EUGENE, Oregon — Sha’Carri Richardson knew she was banged up.
The American sprint sensation slowed her pace as she approached the finish line, admitting that she didn’t have enough energy to chase down any of the three women ahead of her.
Gabby Thomas demonstrated her ability to compete in the highly anticipated women’s 200 meters final at the United States Olympic Trials, comfortably taking first place with a time of 21.81 seconds. Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long also booked their ticket to Paris on Saturday by finishing second and third, respectively.
Richardson settled for fourth in 22.16 seconds, dashing her hopes of attempting a sprint double in Paris later this summer. She had already established herself as a favourite for Olympic gold in the women’s 100 metres when she dominated that event during the opening weekend of the trials.
While Thomas, Brown and Long shared a joyful hug after crossing the finish line, Richardson was gracious in defeat. He smiled and applauded his compatriots who were heading to Paris.
How does Richardson feel about focusing solely on the 100 in Paris? Were his legs heavy on Saturday after running three rounds of 100 and three rounds of 200 in eight days? Only Richardson knows those answers. He didn’t speak to reporters on Saturday as he didn’t during the Olympic trials.
It was no surprise to see Thomas claim victory in the women’s 200 meters. That career has long been her specialty. Thomas won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in the 200 meters and moved up to silver at last year’s world championships. She then decided not to run the 400 miles last weekend at Trials to make sure her legs were fresh for her signature race.
“Not participating in the first part of the trials required a lot of discipline and patience to be able to run the 200 meters really well,” Thomas said. “It was very, very difficult for me to see those 400 meters. I was here in Eugene, just training for it. But I think, ultimately, it was the right decision.”
The fact that Richardson also couldn’t catch Brown and Long is an even bigger surprise. The 100 meters may be Richardson’s best race, but he won a bronze medal in the 200 meters at last summer’s world championships. His time in Saturday’s final was slower than the sub-22-second runs she ran in the first round and semifinals of the Olympic trials.
Both Brown and Long ran fast enough that Richardson would have had to be at her best to get past either of them. Long said she pushed herself hard in the final 60 meters and reminded herself, “Don’t lose your form, no matter what.”
When Long crossed the finish line, it was a bittersweet moment for the recent Ole Miss graduate. Sweet because it meant she had qualified for Paris. Bitter because her late mother wasn’t there to witness it.
Long’s mother died unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 45, just before the track season was set to begin. Since then, she has long run in memory of her mother.
“Crossing that line, knowing that I’m an Olympian now, it’s kind of surreal,” Long said, fighting back tears. “I know my mom is smiling from ear to ear, I know she’s proud of me. That’s all she could ever want.”
Among those who had an inkling that Long would make the Olympic team was Thomas. She said she dreamed Friday night that she and Long would finish in the top three.
When told that Long would have liked to know beforehand, Thomas laughed.
The 200-meter champion said with a smile: “I didn’t want to jinx anything.”