World Athletics recently posted an interesting feature of two famed sprinters of the athletics community on Twitter. Sha’Carri Richardson and Jamaican champion athlete Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, are set to compete against one another at the 100m race in the Gaborone Meet next month. It is a part of the Botswana Golden Grand Prix event, the first-ever Continental Gold Tour in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

However, fans didn’t seem convinced by the comparison in the tweet. They lambasted Richardson as an unequal candidate to compete against Fraser-Pryce. The reactions ranged from intriguing comparisons to demarcating it as a publicity stunt. 

Why fans are skeptical of the match-up?

The post surfaced on the internet on 27th March and is evidently going viral. As per the social media update, the duo will be locking horns on 29th April in Africa. “100m clash at the @GaboroneMeet on 29 April @itskerrii vs. @realshellyannfp,” the caption read. Moreover, an impressively crafted poster depicted the two stars in their natural elements against a striking red-themed backdrop. 

It was difficult to overlook the boldly stamped “100M” intertwined with a bolt of thunder that portrayed the race’s hype. The 36-year-old Jamaican athlete is an Olympic champion. She has won 10x gold and 4x silver medals at the Games throughout her career; regarded among the most decorated athletes in track history. Whereas, Richardson rose to fame after her NCAA feats.

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The American star represented her college, LSU, and is the 4th fastest American woman. Although she couldn’t grab a medal at the Olympics, she is regarded as the 6th fastest woman in the world, in 2021. This feat was after she achieved her personal best of 10.72 seconds. Hence, the contrast between their achievements unsettled the fans upon the news. 

Fans react to Sha’Carri Richardson and Shelly-Anne Fraser-Pryce’s upcoming clash

In less than a day, the post amassed over 460k views and 249 re-tweets. One fan wrote, “This is total disrespect to Pocket Rocket! That Richardson hasn’t won anything yet!” whereas another implied, “Tbh you’ve got to hype them racing each other now because Sha’Carri probably won’t qualify for the world championships again.” The followers also scrutinized the “clash” reference and wrote, “Did y’all really type: clash?” and “This is not a clash. one has done nothing for 3 years. Please stop.”

A comment created an amusing comparison of fresh-squeezed orange juice to an artificial flavor-added one, Tang. “If she can’t beat SFP when she’s tired, how will she beat her when she is well-rested? Why yall keep doing this? This is comparing fresh squeeze Oj to tang,” it read. A critical remark elucidated Shelly-Anne’s achievements saying, “19 major gold wins between them – all 19 are won by Shelly. Miss Richardson has won 1 gold medal that is Pan American u20 that was in Trujillo, Peru. Have some shame.”

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Worth the comparison or not, the world will soon come to know. Tune in for the epic race next month. What was your reaction to the update? Tell us in the comments.