On May 18, headlines blazed across the athletics world: Sha’Carri Richardson Beaten in Tokyo. It was a startling moment, not just because the reigning world champion finished off the podium, but because the performance felt far removed from the electrifying form she had displayed just a year prior. But while chatter grew louder around loss at the Grand Prix, one voice close to her says: Don’t panic.
In her highly anticipated 2025 season opener at the Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo, Sha’Carri Richardson clocked a sluggish 11.47 seconds to finish fourth—a time that marked her slowest 100m since May 2021. That day, Bree Rizzo of Australia stunned the field with a personal best of 11.38 to claim victory. Richardson’s training partner at Star Athletics, TeeTee Terry, placed second in 11.42, and Canada’s Sade McCreath edged Sha’Carri for third with 11.46.
But as questions swirl around her Tokyo stumble, one person is urging calm: her training partner, Olympic medalist Aaron Brown, stands firm in her defence. Speaking with Perdita Felicien on CBS Sports, Brown dismissed any notion that Richardson’s Tokyo result should spark alarm. “We’ve seen this movie before,” he said. “She’s had times where she’s opened up, and didn’t look like she was up to the task. And then Prefontaine rolls around and she’s winning and blowing her way and looking like old Sha’Carri.”
Brown pointed out a critical difference in Sha’Carri Richardson’s 2025 campaign: she already holds a bye into the World Championships. “She doesn’t need to be ready in May,” he emphasized. “She needs to be ready in September. She’s even had to go to trials and light it up like she normally does. So she has time to build it up and take her time and just, just trust the process.”
Paris 2024 Olympics – Athletics – Women’s 4 x 100m Relay Round 1 – Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France – August 08, 2024. Sha’carri Richardson of United States during heat 1. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
The report is developing…
The post Sha’Carri Richardson’s Training Partner Defends Disappointing Tokyo Grand Prix Performance as He Remains Hopeful for Future appeared first on EssentiallySports.