lead the team!!” As mentioned in the post, at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, the University of Georgia women’s track and field team, led by coach Caryl Smith‑Gilbert, won its first-ever NCAA outdoor team title, scoring 73 points to top USC (47) and Texas A&M (43).

The coach has also led the University of Southern California women to the 2018 and 2021 NCAA outdoor team championships and was the National Women’s Coach of the Year both of those seasons. She was named Georgia’s Director of Track and Field on June 13, 2021. Smith-Gilbert became the first female head coach of a men’s sports program in the history of Georgia Athletics. Year two directing UGA’s teams reaped noticeable dividends as Smith-Gilbert was named the men’s and women’s U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region Coach of the Year indoors.

She also collected four top-10 national team finishes, including a runner-up showing for the Bulldog men at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships. Smith could be a great guide to someone like Sha’Carri Richardson, who is looking at the Tokyo World Championships as a chance for another big feat in her career.

Stakes are high for Sha’Carri Richardson at the Tokyo Worlds

Till now, as of July 1st, 2025, Sha’Carri Richardson’s 2025 season has not been able to justify the name she is. Making her season debut in the women’s 100 m at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix, she took 4th place, timing 11.47s, finishing behind Bree Rizzo (11.38), Twanisha Terry ( 11.42), and Sade McCreath (11.46). Next, she is confirmed as the headliner in the women’s 100 m at the Diamond League meet in Eugene– The Prefontaine Classic. She could just fix a few things, and maybe both the world championships and the Prefontaine Classic are hers.

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Sha’Carri Richardson made a dramatic statement by storming to gold in the women’s 100 m, breaking the championship record with a scorching 10.65 s. In a thrilling finish, she overtook Jamaican stars Shericka Jackson (10.72) and Shelly‑Ann Fraser‑Pryce (10.77). Now, when she goes to Tokyo in September, she might want to repeat this history once again and defend her 100m title. She recently hinted at her ambitions in an Instagram story, expressing her desire for a Tokyo showdown in September.

She shared a post that read, “im the mood to go to jamaica & Mexico & vegas & new york & aruba & bali & thailand & tokyo”. Taking it to her story, she wrote, “Tokyo in September😜”. Also, she has just the right coach for it. She has been working with former Olympian Dennis Mitchell, whose tough‑love coaching style—the no-nonsense straight talk—has earned her full support. She says, “I know he comes from such a genuine place of wanting to pull the best out of me, even if it means going against me to do it.” What do you think? Can she pull back-to-back world titles with another win in Tokyo? Share your thoughts.