Last year, Sha’Carri Richardson stood atop the sprinting world, claiming gold in the Women’s 4x100m Relay and silver in the 100m. But 2025 has tested the 25-year-old like never before. A February injury derailed her season, turning it into a rollercoaster of setbacks both emotionally and personally. Yet, Richardson refuses to stall her rise. Already qualified for the World Championships being the reigning champion, she now battles injuries, a rocky season, and personal struggles, but is determined to reclaim her place among sprinting’s elite.
Following in Florence Griffith-Joyner’s footsteps, Richardson draws inspiration from ‘Flo-Jo,’ channeling her legendary style on the track. “Flo Jo’s influence on me definitely comes from her creativity and her freedom to express herself in a way that no other female athlete has ever done,” shared Richardson. And why not? Joyner was one of the most stylish sprinters to date, and her world records in the 100m (10.49) and 200m (21.34) have stood unchallenged for over three decades now. Yet, despite these feats, both icons were surprisingly overlooked when an NFL star weighed in on the GOAT debate.
Recently, when the Chicago Bears were asked about the greatest female athlete, alongside Simone Biles and Serena Williams, another name from track and field stole the spotlight. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Ahead of the Chicago Bears’ next game against the Buffalo Bills, the athletes were asked about their preference when it came to women athletes. And another safety of the Bears, Mark Perry, asserted that none comes closer than Fraser-Pryce, snubbing the likes of Sha’Carri Richardson and Florence Griffith-Joyner.
Known as the ‘Pocket-Rocket,’ Fraser-Pryce is one of the fastest to have ever lived. Winning three Olympic golds, four silvers, one bronze, and an unmatched 10 World Championship titles, including a record five in the 100m, her legacy is unmatched. In fact, after giving birth in 2017, she came back to the Olympic scene, claiming bronze in the 100m at Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021), becoming the first mother in 24 years to hold a position on the podium for Olympic sprints.
Now, she is in the final chapter of her track-and-field career. But despite that, she is having a better season than Richardson.
After her injury, Richardson clocked 11.47 seconds in the Tokyo Golden Grand Prix. To put it into perspective, her personal best is 10.65 seconds. At the U.S. Championships in Eugene, Richardson ran her season-best 11.07 seconds in the first round and advanced, but then withdrew from the 100m semifinals. Although she is already qualified for the 100m World Championships, her injuries, poor season, and relationship troubles might hold her back.
And on the other hand, Fraser-Pryce began her year in April at the Velocity Fest in Kingston, winning the event. After that, she returned to the Diamond League in Doha and then traveled to Guangzhou for the World Athletics Relays, where Jamaica secured bronze in the 4×100. In her final national championships in Kingston, the Jamaican thrilled the home crowd by clocking 10.91 seconds to finish third behind Tina Clayton and Shericka Jackson, earning her last ticket to Tokyo.
As we talk about Richardson, we wonder why Florence Griffith-Joyner was snubbed, too? ‘Flo-Jo’ set unmatched world records in the 100m (10.49) and 200m (21.34) in 1988, which stand to date. However, her 3×gold and 2×silver Olympic medals, along with 2×gold at the World Championships, don’t come close to Fraser-Pryce’s 3×gold, 4×silver, and 1×bronze at the Olympics, plus 10 World Championship titles.
‘Flo-Jo’ took retirement back in 1989, but her 1988 Seoul Olympics made her a household name as she created a world record for 200m. Remember her iconic smile with her arms raised as she crossed the line of the 100m race! Plus, she helped the U.S. win gold in the 4×100m relay and silver in the 4×400m, finishing the Games with an impressive four medals: Three golds and one silver. Her final performance was the pinnacle of her career, yet she chose to leave the sport at her peak.
Seems fair why Fraser-Pryce and ‘Flo-Jo’ are often compared in the GOAT debate. The verdict might finally emerge at the Tokyo World Championships, where Fraser will need to deliver something as extraordinary as ‘FloJo’ did to stake her claim as the greatest of all time.
FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics – Athletics – Women’s 100m Round 1 – Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France – August 02, 2024. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica reacts after the heats. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier SEARCH “OLYMPIC COLOURS” FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH “OLYMPIC SIDELINES” FOR ALL STORIES. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
And talking about the two, how can we ignore their cultural impact! In addition to her amazing career, Florence Griffith-Joyner was kind of a fashion icon, too. In the 1987 World Championships in Rome, ‘FloJo’ debuted in a hooded speed-skating suit, which caught everyone’s attention. And in 1988, she switched to her signature “one-legger” running suit—featuring one full-length leg, bold colors like lime green and purple.
This same cultural recognition comes from Fraser-Pryce, as well. Her colorful wigs. “It’s just who I am and celebrating the different things that I do to feel confident and to have a good time… So, now, when it’s time to go on a track, I want to be happy. I want to be perky, I want to have fun, and I still want to show young girls that it’s okay to be different and have your personality and still have fun with it,” shared Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in an interview during World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
Now, with her career chapter seemingly coming to the finishing line, Shelly has been engaged in a crucial rivalry with Richardson. And as they are about to come H2H after 2 long years, that rivalry discussion is bound to make its rounds…
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Sha’Carri Richardson’s rivalry
The rivalry between Sha’Carri Richardson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is nothing new, and it has quickly become one of the most anticipated things in the sport recently. Their head-to-head battles have been tightly contested, with Richardson holding a slight edge 1–1.
2021 Prefontaine Classic: Fraser-Pryce defeated Richardson, finishing second in 10.73 seconds, while Richardson placed last in 11.14 seconds.
2023 World Championships: Richardson clinched her first World title with a personal best of 10.65 seconds, defeating Fraser-Pryce, who settled for bronze with a time of 10.77 seconds.
Despite their rivalry, Richardson has a deep respect for Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. In an interview during the 2023 World Athletics Championships, she exclaimed, “I just want to say she’s an amazing athlete. I literally grew up watching her… It took great effort, and honestly, it was going to take literally my best to come forward and be able to compete. Knowing that she’s been doing this and can continue to pull on the podium every single time shows me that I have a journey, I have something to do, I have more to do.”
Now, years after their last Budapest meet, these two track queens will once again face each other at the Brussels Diamond League on 22nd August. With a rivalry spanning half a decade, both have some unfinished business, and as Shelly is entering the final chapter of her career, she might want to emulate someone on the level of ‘Flo-Jo.’
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