)
Gatlin has sent Sha'Carri Richardson a crucial word of advice with regards to her infamously bad start, which cost her the Olympic 100m title to Julien Alfred.
Olympic silver medalist Sha’Carri Richardson may have fallen short in her quest for gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, but former 100m world champion Justin Gatlin has shared invaluable advice to help her reclaim her crown at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships.
Richardson, the reigning world champion, was beaten to gold by Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred, who clocked a blistering 10.72 seconds to secure her country’s first-ever Olympic medal.
Richardson took silver with a time of 10.87, while Melissa Jefferson completed the podium for Team USA in 10.92, marking a historic double-medal performance for the Americans—their first since Atlanta 1996.
)
12:48 - 04.08.2024
Paris 2024 Olympics: Justin Gatlin explains what went wrong for Sha'Carri Richardson in the 100m final
Gatlin has revealed what went wrong for Sha'Carri Richardson as she lost to Saint Lucia's Julian Alfred in the final of the 100m race at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics.
Despite this milestone, Richardson’s race left room for improvement, particularly in her start, which proved to be her undoing. With a reaction time of 0.221 seconds—the slowest of the field—she was left chasing Alfred, whose superior 0.144-second reaction gave her an early edge she never relinquished.
Justin Gatlin, no stranger to high-pressure races, drew parallels between Richardson’s Paris disappointment and his own loss to Usain Bolt at the 2015 World Championships. Gatlin emphasized the importance of executing a near-perfect start against top competitors.
“My former coach, who is actually her coach now (Dennis Mitchell), always said, ‘9.7 doesn’t catch 9.7,’” Gatlin explained on the Night Cap podcast.
“You cannot give a deficit to an individual who is your equal when you’re competing against them. You have to go through your checks and balances, and when the gun goes off, you’ve got to hit your strong suit.”
For Richardson, Gatlin highlighted her powerful second half as her biggest weapon but noted that it can only be effective if she’s within striking distance of her competitors at the halfway point.
)
18:51 - 07.01.2025
'I would have fallen on my knees if Zharnel didn't hug me' - When Noah Lyles burst into tears at 100m World Championships medal ceremony
Lyles was reduced to tears midway through the US national anthem during the medal ceremony after cllinching the 100m world title in Budapest back in 2023.
“Her strong suit is the second half, but she has to be within striking distance of Julien Alfred because Alfred is strong. She pushed through the line and never relinquished her lead. Sha’Carri has to be ready to match that.”
Gatlin also pointed to Usain Bolt’s journey to dominance as a blueprint for Richardson. Bolt, known for his subpar starts in his early career, worked relentlessly to improve his reactions off the blocks.
“You don’t have to be in front from the start, but you have to give yourself a chance,” Gatlin said. “We know what she can do at 50 meters, so let the Olympic silver be her motivation. We need to see a 10.5 from her.”
Gatlin’s final piece of advice was a rallying cry for Richardson to trust her instincts and race with unrelenting determination.
“When you line up next to someone you know is a threat, you start second-guessing,” Gatlin cautioned. “But in an Olympic final, you don’t have time to think—it’s all instinctive. You’ve got to go out there like a savage. Just go!”
With the sting of Olympic silver and the fire of redemption, Richardson has all the motivation she needs to reclaim her title as the fastest woman in the world.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)