Imago
Image credits : Imago
Imago
Image credits : Imago
Sha’Carri Richardson’s 2026 season debut in the 200m opens on a bad note! Just months after making history at Australia’s iconic Stawell Gift by becoming only the third woman in its 144-year history to win from “scratch” and overcoming a massive distance gap to clock 13.15 seconds, Richardson looked unstoppable. But that momentum didn’t carry over to the Shanghai Diamond League, where she finished far behind her rival, who stole the show.
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On May 16, Sha’Carri Richardson arrived in the People’s Republic of China to face a stacked field of two-time world champion Shericka Jackson, 2025 world silver medalist Amy Hunt, and Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo. After a recent stellar run of performances, there were big expectations for Richardson.
Yet, she disappointed. It was Shericka Jackson who was the clear winner from the gun, with a time of 22.07 seconds. Returning from a brief hiatus, Miller-Uibo took second (22.26), and Anavia Battle claimed third (22.40). But Richardson was just a half second away from the podium with a 22.42, as she finished fourth.
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While Richardson was still ahead of the rest of the competition that included world-class athletes such as Jenna Prandini, Chen Yujie, McKenzie Long, and Torrie Lewis, this is not what many expected from her after her season opener.
For Sha’Carri Richardson, it was an embarrassing result. Not making the podium is a slip-up of form, considering what others had gone through before the race, it feels frustrating.
Anavia Battle, who finished third, was dealing with a medical challenge before the race. She said, “fighting with a cold right now. I can barely breathe out there. But I am out here competing and getting the job done. Today’s result gave me a much clearer assessment of my performance. This gives me a solid clue on where to adjust my training, especially with my endurance.”
Even Shericka Jackson had her own struggles. She returned last season after a minor Achilles injury that kept her out of the Paris Olympics. Jackson was a no-show at both the Olympic 100m and 200m events, ending her season, before officially coming back in January 2025 at the Queen’s/Grace Jackson Invitational, finishing second in the 60m with 7.18s.
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Sha’Carri Richardson at the Olympics | Getty Images
After her win in Shanghai, Jackson reflected on her performance, saying, “Last year I only ran at Xiamen rather than this meet because coming off an injury, in 2024 I wanted to enjoy last year, and I think I did that. I did well tonight. I got here on Thursday at the hotel after a long trip. It sets me up well for the rest of the season. It is a good feeling; it was my fastest opener since 2022 or 2023, so to be able to run this quickly in 2026, I’m happy. I will be back competing in Xiamen next week.”
With Jackson back in form, the rivalry is heating up again. Interestingly, Sha’Carri Richardson’s record against Shericka Jackson in the 200m is a 0-4.
Sha’Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson’s rivalry heats up
The Sha’Carri Richardson-Jackson rivalry feels alive again. It started in 2023 when Sha’Carri Richardson won 100m gold at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 10.65 seconds, while Shericka Jackson, a former 400m specialist who switched to sprints in 2021, took silver. Richardson ended Jamaica’s streak of consecutive world titles in the 100m. But Jackson came back strong in the 200m by defending her crown in 21.41 seconds as Richardson settled for bronze.
It was a similar story this year at the 2023 Diamond League. Richardson had been victorious in her first 100m contest against Jackson, but Jackson rebounded with a win at the Diamond League Final in Eugene. Now, Jackson dominated the Shanghai Diamond League, and Richardson has to prove herself once again.
On July 4, Sha’Carri Richardson will race the 100m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, going up against Melissa Jefferson, the reigning Prefontaine champion who used last year’s race as a springboard for a dominant 2025 season, including a sprint sweep at the World Championships in Tokyo. Richardson, however, has history at Hayward Field; she won Prefontaine in 2024 in 10.83 and claimed her 2023 and 2024 U.S. national 100m titles there, with 2023’s 10.71 being her fastest.
That should set her up well for the USA Track & Field Championships, coming to New York City’s Icahn Stadium from July 23-26 for the first time. Interestingly, Richardson has a strong mindset this year: “If I don’t feel my best, then I’m the only thing that can stop me. I’m just refusing to be my own enemy anymore. I love being Sha’Carri. I would never change anything about Sha’Carri Richardson for anybody or anything in this world.” With the Prefontaine Classic and the U.S. Championships ahead, the stage is set.
