While you were probably sleeping, Sha'Carri Richardson was opening up her 2025 season in the 100 meters at the Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo.
Richardson showed some signs of rust, finishing fourth in a time of 11.47. Bree Rizzo of Australia was the surprise winner, claiming the win in a time of 11.38. Richardson's training partner TeeTee Terry placed second in a time of 11.42 and Sade McCreath of Canada was third in 11.46.
Richardson struggled to get into a rhythm during the race, and after not getting a great start, wasn't able to make up ground on the rest of the field. The athletes faced tough conditions on the track with a headwind of -0.9 meters per second.
There was a bit of an inauspicious start to the event when the field was called back after a false start. Richardson appeared to twitch on the line, and the runners were brought back for another try.
It wasn't quite the start to the 2025 campaign that Richardson was looking for, but she has two months to go before the USATF Championships, which begin on July 31.
There was also a surprise in the men's 100 meters. Hiroki Yanagita of Japan won in a time of 10.06. American Christian Miller was second in 10.08 and Christian Coleman, also from the U.S., took third in 10.11.
Last year, Richardson opened up in the 100 meters at the Prefontaine Classic on May 25, where she ran 10.83 to take down a stacked field. She would go on to win the 100 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 10.71 -- which would be the fastest time in the world in 2024 -- and took silver at the Olympics to rising star Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia.
Richardson also won Olympic gold in the 4x100-meter relay, anchoring Team USA's squad of Terry, Melissa Jefferson, and Gabby Thomas and staring down Great Britain and Germany in the final meters.
The 100 meters is her best event, but Richardson is also a strong 200-meter runner. She won the bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships in the event and finished fourth at the Olympic Trials last year; one spot away from making the Olympic team.
Although she didn't compete in indoor track this season -- she hasn't run an indoor race since March of 2019 while in college at LSU -- Richardson has been busy this year. She turned 25 on March 25 and attended the Met Gala earlier in May. In fact, Richardson was a member of the host committee for the star-studded event along with Simone Biles, Spike Lee, and Usher, among others.
Richardson hasn't released her entire race schedule for 2025, but she is confirmed to run the 100 at the Prefontaine Classic on July 5.