The crucial error which cost Sha’Carri Richardson in shock Olympics defeat

Sha’Carri Richardson paid a premium for her delayed start in the women’s 100-meter final, missing out on an Olympic gold medal.

After finishing first in the global championships the previous year, Richardson was forced to settle for silver in the Olympic final on Saturday, when Julien Alfred of St. Lucia earned the gold with an incredible performance.

Three years after missing out in Tokyo due to a positive test for THC, the 24-year-old’s first-ever Games result was disheartening.

Richardson will undoubtedly focus on her tardy response to the starter pistol when analyzing her mistakes.

The current world champion had the slowest start time of the eight racers on the day, taking 0.221 seconds to get off the blocks.

She was ultimately left to lament her bad start and had to spend the rest of the race trying to catch up to Alfred.

After being suspended from Team USA, Richardson was not allowed to compete in the postponed Olympics in Tokyo, therefore she was the clear favorite to win the event.

She subsequently said that she used the substance to deal with “emotional panic” after learning that her biological mother had passed away. At the time, she tested positive for THC, a component present in marijuana.

Jamaica’s two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdrew from the 100-meter event before the semifinals, only hours before the final.

She had already said that the Olympics would be her last, but she had not stated why she was pulling out of Paris.

Fraser-Pryce, who turns 38 later this year, was then said to have withdrawn out due to a hamstring ailment.

The sprinter reportedly encountered the problem during her warm-up before Saturday’s semifinal.