Track fans, the wait is over. Sha’Carri Richardson is finally back. After months of silence and social media teases, the reigning 100m world champion will launch her 2025 campaign this weekend at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo. While the rest of the sprinting elite have already hit the ground running this season, Richardson’s absence has only amplified the suspense. And now, all eyes turn to Tokyo. Not just to see if she’s still the fastest woman on the planet, but to find out why she waited so long.

Track and field analyst Anderson Amerloe of The Final Leg Track & Field has been closely tracking the timing of Richardson’s return, and he sees it as a move loaded with implications. “But now the question is, what is she going to be able to do in her season opener for 2025? This, of course, has been highly anticipated because every other top sprinter on the women’s side has opened up their season—Julian Alfred, Shelly-Anne Fraser-Price, Shericka Jackson, T.T. Terry, Melissa Jefferson—everyone across the board.”

Richardson, who hasn’t raced since a rough outing at the Brussels Diamond League final last September, has watched her rivals stack up early-season results while she stayed off the radar. That race in Brussels was a rare stumble in an otherwise brilliant year. One where she grabbed Olympic silver in the 100m and anchored Team USA to relay gold. Yet while others have racked up reps and fine-tuned their starts, Richardson has been a no-show.

Is this a tactical delay? Or a sign of something deeper? Amerloe leans toward strategy. He points out that Richardson, as the defending world champion from Budapest 2023, already has her ticket punched for this year’s World Championships. That wild card status gives her the luxury to play the long game. “One thing to note is that she has the wild card to the world championships in the 100 by way of being the defending world champion from 2023 in Budapest,” Amerloe explains. 

So while others may be chasing times and qualification standards, Richardson has been free to focus solely on her preparation. Still, Amerloe warns that all the pressure now falls on this opening race. He expects she’ll clock somewhere in the high 10.9 range, if healthy. For Richardson, execution off the blocks will be crucial, especially given past inconsistencies in her starts.

Amerloe suggests her top-end speed can still carry her past the field, but only if the technical pieces fall into place. “Hopefully she’s able to work on her start,” he adds. “That’s the part that could make the difference in Tokyo.” In the end, whether this late debut proves brilliant or backfires, one thing’s for sure: Sha’Carri Richardson’s return is no longer just about speed.

It’s about strategy, timing, and how you control the narrative. And on Saturday night in Tokyo, the world will be watching. However, Richardson is not just confined to the tracks. In a recent appearance at the Met Gala, Richardson reflected on the power of black women.

Sha’Carri Richardson channels Black women’s power in bold Met Gala statement

“Black women power.” That’s the energy Sha’Carri Richardson exuded at the 2025 Met Gala. And that’s not just through her striking look but through the force of intention behind it. Already an Olympic gold medalist and a cultural icon, Richardson wasn’t just dressing for the occasion. She was crafting a statement, draped in boldness and Black femininity, one chiffon ribbon and lavender lash at a time.

Her ensemble, a Valentino creation by Alessandro Michele, didn’t simply shimmer under the lights. It spoke volumes. “He understood that I am a powerful Black woman and that I want to push norms,” Richardson said. That mutual understanding, she explained, made working with the designer feel like “a team coming together.” Her hair, styled with waist-length tresses and cascading bows, and her purple-hued makeup, a nod to her late mother’s favorite color, became more than aesthetic choices.

They were reflections of heritage, identity, and audacity. But it wasn’t just the fabric and glam. From her “garden on a finger” nails to her diamond-encrusted grill, Richardson made sure every detail pulsed with her presence. And while her look turned heads on the red carpet, it was her energy, fueled by rituals like blasting Glorilla to raise her vibe, that made the night hers. This wasn’t fashion for fashion’s sake. It was power, presence, and purpose — worn unapologetically.