"She is having fun"- Justin Gatlin 'not too concerned' on Sha'Carri Richardson's dismal start to 2024 outdoor season

Sha'Carri Richardson hasn't had the fastest of starts to her 2024 outdoor season with back-to-back losses in China at two Diamond League meets. While many have expressed concerns regarding the world champion's form, track legend Justin Gatlin isn't worried.

Richardson was set to open her season at the Miramar Invitational alongside Jamaican rival Shericka Jackson after skipping the indoor season. However, both withdrew from the event, and the American later opened her season at the Xiamen Diamond League.

Last year, the 23-year-old opened her outdoor season in the 100m event first, but she went with 200m this season. Richardson clocked 22.99s to finish second at the Xiamen Diamond League, and a week later in Shanghai, she went a tad slower. The 100m world champion clocked 23.11s to finish third, raising eyebrows over her slow timings.

While many have expressed concerns over her form, Olympic champion Justin Gatlin has claimed it could be a bigger plan from Sha'Carri Richardson to open her season in the 200m, which isn't her premier event, and also, not the usual event she opens the season with. Speaking on his podcast, Ready-Set-Go, the three-time Diamond League champion claimed:

“I am not too concerned right now because they are 200s but we know her premier race is the 100m" [56:38]

Gatlin added that he was also trained by Richardson's coach, who wanted his athletes to open their season with the event which improved their premier event's performance.

"Early in the season, we would run 200s so we would run a nice 100 (later in the season) and then kind of flow from there. For her, it also shows her energy and temperament. She is still having fun with it, she is stilll going out there and enjoying it, she does have the mean mug on, so she is having fun with it.” he added. [57:05]

Justin Gatlin expressed high hopes for Richardson ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024, claiming the 23-year-old had realized that what mattered was being fast when it mattered the most.

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Sha'Carri Richardson will open her 100m event at Prefontaine Classic

Day 8 - World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023

Sha'Carri Richardson will feature in her first 100m event of the season on May 25th at Prefontaine Classic 2024. The event headlines the Eugune Diamond League roster, and Richardson, after slower timings in China, will be itching to shut down the critics.

Richardson will face Julien Alfred and Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith as her two biggest competitors at the event. She enjoys a dominant head-to-head record against both sprinters, Lou-Smith in particular.

Sha'Carri Richardson has faced the Ivorian sprinter nine times in the 100m event till now, winning six of those clashes. She has squared off against Julian Alfred twice, winning once and losing once.