On and off the track, this year is just not sitting well for the 2023 World Champion, Sha’Carri Richardson. She struggled with form issues stemming from a February injury, finishing fourth at the Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo (11.47s) and ninth at the Prefontaine Classic (11.19s). But then there were hopes from her when she lined up on the track for the 100m heats in the USATF Championships. Though slow from the block, she did clock her season-best 11.07s, finishing second. But after that, it has been a steep fall.

One moment, Sha’Carri Richardson was celebrating a season-best 11.07 in the 100 m heats; the next, she quietly scratched the semifinals as word spread that she’d spent 18 hours in a Seattle lock-up after a July 27 airport dispute. She switched to the 200 m, but a 22.56 left her 0.01s shy of the final and a world spot in that event. But if you think all is dead for the Olympian, let’s rewind time.

In the early 2024 Diamond League season, Richardson looked like she was still finding her rhythm, clocking a decent but uninspiring 22.99s for second place in Xiamen before slowing down even more to 23.11s a week later in Shanghai/Suzhou for third. Sure, she was still in the mix, but those times were nowhere near her best. Now, fans rarely have any hope. Comments like, “I really want to stay positive, but Sha’carri’s form was so off yesterday. It was like she was a stranger in her own body.” Flood the internet. But this is Sha’Carri Richardson we are talking about. How could she fall and not stand back?

Turning to the semi-finals of the 2024 US Trails, the 2023 World Champion announced to the world that she is back with a win in the 200m in her best time of the season, 21.92 seconds. To show how dominant and fast she was, no other sprinter managed a sub-22 in that race. Jenna Prandidi finished second with a time of 22.26 seconds. And before that, she had already made a statement in the 100 meters with another season best of 10.71 seconds in the finals of the 100m trials. Melissa Jefferson finished second, 9 hundredths of a second behind. Sha’Carri Richardson had risen like the sun.

Now, if we put her 22.56 from the other and the Shanghai performance side by side, she had been at worst and came back stronger. So if she could just pull herself together, if she could funnel the agony of these defeats into one hell of a force into her legs, the 100m gold in Tokyo might be coming to her home twice in a row. And maybe, just maybe, we can hope for her to do what she could not last year – get a medal in the 200m. Because let’s not forget, the Diamond League final awaits its winner. But if she has to choose, 100m is all the way.

What lies for Sha’Carri Richardson in the next 6 weeks?

Despite that heartbreaking nationals where Richardson scratched the 100m semifinals after her promising 11.07 season-best, the story isn’t over; it’s just getting to the good part. That withdrawal stung, especially with all the off-track drama swirling around, but she’s still the defending world champion with an automatic berth to Tokyo, which means she gets to write her comeback narrative.

Starting mid-August, Sha’Carri Richardson gets three shots at redemption: Silesia on August 15th, Lausanne on August 19th, and Brussels on August 21st, all 200m Diamond League races where a few strong showings could rocket her into the top-8 standings and earn a spot in the Zurich final. Here’s the best thing about it: nail the Diamond League Final on August 26-27, and she gets to march into Tokyo with serious momentum and confidence rebuilt. And maybe if she wants the 200m, she can try winning that too.

The mental game is where this gets really interesting. Richardson needs to shake off all the noise, the arrest headlines, the missed opportunities, the whispers about her form, and remember she’s still the reigning world champion. A successful European trip could do wonders for the American; the question is: Can she? Let us know your thoughts.