{"id":20992,"date":"2021-06-22T23:29:53","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T04:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=20992"},"modified":"2021-06-23T20:10:07","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T01:10:07","slug":"shacarri-richardson-is-bold-and-the-best-american-hope-in-the-100-meters-trayvon-bromell-is-the-fastest-man-in-the-u-s-day-3-highlights-and-results-from-the-2021-u-s-olympic-track-and-fi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=20992","title":{"rendered":"Sha\u2019Carri Richardson is the best American in the 100 meters, Trayvon Bromell is the fastest man in the U.S., USC’s Isaiah Jewett makes Olympic team with personal best in 800 meters, Day 3 Highlights and Results From the 2021 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Former Ohio State sprinter Christina Clemons makes U.S. Olympic squad<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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It\u2019s been a long time coming, but former Ohio State sprinter Christina (Manning) Clemons has made her first U.S. Olympic team<\/a>. She qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the 100m hurdles late Sunday evening at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon with a third-place finish.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In most events, a top-three finish is necessary to make the Olympic squad, and Clemons did it by barely nipping fourth-place finisher Gabbi Cunningham by a mere .005 seconds. Keni Harrison was first in the 100m hurdles in 12.47, with Brianna McNeal second at 12.51. Clemons\u2019 time of 12.53 was the same as Cunningham\u2019s, but she was ruled the winner with the extension to the one-thousandth place.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been going after this team since 2012,\u201d Clemons told NBC\u2019s Lewis Johnson following after the race. \u201cI ruptured my Achilles in 2013. I wasn\u2019t healthy enough in 2016. We had to wait a whole year in 2020. And now here I\u2019ve been looked over, I\u2019ve been counted out, but when God is with you, it doesn\u2019t matter. I\u2019m just so happy!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Ohio State track & field has a U.S. Olympian. Christina (Manning) Clemons, one of the great sprinters\/hurdlers in Ohio State history, qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the 100 hurdles late Sunday evening at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trialshttps:\/\/t.co\/12tPF5T8lu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ohio State T&F\/XC (@OhioStateTFXC) June 21, 2021<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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At Ohio State, Clemons was an 11-time All-American, a 10-time Big Ten champion, and won two NCAA titles as a senior in 2012: the 60m hurdles indoors and the 100m hurdles outdoors. She still holds three Ohio State individual records: the 60m dash (7.23), 60m hurdles (7.91), and the 100m hurdles (12.68). She was a four-time Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year and was the 2012 Big Ten Conference Female Athlete of the Year.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s off to Tokyo to fulfill a lifelong dream, and all of Buckeye Nation wishes her well.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Christina Clemons<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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Christina Clemons<\/span><\/strong><\/caption>\n
\"Women<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Clemons (center)<\/i> at the 2018 World Indoor Championships<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Personal information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Full\u00a0name<\/strong><\/th>\nChristina Ali Clemons<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nationality<\/strong><\/th>\nAmerican<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Born<\/strong><\/th>\nMay 29, 1990 (age\u00a031)<\/span><\/strong>
\nAndrews AFB, Maryland<\/a>, USA<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height<\/strong><\/th>\n1.63\u00a0m (5\u00a0ft 4\u00a0in)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/strong><\/th>\n53\u00a0kg (117\u00a0lb)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sport<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Sport<\/strong><\/th>\nTrack and Field<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Event(s)<\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n100 metres hurdles<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Achievements and titles<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Personal best(s)<\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n60\u00a0m hurdles indoors: 7.73 (Albuquerque, New Mexico 2018) 100\u00a0m hurdles: 12.54\u00a0s (Berlin, 2017)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Medal record<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Women’s athletics<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Representing the \"\"\u00a0<\/span>United States<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
IAAF World Relays<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Gold<\/strong><\/td>\n2019 Yokohama<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nShuttle Hurdle Relay<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
World Indoor Championships<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Silver<\/strong><\/td>\n2018 Birmingham<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n60 m hurdles<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
