In one of the most stacked 100-metre races of all-time, American Sha’Carri Richardson emerged as the world champion.
Richardson, racing in Lane 9, came from behind in the final 10 metres, crossing the finish line in a championship-record time of 10.65 seconds for her first career world title on Monday in Budapest.
“I just felt that I executed an amazing race for myself not even knowing where the other ladies were. I was by myself in my own world which honestly has been like that all my life,” she said.
For most of the race there appeared to a Jamaican duel for gold between Shericka Jackson, the reigning 200 world champion, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the 22-time world and Olympic medallist entering this meet.
Jackson wound up with silver at 10.72 seconds, while Fraser-Pryce added a bronze to her medal collection at 10.77 seconds.
Sha’Carri Richardson captures 1st 100 metre world championship title
American Sha’Carri Richardson set a new 100 metre world championship record time of 10.65, capturing her first world title in Budapest.
But it was Richardson who snuck up in the outside lane, leaving both Jamaicans stunned.
“When she’s in Lane 9, I think that helped her because she’s on an island, she’s by herself. Now there’s no longer this threat of all these bodies around you she really has to be concerned about,” said CBC Sports analyst and former world champion Perdita Felicien.
Richardson, 23, was listed as a 5-1 underdog even though she came in as the American champion and bested Jackson the previous two times they met this year.
And she even looked stunned herself, immediately covering her mouth with her hands before celebrating with the American flag draped around her.
“I’m here, I told y’all,” she told the track announcer right after the race. “I’m not back, I’m better.”
Host Rob Pizzo is joined by track nerd Morgan Campbell and world champion hurdler Perdita Felicien to break down the women’s 100m race at the World Athletics Championships.
It’s been a twisting journey to the top of the podium for Richardson, who was famously suspended for the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for marijuana, which she said she took in order to cope with the death of her mother and the pressure of Olympic qualification. A year later, she missed out on qualifying for worlds at home in Eugene, Ore.
Now, Richardson has her first major medal — and it’s gold. Her victory also sets up what could be a fascinating rematch at next summer’s Paris Olympics, which should also feature the Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou, who placed fourth in the final at 10.81 seconds, and another rising star in St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred, who was fifth at 10.93.
The stakes were set about an hour before the final, when the Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou, Richardson and Jackson produced the fastest heat ever in the semifinals.
“Those three had to really had to run super hard and I felt that would change the complexion of any final we did see,” Felicien said.
Ta Lou, who entered worlds unbeaten in 10 100-metre races this season, won that heat in 10.79 seconds.
Richardson actually missed out on an automatic qualifying spot for the final, though her time of 10.84 seconds then was good also for third overall.
In the women’s 400 hurdles, 20-year-old Savannah Sutherland of Borden, Sask., qualified for Tuesday’s semifinals by finishing fourth in her heat.
Sutherland, the University of Michigan athlete who won the NCAA title in the discipline, clocked a time of 55.85 seconds.
“It feels kinda crazy just seeing people who I looked up to in high school and now racing against them on the same track,” said Sutherland, who made world championship debut.
Brooke Overholt, of St. Mary’s Ont., finished seventh in her heat in 56.2 seconds and did not advance.
In women’s pole vault, Alysha Newman of Delaware, Ont., and Saskatoon’s Anicka Newell both failed to qualify for the finals.
Newman had a top vault of 4.5 metres while Newell’s best was 4.35 metres.
The automatic qualifying mark of 4.65 metres was met by 12 vaulters, which was enough to fill out the field for the final.
Newman is returning from a serious concussion last spring that sidelined her for months. She won a Canadian title last month in Langley, B.C., with a vault of 4.73 metres.
“You hope to come, savour anything you can,” said Newman. “My neurologist would say that we weren’t focusing on this year, but I got a little greedy and said I can do it this year and next year. He won’t be disappointed, but I will be.”
Athletics Canada is sending 50 athletes to the 2023 Worlds Athletics Championships starting August 19th in Budapest, Hungary. Here we preview the Canadian contingent with someone whose done it all before; 3-time multi-sport Olympian Phylicia George.
