Sha'Carri Richardson & Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce denied entry through main gate moments before women's 100m SF at Paris Olympics

Two women's 100m semifinalists at the Paris Olympics 2024, Sha'Carri Richardson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce were reportedly prevented from entering the warmup area of the Stade de Paris through the main gate. This comes just a few hours before the scheduled semifinals of these athletes on Saturday (August 3).

In a recently uploaded video on X (formerly Twitter), the officials at the main gate of the Stade de Paris were seen redirecting Richardson to come to the warmup area of the arena through another route.

In another video shared by the same track and field Twitter handle, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was seen complaining about the rules that prohibited them from entering the arena through the main gate. She stated:

"She said they changed the rules yesterday, like when did they change the rules and not say? So you are asking all the athletes who for whatever reasons don't stay at the Village can't come through the gate. We came through this gate yesterday and went through security and was okay."

Both Sha'Carri Richardson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will be taking the field in the second semifinals of the women's 100m scheduled to start at 7:50 PM local time. The United States sprinter qualified for the semifinal round following a top finish at the first heat of the event on Friday (August 2), where she registered a run time of 10.94 seconds.

The Jamaican, on the other hand, finished behind Cote d'Ivoire athlete Marie-Josee Ta Lou Smith in the eighth heat of the event, registering a run time of 10.92 seconds. The semifinal contest on Saturday will be the eighth head-to-head contest between Richardson and Fraser-Pryce, with the Jamaican emerging victorious on three occasions and Richardson taking away four wins.

Jackie-Joyner Kersee opens up about Sha'Carri Richardson's performances

Sha'Carri Richardson at the 2024 Paris Olympics (Image via: Getty Images)

Former track and field athlete and three-time Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee recently opened up about the performances of 24-year-old US track sensation Sha'Carri Richardson.

In a recent interview with Olympics.com, Joyner-Kersee lauded Richardson for taking the discipline of track and field to a higher strata. She stated:

"Sha'carri takes it to a whole other level. You know exactly where Sha'Carri is coming from and you know exactly who you're dealing with."

During the interview, the 62-year-old veteran athlete also remarked that she is putting her hopes on Richardson to win the women's 100m event at the Paris Olympics 2024.