Sha’Carri Richardson’s 2025 season has looked nothing like the force she displayed in Budapest two summers ago. Once the standard-bearer of women’s sprinting, this season has been nothing but ordinary. With the World Championships in Tokyo on the horizon, the reigning world champion in the 100m is barely holding pace. And after another flop show at the Silesia Diamond League 2025, it only raises concerns if Sha’Carri will be able to defend her World title in Tokyo next month.

Her campaign began with hesitation in May at the Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo. Running into a slight headwind, she finished fourth in 11.47 seconds, far from the brilliance of her 10.65 in Budapest 2023, the fifth-fastest mark ever recorded. July offered little improvement. At the Prefontaine Classic, she crossed ninth in 11.19 seconds, again burdened by a slow reaction and a lack of her usual surge at the close. The USATF Championships at the end of the month brought a glimpse of progress with an 11.07 in the heats, but she withdrew from the semifinals to chase the 200 meters. That gamble ended in disappointment. She missed the final by a hundredth of a second.

The core of her difficulty is plain. Sha’Carri Richardson has not won a 100-meter race all year, and her times have remained lodged in the 11-second range. Even at her sharpest 2025 outing, the Silesia Diamond League on August 16, she finished sixth in 11.05 seconds while compatriot Melissa Jefferson-Wooden stormed to victory in 10.66. The gulf between Richardson’s current marks and her Budapest peak or even her 10.71 from the 2024 U.S. Championships is striking. At the Paris Olympics last year, she claimed silver in 10.87 and anchored the United States to gold in the relay. This season, she has yet to threaten that level.

Much of the slide can be traced back to February, when Richardson suffered an injury that disrupted her training and delayed her buildup to competition. The effects lingered into the spring, and by the time she returned to racing in May, the lack of sharp preparation was evident. The uneven execution at her early meets, particularly sluggish starts and unsteady transitions, reflected that lost foundation. Analysts noted that training footage throughout the summer showed the same deficiency. Following that, in July, Richardson herself revealed that an injury then had delayed her training and cost her critical preparation. 

In fact, missing the 200-meter final at the USATF Championships by a razor-thin margin underscored how quickly opportunities can vanish. For Richardson, who is accustomed to dominating national fields, that result marked a sharp contrast to her consecutive U.S. titles in 2023 and 2024. Even so, she retains a place in Tokyo as the reigning world champion, giving her a chance to bypass qualification and start fresh in the semifinals. She has called herself a “secret weapon,” framing this season not as spectacle but as preparation for one defining stage.

Still, Richardson approaches the World Championships with uncertainty hanging over her. She has endured an unsettled season, marked by modest results and the personal turbulence that has accompanied them. Moreover, amid all that is going on the track, the 25-year-old still has a chance to redeem her form.

Sha’Carri Richardson eyes Brussels Diamond League

Sha’Carri Richardson’s recent months have been shaped by turbulence beyond the track, with her arrest at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport placing her under scrutiny like never before. While she later acknowledged fault and spoke of accountability, the incident forced her into an unwanted spotlight away from sprinting. 

However, as the focus now shifts to the Brussels Diamond League, set to take place on August 30, 2025, Richardson has a chance to redirect the narrative. The meet arrives at a time when her form has been uneven, and questions linger about her ability to handle pressure on and off the track. Against a stacked field, the race will demand not only raw speed but also the mental sharpness and composure that once defined her rise.

For Richardson, a strong showing in Brussels could reignite her season and reestablish her as a global force. However, another falter might deepen doubts about whether 2025 is the year her momentum slipped away. All eyes will be on how she responds in the blocks, with her career trajectory hanging in the balance.