Sha’Carri Richardson has not had the season many expected of her. Her late start, faltering openers, and visible frustration at the line have been the subject of widespread scrutiny. But even as she continues to wrestle with a lingering technical flaw, an inconsistent start that fans believe is undermining her full potential, Richardson has stepped into an entirely different kind of role. This time, it’s not about winning a race. It’s about building something lasting. The reigning 100m world champion is now officially one of the founding athlete-owners of ATHLOS, a new women’s track and field league conceived by Alexis Ohanian, set to launch in 2026. With this decision, she has made clear that she’s not simply trying to outrun her critics. She’s preparing to outlast them.

Speaking on her involvement with ATHLOS, Richardson didn’t hesitate to describe what drew her in. “Oh my gosh, I feel like it’s the true investment behind Athlos,” she said. “It comes down to everybody that’s involved. They just want the best. They want to support women’s sports. They just want us to be the best that we can be.” That faith in the project, she added, starts at the top. “Even going to the founder, him, more than anything, believing in us, his wife, he understanding and supporting women’s sports. He’s just a man that truly believes and put his money where his mouth is, honestly.” For Richardson, whose career has been punctuated by equal parts promise and pressure, Athlos represents something she can shape, not just chase.

And yet, her newest venture comes just days after her latest performance at the U.S. Championships. Richardson returned to Hayward Field with the same problem that’s been following her all season: the start. Despite finishing second with a season-best 11.07 seconds behind Kayla White’s 10.89, the same question resurfaced. Could she have positioned herself better out of the blocks? One fan’s post summed up the sentiment: “If Sha’Carri had a better, more consistent start, she’d be literally unstoppable.” Richardson herself acknowledged the issue earlier this year following a last-place finish at the Prefontaine Classic. Asked what needed work, she was candid: her starts.

Observers have noted the same in training footage, where Richardson often rises later than her peers, her acceleration noticeably delayed. Even in Tokyo, when she began her season with a fourth-place 11.47 into a headwind, that sluggish beginning was impossible to miss. Now, fans are no longer surprised. They are disappointed. Not with her potential, but with the pattern. Each promising finish carries the weight of what might have been. And yet, even as the questions mount, Richardson continues to find ways to redirect her energy into new ventures with long-term vision.

That vision, as she describes it, is what Athlos is meant to fulfill. “I definitely just am more than honored to support and be a part of something that is true belief in developing women’s sports,” she said. Alongside fellow Olympians Gabby Thomas and Tara Davis-Woodhall, Richardson is not merely signing on as a face of the brand. She is helping design the foundation of a new model for track and field, one that prioritizes athlete leadership and sustained investment. For an athlete frequently criticized for what happens in the first 10 meters, Richardson is thinking well beyond the finish line. And as it appears, Sha’Carri is already all buckled up to display her power on the tracks and grab her position in Tokyo.

Sha’Carri Richardson finds her rhythm again with season-best sprint in Eugene

Sha’Carri Richardson, after months of disrupted preparation, returned to the starting blocks in Eugene with a quiet but unmistakable resolve. At the 2025 USA Track and Field Championships, she advanced through the 100m heats with a time of 11.07 seconds, her fastest of the season so far. While she placed second behind Kayla White’s personal best of 10.89 seconds, the outcome for Richardson was less about position and more about presence. Her return to form, marked by composure and clarity, carried more weight than any podium could offer.

“It felt amazing,” she said after the race. “Being able to compete, feeling healthy, going out there and executing no matter what, just being the best athlete that I can be.” These were not empty reflections. This was only her third race of the year and her first since the Prefontaine Classic. The interruption caused by injury earlier in the season had cast doubt on her ability to build any meaningful rhythm in an Olympic year. Yet here she was, grounded, deliberate, and expressing satisfaction not only with the clock but with her own physical condition. “Today felt amazing just to run a qualifying,” she added, noting the relief and motivation that come from a clean, uninterrupted performance.

The semifinal round awaits, along with her entry into the 200m event. But Richardson’s focus, by her own admission, remains on health and execution rather than prediction or spectacle. For now, she has secured what she values most: the ability to race again, without hesitation, and on her own terms.