Ever since Usain Bolt hung up his size- 13 spikes, track and field has yearned for a way to crash back into the mainstream. Over 10.65 extraordinary seconds in Budapest it hit the jackpot. It came in the diminutive form of 23-year-old Sha’Carri Richardson, the most flamboyant, brilliant and controversial talent this sport has seen for years, who powered home from lane nine to win a thrilling first 100m world title.
No one has ever disputed the American’s talent – or star power given she has 2.4 million Instagram followers. In 2021 she was among the favourites for the Tokyo Olympics, only for her dreams to go up in smoke when she tested positive for marijuana at the US trials after the death of her mother. First she missed the Games. Then, for most of 2022, she went missing.