World University Games<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Bronze<\/strong><\/td>\n2011 Shenzhen<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n100\u00a0m hurdles<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Christina Clemons (n\u00e9e Manning; born May 29, 1990) is an American track and field<\/a> athlete, who specializes in the 100 m hurdles<\/a> from Landover, Maryland<\/a>. Her time of 7.73 in the 60 meter hurdles is tied for the 5th fastest time in history and .05 seconds off the world record.<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Allyson Felix Finishes Seco<\/strong>nd in the 400 Meters, and Makes Her Fifth Olympic Team, USC’s Isaiah Jewett makes Olympic team with personal best in 800 meters<\/h1>\n
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Quenera Hayes wins the women\u2019s 400 meters in 49.78, and Wadeline Jonathas finishes third.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n

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Allyson Felix Finishes Second in the 400 Meters and Makes Her Fifth Olympic Team<\/strong><\/div>\n
by Runner’s World US<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Allyson Felix, the most decorated Olympic runner in U.S. history, finished second in the women\u2019s 400-meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials<\/a> on June 20 to make her fifth Olympic team<\/a>.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Quanera Hayes won in 49.78. She was followed by Felix (50.02) and Wadeline Jonathas (50.03).<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud of making it to this moment,\u201d Felix said after the race. \u201cThere has been so much that has gone into this, and there were many times where I didn\u2019t think I would get to this moment.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Running from lane 8, Felix almost immediately made up the stagger on Kaylin Whitney in lane 9. Hayes, in lane 6, and Jonathas, in lane 5, responded, and were ahead of Felix coming through the final turn. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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As they straightened out into the final 100 meters, Hayes was clearly in control. Felix had not run a strong second turn, and her chances of finishing in the top three looked shaky. But the veteran remained calm and held her form, as the women who had run more aggressively in the third 100 meters faltered a bit, and she just eased past Jonathas at the line.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI told myself before the race that when it comes down to it, I have to fight,\u201d Felix said. \u201cThat\u2019s been a theme of mine for the past couple years. I was just gonna give my all and leave it all on the track.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The opening round of the women\u2019s 400 at the Tokyo Games is scheduled for Tuesday, August 3.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Felix already owns six Olympic gold medals and three silvers in the 200 meters, 400 meters, and various relays. In addition to potentially adding to that individual count in Tokyo, Felix is also eligible to run on the 4×400-meter relay team for the United States. Hayes, Jonathas, and Felix were all on the U.S. squad that won that relay at the 2019 World Championships<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Felix, 35, said in April<\/a> that her training for the Trials had been more challenging than usual. She has struggled to find tracks to train on in Los Angeles, where she lives, during the pandemic<\/a>, and much of her focus has been on her two-year-old daughter<\/a>, Camryn, who is her top priority\u2014and motivation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The sprinter has been vocal<\/a> about protecting the rights of athletes who have lost pay during pregnancy, like she did<\/a> when she was under contract with Nike. (In 2019, Felix signed a contract with Athleta<\/a>.) Her influence has helped the standards in the industry evolve<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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USC’s Isaiah Jewett makes Olympic team with personal best in 800 meters<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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The Olympic motto, expressed in ancient Latin, is \u201caltius, citius, fortius.\u201d A real Man of Troy knows what that means: \u201cfaster, higher, stronger,\u201d maximizing one\u2019s potential. USC runner Isaiah Jewett did that on Monday, and he is headed to Tokyo as a result.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jewett qualified for the United States Olympic Team in Eugene, Oregon. He finished second in the men\u2019s 800-meter final at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials, and he had to push himself to do it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A week and a half ago, on the same track in Eugene, Jewett won the NCAA national championship in the 800 meters, finishing at one minute and 44.68 seconds. That time of 1:44.68 was a personal best AND a new USC school record.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One might have thought that if Jewett was the best in the NCAA, he simply needed to replicate that time in order to finish in the top three at the trials and qualify for the upcoming Summer Olympics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wrong.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Olympic competitions \u2014 both the qualifying competitions and the actual Olympic battles we will see in Tokyo \u2014 are notable because they distort time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What seems like a very small amount of time to you and me is a huge, life-defining difference for Olympic athletes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One second \u2014 or anything less \u2014 is a very small difference to the common person. In an Olympic qualifying race, it makes the difference between going to Tokyo and staying home. In an Olympic race, it makes the difference between being a gold medalist and not being a medalist at all.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Isaiah Jewett proved this in the 800-meter final on Monday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

