Has Sha'Carri Richardson's full potential been actualized? A look into the world's fastest women in 2024 season

Examining the 2024 season of the world's fastest women - Sha'Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred. Has either of them actualized their full potential?

At the start of the 2024 season, only these names were paramount on track enthusiasts' list to rule the women's 100m event at Paris Olympic Games - Sha'Carri Richardson and the Jamaican 'Big 3' of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Shericka Jackson.

Interestingly, a very much unknown Julien Alfred powered her way to upset the order, which resulted in an unexpected sprint rivalry between herself and Richardson as they ended the season as the world's fastest women.

While the American speed queen closed off with the fastest time in the world at 10.71s, Alfred had an iconic season to remember by becoming the most decorated female sprinter, after winning all championship titles she competed in this year.

Sha'Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred's rivalry this season

Paris Olympics confirmed their rivalry when Alfred stormed to the 100m gold medal in a brilliant personal best of 10.72s to become Saint Lucia's first Olympic champion.

Considering Richardson was the reigning world 100m champion, she was hugely considered the top contender for the gold medal in the absence of her fierce Jamaican rivals but fell short as she settled for silver in 10.87s, while her training mate Melissa Jefferson won the bronze medal.

In their first race post-Paris Olympics final, the 24-year-old American got her confidence-boosting revenge with a stunning victory at the Zurich Diamond League. Despite a poor start, Richardson's top-end speed proved just too good for the rest of the field, crossing the finish line first in a blistering 10.84s ahead of Alfred in 10.88s.

The race made it an even spoil between both parties before their final clash at the Diamond League in Brussels, where Richardson suffered a major setback as she finished last in the race and withdrew from the 200m final, thus raising concerns of a season-ending injury. Alfred won the trophy to complete her hatrick of championship titles for the year.

Has Sha'Carri Richardson's full potential been actualized?

The talented speedster engraved her name in the history books when she blazed to the world 100m title in Budapest last year, clocking a blistering personal best time of 10.65s. By doing this, she defeated the ever-dominant Jamaican duo of Jackson and Fraser-Pryce, while Alfred was fifth in the race.

Her second-fastest career time came at the US Olympic Trials this year, where she comfortably clocked the world-leading time of 10.71s. This means Richardson's top fastest legal career times are swifter than Alfred's Olympic winning mark of 10.72s.

Despite her mixed season and two major losses, track legend Justin Gatlin and co-host Rodney Green on the Ready Set Go podcast believe Richardson still has potential for improvement.

"With a coach like Flo (Edrick Floreal, Alfred's coach), Flo don't like to lose but the same thing over there in the Claremont camp at Star Athletics, you got the silver medalist (Richardson) and the bronze medalist (Melissa Jefferson) who train together so now whatever things they left on the table in the 2024 season now they have the opportunity to get back out there and make things happen," said Gatlin.

"I still think we haven't seen the full potential of Sha'Carri Richardson. I mean even being that Julien Alfred ran 10.72, we've seen Sha'Carri run times that are faster than that whether it be her slowing down or waving hands," said Green.

So the question is have we seen the best of Sha'Carri Richardson?

While there should be no room for excuses, one cannot ignore the 'what if' question had Richardson been allowed the best preparation of perfecting her warmups without delays before the 100m semifinal and final in Paris.

The unfortunate circumstance saw her denied entry into the stadium a few hours before her semifinal race and reportedly had to take over an hour's walk to make her way in - a fate Fraser-Pryce also faced and had to sadly withdraw from, which ended the possibilities of having a gracious exit in her last Olympic outing.

Aside from this, Richardson had the mental pressure of winning USA's first women's Olympic 100m gold medal since 1996 in the absence of a worthy Jamaican challenger.

Having had a fair share of an unlucky season which can happen to any top athlete, it's not to take away the astounding hardwork Alfred put in to climb the top of the chain as the best female sprinter in the world this year, after winning all titles on offer and an Olympic 200m silver medal.

The Saint Lucian golden girl is brimming with lots of confidence ahead of the 2025 season and surely knows the reward for success is more hardwork if she's to continue her dominant reign.

However, the Jamaican Big 3 of Jackson, Fraser-Pryce, and Thompson-Herah (world's fastest woman alive) will be gunning to reclaim their spots, and with Richardson still in the mix to prove her potential isn't fully actualized that this year was just a one-off-season, track fans can anticipate an electrifying 2025 season and beyond.

Come what may, Alfred has proven she's ready to remain on the big stage, plus her level of progress this year shows she surely has more in the tank just like Richardson, which bodes for exciting great years of rivalry between the talented speed queens.