The world will be watching when Sha'Carri Richardson steps to the line for the first time at the Paris Olympics. 

The superstar from Dallas, Texas is finally here, after stops-and-starts and an incredible 2023 season that saw her win her first two World Championships at the 100 meter and 200 meter distances. She earned the triple crown in Budapest, anchoring the U.S.'s winning 4x100 relay.

There is no doubt that Richardson is a prime candidate to win her first Olympic gold. 

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The only question left: Will she? 

The three-time American champion enters the first round of the 100 meters on Friday at the Stade de France with the world's fastest recorded time over the 2024 season. Richardson clocked a season best 10.71 (+0.8) on June 22 at the U.S. Olympic Trials, leading Melissa Jefferson (10.80) and Twanisha Terry (10.89) -- her teammates at Star Athletics in Clermont, Florida -- through the line. 

Those three will have a case to secure a sweep in the sprints. 

Is A World Record Within Sights For Sha'Carri Richardson? 

But if we're being honest, Richardson's sights may even be greater than that. The world record of 10.49 has stood for 36 years, last accomplished in 1988 by the late Florence Griffith-Joyner, an iconic athlete by any standard of the imagination. 

Richardson certainly has notes of Griffith-Joyner, from her style on the track to her attitude and charisma off of it. Richardson has cultivated a massive audience, one that includes 3.5 million followers on Instagram and another 498,000 on X. She was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 this year. She was on the cover of Vogue this month. She's been the face of USATF in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics.

But to hit a world record, Richardson -- who is only entered in the 100m and who will likely feature on the U.S. 4x100 relay -- will have to execute with absolute precision, from a blinding-fast start to a dominant finish. Richardson finished off her 2023 season with the fastest time she's run over her career, taking that 100 meters in 10.65 seconds. 

Sha'Carri Richardson's Main Competition

She has hit notes of 10.71, 10.86, 10.88 and 10.83 over her last two competitions, those being the Trials and the Prefontaine Classic.

But she will face Julien Alfred, the 23-year-old Saint Lucian and University of Texas graduate who has run 10.78. She will face Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Tia Clayton, who elevated into Jamaica's No. 1 and No. 2 medal candidates after Shericka Jackson confirmed that she was dropping the event. 

While Fraser-Pryce is 37-years-old and hasn't had her best season, it's hard to discount the 3-time Olympic champion and reigning 100m silver medalist. This very well may be the Jamaican's swan song. 

Richardson will also face Nigeria's Rosemary Chukwuma, who has run 10.88; Switzerland's Mujinga Kambundji, who has clocked a 10.90; and Ivory Coast's Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith, who has added a time of 10.91. 

If there's one fault of Richardson, it's her start. Richardson struggled in the semifinals in Budapest last year, needing a time qualifier to place her into the final. Richardson rebounded from there, winning a World championship from the ninth lane. 

But mistakes could cost Richardson top prize here. 

All those women are among the top 11 performers in the world. 

Can Sha'Carri Richardson Win Gold In Paris?

The pressure will be on. What's more, Richardson might finally put to rest all the storylines from 2021, which saw her miss her first Olympic Games after the death of her biological mother and saw a positive drug test, which came following that news. Richardson had won the national championship and was considered an Olympic gold contender before her ouster. 

She might finally put to rest the fallout in 2022 and all the questions that circled. 

"As I reflect over the past few days, I must say I am proud of HER," Richardson wrote following her win in the 100m at the U.S. Olympic Trials. "I am proud of US. WE did it...#ShaCarriRunsParis"

Richardson understands all the pressure that comes with being the fastest woman on earth. In 2023, she reiterated, "I'm not back, I'm better." 

But with that realization came performance. Richardson started to soar last year. 

"I understand the influence that I have," she said in December of 2023 during a speech recognizing her as USATF's Jackie Joyner-Kersee Female Athlete of the Year. "I understand the responsibility that I have to (USA Track and Field) and as a top female USA athlete, and to my country, and to my black family, to my beautiful women, to everybody that has misunderstood for trying to be their best selves and not be put into a category because they do track and field and have been put in a bubble." 

Her true ascendance, however, may come in Paris. 

Women's 100 Meter Olympic Schedule: 

• Aug. 2 -- Women's 100m Preliminary Round, 4:35 a.m. EST
• Aug. 2 -- Women's 100m Round 1, 5:50 a.m. EST
• Aug. 3 -- Women's 100m Semifinal, 1:50 p.m. EST
• Aug. 3 -- Women's 100m Final, 3:20 p.m. EST

When Are The Paris 2024 Olympic Games?

The Olympics begin on July 26 and end on August 11. The track and field events will begin on Aug. 1. Follow FloTrack on Instagram, as we will be posting live each day from the Paris Olympics. 

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