His NCAA championship-winning time would not have been good enough to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team. He needed to shave .83 seconds off his NCAA time to earn a ticket to Tokyo.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jewett improved from 1:44.68 to 1:43.85 \u2014 .83 seconds faster \u2014 to finish second behind winner Clayton Murphy, who ran the 800 in 1:43.17, the best 800-meter time in the world this year.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Altius, citius, fortius.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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New head coach Quincy Watts celebrating @Isaiahjewett<\/a> making the US Olympic Team! #FightOn<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Xml5BX0dfF<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 USC Track & Field (@USC_Track_Field) June 22, 2021<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Isaiah Jewett needed to be better, because everyone else raised his game as well in Eugene. Bryce Hoppel ran HIS season-best time of 1:44.14 to finish third and get the final spot on the Olympic team in the 800. Hoppel\u2019s time was .54 seconds better than Jewett\u2019s NCAA-winning time a week and a half ago.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This 800-meter race was so ruthlessly competitive that American record-holder and current world champion Donovan Brazier finished in last place.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Altius, citius, fortius.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Isaiah Jewett, a Man of Troy, lived up to the \u201chigher, faster, stronger\u201d challenge of Olympic athletes\u2026 and how he is officially an Olympian, headed for Japan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fight On, Isaiah, and congratulations!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Trayvon Bromell emphasized his status at the fastest man in the U.S., winning the men\u2019s 100-meter final in 9.80 at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials to make his second Olympic team.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ronnie Baker finished second in 9.85 and Fred Kerley followed for third in 9.86\u2014lifetime best times for both runners. Kenny Bednarek finished fourth in 9.89, also a personal best, and he will be an alternate for Team USA.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The victory for Bromell builds on his impressive comeback to the top of the sport. After battling injuries for several seasons, the world championship bronze medalist has returned faster than ever this year. On June 5, Bromell ran 9.77, a new personal best and world-leading time at the NACAC New Life Invitational in Miramar, Florida. The Baylor alum finished eighth in the 100-meter final at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a marvelous feeling,\u201d Bromell said, in reference to making his second Olympic team. \u201cEverybody who knows me knows that I\u2019m a spiritual runner. I run for God. I run for Christ. He tells us in scripture when things like this happen, \u2018You won\u2019t be surprised,\u2019 so when I won, I was happy.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Tokyo will be Baker\u2019s first Olympic Games. In 2016, he missed qualifying for the Olympic Trials final in the 100 meters. In 2018, he earned his first world championship medal by finishing third in the 60 meters at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, UK.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly just making the team hasn\u2019t hit me yet,\u201d Baker said. \u201cI\u2019m super excited to be going to Tokyo and representing Team USA though. I\u2019m just overwhelmed.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The third-place showing for Kerley indicates a successful transition from the 400 meters to the 100 meters. In 2019, Kerley earned a bronze medal in the 400 meters and contributed to Team USA\u2019s winning 4×400-meter relay at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships<\/a> in Doha, Qatar. This season, he\u2019s focused on the shorter sprint events. He opened 2021 with a time of 10.15 in March and has already lowered the mark to 9.86.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fifth-place finisher Micah Williams of Oregon, the lone collegian in the final, also ran a personal best with a time of 9.91.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the semifinals 90 minutes earlier, Bromell ran the fastest time by winning heat 1 in 9.90 into a slight headwind. Bednarek placed second in 9.96, a new personal best. Kerley followed with a win in the second heat, finishing in 9.92 ahead of Baker.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Richardson Wins the Women\u2019s 100 Meters<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

200-meter world champion Noah Lyles and five-time Olympic medalist Justin Gatlin both had uncharacteristically off days by finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. Lyles ran 10.05 and Gatlin finished in 10.87.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After the race, Gatlin was emotional speaking to reporters in a virtual mixed zone. The 39-year-old, who won gold in the 100 meters at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and earned a silver medal in Rio, was attempting to make his fourth and last Olympic team.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very rare opportunity that you are witnessing something that you\u2019re going to do for the last time while you\u2019re doing it, and it made me sad, but it made me happy to be here to be able to do it,\u201d Gatlin said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou got to realize that the performance we all put out there as athletes, it\u2019s our heart,\u201d Gatlin said. \u201cYou never realize as an athlete that there\u2019s going to be an end until the end comes.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Taylor Dutch<\/span><\/a> Taylor Dutch is a sports and fitness writer living in Chicago; a former NCAA track athlete, Taylor specializes in health, wellness, and endurance sports coverage.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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6 Things to Know About NCAA Steeplechase Champion Mahala Norris<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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The runner from Air Force will line up against the pros in the Trials on Sunday night.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n

