“Sha’carri takes it to a whole other level,” Joyner-Kersee once said of this electric sprinter. Justin Gatlin emoted the same sentiment: “She can be the greatest female sprinter.” Even the 9-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Carl Lewis, added, “On the women’s side, Sha’Carri just looks the best.” And there is no denying that Sha’Carri Richardson is one of the best. But being the GOAT doesn’t mean being untouchable. And this 24-year-old track and field athlete has just proved that Richardson’s reign might be in danger. The message seemed clear: if Sha’Carri wants to keep the crown, she’s going to have to fight for it.

As the third act of the Grand Slam Track continues in Philadelphia, Franklin Field displays a variety of spectacles being made. Something similar happened on day 2 of the event. Donning black shorts and a white top, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden lined up for the 100 meters. The moment the gunshot cracked, the silence in the air, the shoe taps against the rubber, which filled the atmosphere. The commentator announced, “And they get away, first time, and look at Jefferson, already got a big start.”

In a field that had the 2024 Paris Olympics Gold medalist, Gabby Thomas, Jefferson took the lead early on in the race. And she closed in towards the ribbon, her win now definitive, the commentator’s voice pitched as she announced, “but miles ahead of everybody! Jefferson did it, and 70 miles! That is a legal win!” She clocked a time of 10.73 seconds– the fastest woman in 100 meters for the 2025 season. And not only that, she is now the 5th fastest performer in American history and 10th in the world.

Meanwhile, where has Sha’carri Richardson been? Absent. Throughout the 2025 season, as of now, the GOAT of 100 meters has only appeared in one race. She opened her 2025 season on May 18 at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo. Competing in the women’s 100m, she finished fourth with a time of 11.47 seconds, trailing behind Australia’s Bree Rizzo (11.38), fellow American Twanisha Terry (11.42), and Canada’s Sade McCreath (11.46). Jefferson’s win is a stark warning to Sha’Carri Richardson and the current 100m contenders that the winds are changing course!

Her next confirmed race is scheduled for July 5, 2025, at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. This event is part of the Wanda Diamond League and marks the 50th anniversary of the meet. Richardson is set to headline the women’s 100m field, aiming to defend her title after winning the event in 2024 with a time of 10.81 seconds. But would she be able to with so many rising young guns in the 100 meters?

The rise of young blood in the women’s track and field

The 2025 women’s 100m season has been marked by the emergence of exceptional young talents. For example, 17-year-old Australian Leah O’Brien broke a 57-year-old national under-18 100m record by clocking 11.14 seconds at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships in Perth, surpassing the previous mark set by Raelene Boyle in 1968. This performance places O’Brien equal fourth on Australia’s all-time list and ninth globally among under-18 athletes.

In the same championships, 20-year-old Torrie Lewis took back her status as Australia’s fastest woman by winning the national 100m title with a time of 11.24 seconds. Lewis, who set the national record of 11.10 seconds in 2024, narrowly edged out O’Brien by just four thousandths of a second in the final. Italy’s Elisa Valensin set national under-20 indoor records in both the 200m (23.39 seconds) and 400m (53.04 seconds), highlighting her potential in multiple sprint events.

Collegiate star Jadyn Mays from the University of Oregon is making waves with personal bests of 11.01 seconds in the 100m and 22.19 seconds in the 200m. Jefferson already broke the record with her 100-meter run in GST and clocked 21.99 seconds in the 200m. Do you think these athletes will go beyond the feats of Sha’Carri Richardson and co?