Sha'Carri Richardson runs her slowest race since 2022 as Julien Alfred takes the women's 100m title at Diamond League final in Brussels

Sha'carri Richardson recorded her slowest 100m finish since 2022 as she suffered defeat at the Diamond League final in Brussels. Julien Alfred, the current Olympic champion, took home the victory.

Running in lane six, Richardson fell behind the pack early on. The 24-year-old had a disappointing outing in the Belgian capital as she finished eighth out of nine participants with a time of 11.23 seconds.

Her rival Julien Alfred, to whom she lost the Olympic gold in Paris, once again reigned supreme and took home the Diamond League trophy after crossing the finish line in 10.88 seconds.

Dina Asher-Smith finished second, being the only runner other than Alfred to clock a sub-11 time at 10.92 seconds, while Marie-Josée Ta Lou placed third, clocking in 11.05 seconds. Another American sprinter, Tamari Davis, finished just ahead of Richardson in seventh place with a time of 11.21 seconds.

Travis Miller, the NBC Sports Director of Social Media, provided coverage of the Brussels Diamond League final on his X handle (formerly Twitter) and wrote:

"Julien Alfred adds Diamond League champ to her resume after winning Olympic gold. Sha'Carri Richardson cruises across the line in 8th #BrusselsDL"

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"It be so tense back there everybody has to be so quiet" - Sha'Carri Richardson reflects on pre-race environment

Sha'carri Richardson pictured at the Olympic Games-Paris 2024 (Image via Getty)

During an interview with the BBC, Sha'carri Richardson said that before the beginning of every race, the atmosphere tends to get a little tense as everyone becomes serious about focusing on the race.

"It be so tense back there, everybody has to be so quiet and just so serious. I just be like y’all, like yes we gonna race each other, yes we gonna do what we do regardless but still relax, whoosah!"

She also mentioned that people get nervous around her, emphasizing the fact that she is just like everyone else; the only thing that sets her apart is her ability to run fast.

"It’s funny when people meet me, they’ll be nervous. But I’ll be like, 'baby, I am you, I just run fast, ok.' That’s it," she added.

Richardson also noted that running fast feels like being in a movie where everything around her slows down and she is the only one who's moving.