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The 3,000-meter steeplechase is the craziest event on the track. With 35 barriers, seven of which lead into a water pit, anyone can fall at any time, and favorites can have their dreams dashed in an instant.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s what happened at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships<\/a> on June 12. Courtney Wayment of BYU stumbled at the last water jump, leaving the door open in the final 150 meters for Mahala (pronounced ma-HAY-la) Norris of the Air Force Academy. Norris cleared the final barrier in third place, but kicked to victory\u2014by 0.05 seconds\u2014in the race\u2019s final 10 meters. Her winning time, 9:31.79<\/a>, was a personal best by almost six seconds.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what we know about Norris, 23, heading into the first round of the women\u2019s steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

She\u2019s an officer in the Air Force<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Norris graduated in May and is now a second lieutenant in the Air Force. After her running ends this summer\u2014whether it\u2019s at the Trials<\/a> in Eugene, Oregon, or whether she makes the Tokyo Olympic<\/a> team\u2014she\u2019ll be stationed at Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc, California. She\u2019s considering entering the Air Force\u2019s World Class Athlete Program in 2022.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The people have spoken.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Welcome to the Mahala Norris Fan Account. https:\/\/t.co\/Zu9kQYxX2b<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Air Force Falcons (@AF_Falcons) June 13, 2021<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Norris is only 4-foot-11<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Height is considered an asset in steeplechase. It\u2019s more important in the men\u2019s steeplechase, which has barriers that are 36 inches high, than in the women\u2019s, which has 30-inch barriers. Her coach at Air Force, Ryan Cole, thinks she was the shortest NCAA champion, but her strength and powerful kick help her.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a freak athlete,\u201d Cole told Runner\u2019s World<\/em> outside of Hayward Field after her NCAA victory. \u201cFreak in a good way. And she\u2019s tough and kind of adventurous, and that bodes well in the steeple.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Results<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

She\u2019s a novice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Norris comes into the Olympic Trials having raced the event only five times. She first started practicing as a sophomore at Air Force, and she planned to race it her junior year\u2014but then COVID-19<\/a> canceled that season. So she made her debut on April 30 in a college race, running 10:03.85<\/a>. In her second steeple, she won her conference meet in 9:44.10<\/a>. In her third, the regional qualifying race for NCAAs, she fell over a barrier, got up and finished sixth in 9:54.39<\/a>, good enough to qualify for nationals. In her preliminary at NCAAs, she was fourth in her heat (9:37.53<\/a>) before winning that final by a fraction of a second over Joyce Kimeli of Auburn.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe plan was just to hang with the top group and really focus on Joyce and Courtney, and then if I was still with them in the last two laps or so, I just had to focus on the finish and the kick, which I always have,\u201d Norris said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Norris runs extra distance<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Because she\u2019s still inexperienced, Norris often runs out in lane 2 to get a clear look at the upcoming hurdles, which means each race she\u2019s running well more than 3,000 meters. \u201cEvery steeple, she goes wide,\u201d Cole said. \u201cShe wants to have lots of room.\u201d She was able to pull out the win at the NCAA ranks, but that extra running might hurt her against the pros.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Norris excels at the water jump, though, and she likes it. \u201cHonestly I do find those very fun,\u201d she said. \u201cJust a little splash.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The women\u2019s steeplechase in the U.S. has long been dominated by three names: Emma Coburn<\/a> (the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist), Courtney Frerichs<\/a> (the American record holder), and Colleen Quigley<\/a>. But Quigley announced yesterday<\/a> that she won\u2019t be competing at the Trials due to injury, which leaves an opening for a new face. Could it be Norris? She is currently ninth-fastest on the entry list.