Sha’Carri Richardson’s path to the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo has definitely had its ups and downs. After an amazing win in the 100m at the 2023 Budapest World Championships, which solidified her title as the “world’s fastest woman,” Richardson had a tough time in the 2025 season due to injuries. Her performances took a hit, and with a season-best time of 11.05 seconds, she found herself ranked 56th fastest in the world as she headed into Tokyo.

But even with the challenges she faced, Richardson’s charisma and determination had fans glued to their screens, all rooting for her comeback at the championships where she used to shine. The semifinal race on September 14 highlighted her challenges. Richardson tripped on her fifth step out of the starting blocks, throwing off her rhythm and making her scramble to keep up with tough competitors like Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith and Shericka Jackson.

The American sprinter came in third in her heat, clocking a season-best time of 11.00 seconds, but that wasn’t quite enough to secure an automatic qualification spot. She was left anxiously waiting in the “hot seat” near the finish line, hoping to snag one of the two wild-card spots set aside for the fastest non-automatic qualifiers.

In the end, Sha’Carri Richardson made it to the final, but the way she got there sparked a lot of discussion in the track and field community. She clocked in at 11.00 seconds, making it the seventh fastest time among the semifinalists. She managed to outpace other competitors, including Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, who finished with 11.02 seconds and grabbed the other wild-card spot.

Some fans were all about celebrating her perseverance and champion’s mentality, while others were just left surprised, making the track world a bit divided.

Sha’Carri Richardson’s narrow escape came as a surprise

One of the surprised fans who caught this performance, analyst Jonathan Gault on X, shared his thoughts on Sha’Carri Richardson, saying, “Just rewatched the first women’s 100m semi. Most of the field left early after Sha’Carri Richardson brought her head up. But Daryll Neita flinched in the blocks to Sha’Carri’s left — looks like that is what caused Sha’Carri to move early.”

This comment made a clear connection to her 2023 championship win, saying, “Sha’Carri Richardson with the exact script from the last World Championship. She made it to the final by the skin of her teeth, and won the whole thing from the outside lane. She’s struggled into the final once again. Another title?”

Even though this viewpoint was pretty positive, it highlighted how shocked this fan was: “How was Sha’carri Richardson not disqualified wtf?” Also, this fan said, “Crazy!! Sha’Carri Richardson is so lucky.” Another common sentiment among the fans read, “Sha’Carri Richardson is one lucky girl.”

So, whether viewed as a resilient champion or a fortunate qualifier, Sha’Carri Richardson has once again positioned herself on the grandest stage to let her performance do the final talking.