American Sha’Carri Richardson crushed Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s hopes of a sixth women’s world 100m title when she stormed to victory in Budapest on Monday.
Richardson sprinted to a championship record of 10.65sec despite being in lane nine to seal a US 100m double after Noah Lyles’ victory in the men’s event on Sunday.
Shericka Jackson and veteran Jamaican teammate Fraser-Pryce took silver and bronze in 10.72sec and 10.77sec respectively on the third day of action in the Hungarian capital.
It was a remarkable run for the 23-year-old Richardson, who was barred from the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after testing positive for marijuana.
She then saw her hopes of challenging for a medal at last year’s world championships in Eugene go up in smoke when she failed to qualify in the US trials.
“I’m here. I’m the champion. I told you all. I’m not back, I’m better!” said Richardson, whose penchant for regular hair colour changes and brightly painted nails has earned inevitable comparisons to the late Florence Griffith-Joyner.
Fraser-Pryce, the reigning champion, said she was “really grateful” for a bronze medal after a difficult season that was hampered by a knee injury.
“Last year I ran and won in a championship record and it took another championship record to win tonight,” the 36-year-old told the BBC.
“So it just speaks to the level of consistency for female sprinting and being able to make sure that when you show up you have to give 100 percent,” she said.
– ‘Three in a row’ –
In a good night on the track for the USA Grant Holloway became the second athlete after compatriot Greg Foster to claim three consecutive world 110m hurdles titles.
Holloway, 25, shot out to a season’s best of 12.96sec to win gold ahead of Jamaica’s Olympic champion Hansle Parchment, who finished in 13.07sec.
“Three in a row!” said Holloway. “The main thing was really just to come through here and defend my title.
“I felt no pressure at all, I just wanted to run cleanly and stay calm at the finish line.”
The two field event medals on offer went to Sweden and, in a historic first, Burkina Faso.
Olympic champion Daniel Stahl left it late to win a second world discus title that had the crowd gripped.
The Swede, who previously triumphed in Doha in 2019, had control of the leaderboard only for defending champion Kristjan Ceh of Slovenia to grab the lead with his sixth and final throw.
All eyes turned to Stahl for the final throw of the competition and the Swede did not disappoint, throwing a championship record of 71.46m.
“This was my best performance ever,” said Stahl. I had so much focus, I would say 1,000 percent on the last throw after I saw Kristjan.”
Ceh took silver with 70.02m while Lithuania’s 19-year-old Mykolas Alekna claimed bronze with 68.85m.
