Richardson, meanwhile, is at last an Olympic medalist.
For Richardson, the silver medal culminates a winding path to becoming the face of the sport. In 2021, she qualified for the Tokyo Games at the U.S. Olympic Trials, but a subsequent sample revealed that she had tested positive for cannabis use. That led to a one-month suspension that kept Richardson out of the Tokyo Olympics.
The 2021 suspension pained her deeply, and it came shortly after the death of her biological mother. Richardson then slogged through much of the next season on the track, even failing to qualify for the 100m final at the 2022 U.S. Championships, where she finished a shocking sixth and thus missed out on that season’s world championships in her home country.
Richardson vowed to climb back to the top of her sport and prove that she was the world’s fastest woman. She rallied to win her signature event, the 100m, at the next year’s U.S. Championships. In her post-race interview with NBC Sports’ Lewis Johnson, Richardson sent a clear-cut message to the world.
“I stand here with you again and I’m ready, mentally, physically and emotionally,” she began.
I’m not back, I’m better.
Those five words — I’m not back, I’m better — have stuck on her mystique in the year since. Much of America and the world has since become smitten with Richardson, whose lightning speed on the track is matched by a bold, vibrant personality and statement fashion. The former LSU Tiger elevated herself to international sensation status ahead of her Olympic debut.
But entering this week, Richardson was an athlete not only without an Olympic medal, but without as much as a step on an Olympic track. No longer — Richardson is an Olympic silver medalist.
But on Saturday at Stade de France, it wasn’t “Jamaica, Land We Love” or the “Star-Spangled Banner” blaring on the loudspeakers. It was The National Anthem of Saint Lucia, and Alfred wearing the gold medal around her neck.
“I’m going to start crying,” Alfred said. “It means a lot to me, my coach and my country, which I’m sure is celebrating now.
