For a sprinter known as much for her explosive starts as her uncompromising presence, Sha’Carri Richardson’s latest practice clip is causing an unusual kind of stir. The reigning world champion, long considered a lock for Team USA, was caught in a video that has since spread rapidly through online track communities. What should have been a routine practice start has instead prompted widespread concern, and here’s why…

Richardson, whose 2025 season began with a quiet showing in Tokyo, has yet to reassert her usual authority on the track. She finished fourth in her Golden Grand Prix opener in May, with a time of 11.47 seconds into a light headwind. In her second appearance at Prefontaine Classic, she placed ninth in 11.19 seconds, her fastest time of the season, though still far from her best. More telling than her results, however, were her own reflections on the state of her preparation. “I prayed for a healthy race, and I got a healthy race,” she told Olympics.com following her latest run. “When I am 100 percent, there’s nothing that can really stop me but me.”

That remark now reads differently. In a training session captured and circulated on Reddit, Sha’Carri Richardson’s start out of the blocks appears conspicuously delayed. Unlike her training partners, she rises awkwardly after the gun, failing to generate the powerful drive phase expected at this stage in her training. While split-second hesitations can happen in any workout, the nature of the lapse, her upright posture, and her lack of urgency have sparked anxiety among observers familiar with her form. Fans have begun asking whether the effects of her February injury are still lingering, or if a deeper technical issue is at play.

Richardson, for her part, has projected confidence about her path forward. Speaking of the upcoming U.S. trials in Eugene, which will serve as the qualifying event for the World Championships, she said to Olympics.com, “I will spend these next two weeks just working on speed endurance… I’m going to be at my fullest, more confident, and not executing just a healthy race but a speedy race too.” With trials approaching rapidly, a weak start in competition could cost her valuable ground, particularly in a field where the smallest delay is magnified under pressure.

This moment in Richardson’s season feels tenuous. Her ability to deliver when it matters most has never been in question. But the specifics of the block start, the most technical and unforgiving phase of the 100 meters, are not easily masked by strength or confidence. She may well arrive at Hayward Field fully restored, ready to silence any doubt. But for now, the concern among followers is not idle speculation. Fans online immediately jumped in to analyze and criticize Richardson. 

Sha’Carri Richardson’s sluggish block start sparks fan panic ahead of trials

As soon as the video went viral, fans flocked to the comments section. The repeated fan sentiment, “I’m not seeing any major improvements in her start tbh. I think that if she focused on the indoor 60m it could help her with that”, reflects the clear stagnation in Richardson’s drive phase. The training clip reveals a lack of urgency out of the blocks, reinforcing concerns that sharpening her start through shorter races like the 60m might have built better explosiveness by now.

Pointing to her earlier setback, one fan noted, “She was injured earlier this year and she looks to lack power imo.” The upright, labored posture in the block start supports this. While Richardson insists she’s healthy, the lack of drive and delay suggests that the injury may still be undermining her push-off strength and form mechanics more than she’s letting on.

One confused fan asked, “I’m sorry to be that guy but which is she? Closest to camera right? (I think I’m used to seeing her with longer hair)”, revealing how distant her current appearance and presence feel from her usual, commanding self. The fan might just be pointing out the change in her hairstyle. However, such a subtle visual disconnect adds to the perception that something fundamental, whether rhythm, conditioning, or confidence, remains off track.

A more technical critique came with, “Oo god what happened to her…you can see the difference between her and Jefferson even tt was faster…with this much gap no top end speed gonna help her…” In the clip, Jefferson’s acceleration is visibly sharper. The fan’s blunt projection that Richardson may not even finish top three at trials underlines how critical block efficiency is, especially when peers are firing on all cylinders.

“Good that shaccari has the bye…” might sound reassuring, but the fan continues with a grim 200m outlook, backing names like Gabby Thomas and Brittany Brown instead. It highlights a broader fear: that Richardson’s poor block execution and slow early races — 11.47s and 11.19s — leave her vulnerable in the 200m too, where explosive starts also set up the curve. Thus, with a lot going on, it now remains to be seen how Sha’Carri Richardson can turn things around.