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Sha'Carri Richardson is officially the fastest woman in the world

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Sha'Carri Richardson has raced into history. The 23-year-old American sprinter won the women's 100 meters yesterday at the Track and Field World Championships in Budapest, setting an event record with a time of 10.65 seconds.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Women's 100 world final. The Jamaicans get out well. It's Shericka Jackson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Ta Lou. Here comes Sha'Carri Richardson. Sha'Carri's done it. Sha'Carri Richardson has won the world title.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

While the late Florence Griffith Joyner set the world record 35 years ago with a time of 10.49, you can hear the excitement in the NBC sports commentator's voice as Richardson's run is the fifth fastest of all time.

MARTIN: Her big win comes two years after she first became a star at the U.S. Olympic Trials, only to be forced to skip the 2021 games in Tokyo after testing positive for marijuana.

MARTÍNEZ: Last month, just before regaining the national title stripped from her for her doping violation, Richardson ripped off her iconic orange wig and tossed it. She later explained why in this interview with Tiara Williams posted on Instagram.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SHA'CARRI RICHARDSON: And I wanted to show you guys that I'm still that girl, but I'm better. I'm still that girl, but I'm stronger. I'm still that girl, but I'm wiser. So I had to shed the old and present the new.

MARTIN: Sha'Carri Richardson now has another chance to compete in the Olympics and apparently feels pretty good about her chances.

MARTÍNEZ: In a recent post on Instagram Stories, she wrote, Paris 2024 - history will be made.

(SOUNDBITE OF KEEM THE CIPHER'S "THINKIN BOUT. // FRANKS GROOVE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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