World champion Sha’Carri Richardson’s long-awaited Olympic debut got off to a terrific start on Friday as she cruised through the women’s 100 metres heats, while her Jamaican rival Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce also advanced in her fifth Games. The American won her heat in 10.94 seconds, three years after her Olympic dreams came crashing down around her when she tested positive for cannabis, while twice champion Fraser-Pryce (10.92) finished second in her heat.
Asked if the run marked redemption for Tokyo, Richardson said she was focused on the present and fans cheered at the Stade de France the moment she appeared on the starting line. Running out of lane six, Richardson easily took the lead by the midway point and glided through the finish before quickly exiting the purple track.
She will compete in the semi-final on Saturday, with the medal race set for later that evening. The top three performers in each heat advanced, along with the next three fastest across all heats. The world leader Richardson is the United States’ brightest hope of ending a 28-year gold medal drought in the blue riband event, after Gail Devers last won in 1996. Marion Jones was stripped of her 2000 Olympic gold medal for doping.
Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith of the Ivory Coast had the fastest time of the day with 10.87, as she held off Fraser-Pryce down the home stretch in a thrilling final heat. She is hungry for a spot on the podium after fourth-place finishes in the last two Games. Britain’s Daryll Neita won her heat in 10.92, while her compatriot, twice Olympic relay bronze medallist Dina Asher-Smith, moved on in 11.01.
“The crowd is amazing, just came out to get through. There are a lot of British fans,” said Asher-Smith, the world silver medallist in 2019. “I’m just having so much fun.” Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia (10.95), Canadian Audrey Leduc (10.95) and Melissa Jefferson (10.96) of the United States also went through.