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Norris has already had an amazing year. She finished fourth in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships<\/a>, and then a few days later, fourth at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships<\/a>, which had been rescheduled<\/a> due to the pandemic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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But Norris doesn\u2019t train as much as many college athletes. Her mileage is the highest it has ever been, at about 50 miles per week, with a day off per week. Her coach has brought her along slowly and thinks she could get much faster as she improves her steeplechase technique and adapts to a heavier training load.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hayward Field is home field for her<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Norris\u2014whose parents, Teresa and Doug, adopted her from Haiti when she was nine months old\u2014grew up in nearby Roseburg, Oregon, one hour south of Eugene. She played soccer and basketball in high school, and she never won a state title in track; her best finish was third in the 1500 meters as a high school junior. The fans in Hayward Field, who didn\u2019t know her in high school, will certainly know her now. Expect a big ovation when she\u2019s introduced.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sha\u2019Carri Richardson is bold, brash and the best American hope in the 100 meters<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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Sha\u2019Carri Richardson won the women\u2019s 100-meter final at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Ore.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n
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Before the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, Sha\u2019Carri Richardson dyed her flowing hair orange, so it looked this weekend as if she sprinted with flames coming out the back of her head. At her previous meet, when she had become the sixth-fastest woman ever, she picked blue. The decision on which color usually just comes to her before a race. Before the biggest meet of her life, she let her girlfriend choose.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cShe said it just spoke to her, the fact that it was just so loud and vibrant,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cThat\u2019s who I am. She just wanted me to be able to make a statement \u2014 let\u2019s continue to show the world I\u2019m a force to be reckoned with.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Start reckoning with Richardson now. Start learning how to pronounce her name \u2014 it\u2019s sha-KERRY \u2014 and start learning her personality because she will be happy to show it. Get used to her Technicolor hair and perfect stride, her elegant eyelashes and her bold proclamations, her blazing times and her unapologetic attitude, brash and bubbly at the same time.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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America\u2019s latest sprinting star arrived in full Saturday night at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., and she is neither going anywhere or changing for anybody. Richardson, a 21-year-old from Dallas, made her first Olympic team with a dominant performance in the 100 meters, dusting the field in 10.86 seconds and declaring to the world her intention to win America\u2019s first gold medal in the event since 1996 later this summer in Tokyo.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Richardson came out of the blocks behind most of the field, and second-place finisher Javianne Oliver challenged through the first half of the race. And then Richardson did what Richardson always does: She blasted ahead of the field, including third-place finisher Teahna Daniels. As she hissed across the line, Richardson spread her arms and smiled wide.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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At 21, three years after heading off to college at LSU, Richardson had become the fastest woman in the United States. Undaunted by her youth, Richardson made clear in performance and words she has no interest in waiting in line.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI use my age as, honestly, an intimidating factor,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cIf you\u2019ve been doing this and I step on the scene, I\u2019m letting you know I respect you for putting on for our sport. But at the end of the day, when we get on this line, what you\u2019ve been doing, you have to do that against me.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Richardson trotted about half a victory lap, then ran up concrete steps into the stands and hugged her grandmother. \u201cMy grandmother is my heart,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cMy grandmother is my superwoman.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In an on-track interview with NBC, Richardson revealed her biological mother had died last week. Richardson declined to go into further detail, calling it \u201cstill a very, very, very sensitive and confusing topic to me.\u201d She added that she loved her mother and knew that her mother loved her.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI definitely pay her respect every time I step on the track,\u201d Richardson said.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Richardson possesses the kind of athletic charisma you cannot look away from. Ato Boldon, a gold medalist and NBC\u2019s track and field analyst, said coaches should show their runners Richardson\u2019s form. Richardson runs with fierce power and yet bounces off the track, floating between strides as if her lane is governed by a weaker gravitational field.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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She is nearly as magnetic off the track. Asked what a broader American fan should know about her, Richardson used the words \u201cauthenticity\u201d and \u201ctransparency.