Sha’Carri Richardson has been repeating a mantra since returning to the track this season: She’s not back, she’s better.
Richardson, who missed the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for marijuana a month before the Games, delivered the ultimate “I told you so” on Monday in Budapest by winning her first title at a world track and field championships, running 10.65 seconds to win the 100 meters. Shericka Jackson of Jamaica was second, in 10.72, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, also of Jamaica, was third, in 10.77.
With her victory, Richardson, 23, both softened and amplified the noise that has surrounded her since she burst on the professional running scene.