\u201d Among track adherents, she inspires devotion and disdain. \u201cThe hate, I have to transform it into motivation,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cVery easily, I could show them the 214, the Dallas in me. I choose to just remember that they\u2019re on the outside looking in.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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She rarely bobs past a camera without taking the opportunity to wink, smile, snarl, point, flash a peace sign or blow a kiss. Last week, Richardson declared on Twitter: \u201cMy presence in this track game making history happen, no need for a thank you.\u201d For good measure, she added two fire emoji.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s my little M&M,\u201d said Justin Gatlin, one of her training partners. \u201cShe\u2019s very hard on the outside but a real soft teddy bear on the inside. She shows me I still need to keep that fire no matter what.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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On Friday night, Richardson ran the fastest time of any qualifying heat even as her left shoe came untied on her final few strides. She crossed in 10.84 seconds, stretching her arms above her head.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In Saturday\u2019s semifinal, Richardson came out of the blocks behind the field. She caught up quickly, and by 50 meters she was pulling away. At 30 meters, she pointed at the clock, a move akin to high-stepping into the end zone. When she crossed, it showed 10.64 seconds \u2014 it was wind-aided, but even with a slow start and a midrace celebration, Richardson had run the eighth-fastest time ever in any conditions.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI want the world to know I\u2019m that girl,\u201d Richardson said to NBC on the track.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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During Richardson\u2019s youth in South Dallas, her grandmother showed her an old plaque full of track and field medals that Richardson\u2019s mother had won. \u201cDang,\u201d Richardson remembers thinking. \u201cI want one of those.\u201d She won plenty of them, and the sport carried her to college.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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When she chose LSU, Richardson expected it would take two years, minimum, before she could turn pro. In the last race of her college career, Richardson smashed the NCAA record by running the 100 in 10.75 seconds, a time she had not expected. Shoe companies came calling. Holding the pen to sign her professional contract in her hand, she was still making up her mind. She had always dreamed of taking care of her family. She signed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Richardson made her presence known through both performance and personality. She dyed her long hair bright colors, sported extended eyelashes and long fingernails. Richardson credits herself for her style, with a crucial inspiration from legendary sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI feel I have an influence from the greatest of them all: Flo Jo,\u201d Richardson said in a 2019 interview. \u201cWhen she ran track, her stepping on the track, she brought a whole different scenery to the energy, to the atmosphere of track and field. And she didn\u2019t let that stop her.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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As she rose in track, Richardson frequently heard or read negative comments about her hair, nails and eyelashes. On social media, her mentions include frequent calls for her to talk less and reminders that she has yet to bag a major championship. She refused to change. When Richardson studied Griffith Joyner\u2019s career, she saw similar disparagements directed at her idol. They provided Richardson a kind of armor.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cShe was the greatest of them all,\u201d Richardson said in the 2019 interview. \u201cPeople talked about her. I put God before everything. Jesus was perfect, and people talked about him. People are going to say what they\u2019re going to say. So do what you\u2019re going to do because people are going to talk. Do what you want to do because, at the end of the day, people are going to talk. So make sure while they\u2019re talking, give them something to talk about. And so that\u2019s what I do.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Her place in Tokyo secure, Richardson can turn her attention to a potential budding rivalry with one of the sport\u2019s all-time greats. Jamaica\u2019s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price, a 34-year-old, two-time gold medalist in the 100, set a new personal best this month at 10.63 seconds, the only time in the world this year faster than Richardson\u2019s.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Gatlin watches Richardson run every day, and it has made him believe she could break 10.6 seconds. If true, that would put Richardson within range of one of track\u2019s most venerated records, the 10.49 seconds Griffith Joyner ran at the 1988 Seoul Olympics<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cShe can definitely shock the world,\u201d Gatlin said.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Richardson, then, had already sent notice. The world should start reckoning with her.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the third day of the championships, Allyson Felix qualified for her fifth Olympic team, finishing second in the women\u2019s 400 meters, and Trayvon Bromell won the men\u2019s 100 meters, solidifying his status as the fastest man in the U.S. Also, we saw an American record set in the men\u2019s hammer throw by Rudy Winkler.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.<\/strong><\/div>\n
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