Lyles breaks down on podium
Meanwhile, all the brashness and bravado melted away when the gold medal finally went around Noah Lyles’ neck.
The 100 winner doubled over and broke into tears at the ceremony, held the day after he defied the experts and earned the title of “World’s Fastest Man” with a victory in what has traditionally been his second-best race.
After Lyles composed himself, he stood up and took a deep bow to the crowd amassed at the medals plaza set up outside the stadium.
The entire moment has hit him quicker than he ever anticipated. Much quicker than winning his back-to-back world 200 titles.
“I’m trying to get the right words — this is the fastest medal that’s sunk in the quickest,” Lyles told The Associated Press in an interview earlier Monday about his win. “This one, it’s definitely like, ‘Title of fastest man of the world. Title of the 100-metre champion. Running the world-leading time. Grabbing the medal.’ That is the one I’ve been reaching for, for so long — and I got it.”
Lyles finished the race Sunday night in 9.83 seconds to edge Letsile Tebogo, the 20-year-old from Botswana, and bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes of Britain.
Tebogo and Hughes were with Lyles on the medal stand and comforted him when he broke down. Lyles has been open and honest about the mental health struggles he’s endured, especially in the post-COVID atmosphere of the Tokyo Olympics.
“[My mental health has] definitely been growing stronger and stronger since 2021,” Lyles said. “Every year I feel that I’ve been able to continuously add on to layers of security, I guess you could call it, or just good health.
“It’s really put a perspective on how I’ve been able to view things.”
Lyles has a chance for the first men’s 100-200 double at the worlds or the Olympics since Usain Bolt accomplished the feat in 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro Games.
The 26-year-old Lyles has a 200 time in mind, too — 19.10 seconds. That would break Bolt’s record mark of 19.19 in 2009.
Discus drama
Also, Olympic champion Daniel Stahl won a dramatic world championship discus gold with the final throw just minutes after Kristjan Ceh thought he had done enough to retain his title when his final throw edged him in front of the Swede.
“I thought, what the hell, now I’m going to answer directly,” Stahl told reporters. “It was just to dig in for king and country I’m very proud of how I handled it. This was my best throw ever. It’s very cool.
“It’s like I got a bit of ‘sisu’ in me,” he added, using a Finnish word for fighting spirit. “I’m not going to give up, instead I’m going to get bigger in the moments.”
Saving the best for last ????<br><br>Daniel Stahl throws a massive 71.46m championship record to win his second <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldAthleticsChamps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WorldAthleticsChamps</a> discus throw title ???? <a href=”https://t.co/706qFVWH54″>pic.twitter.com/706qFVWH54</a>
On a hot, sultry night Slovenian Ceh led with 69.27 metres in the second round before Stahl went 10 centimetres further in the fourth.
With only two throwers left to go, Ceh finally crossed the 70 mark with 70.02 but showed only a muted celebration, knowing just what a competitor his big rival is.
Sure enough, Stahl launched the disc 71.46 – the second-longest throw of the year and a championship record – to take gold and add it to the world title he won in 2019 in Doha.
Lithuania’s 20-year-old Mykolas Alekna, whose father won the world title twice, took bronze with 68.85.
3-peat for Holloway in 110-meter hurdles
Posing for the cameras, Grant Holloway counted out his back-to-back-to-back 110-meter hurdles world titles, raising one finger, then another, then another.
It was as easy as “1, 2, 3.” Holloway made his race look almost that simple, too.
The American bolted to a fast start and never looked back Monday night at world championships, breezing to a victory in 12.96 seconds that elevated him into elite company. Holloway joined Greg Foster as the only 110 hurdler to win three straight world titles.
“Remarkable,” Holloway exclaimed.
“1, 2, 3″<br><br>????????’s <a href=”https://twitter.com/Flaamingoo_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Flaamingoo_</a> is a triple world 110m hurdles champion ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldAthleticsChamps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WorldAthleticsChamps</a> <a href=”https://t.co/ggjYTdOf3X”>pic.twitter.com/ggjYTdOf3X</a>
Before Holloway entered the scene, the mighty American hurdlers were in a little bit of a hurdling funk (a funk for them anyway). They’d gone two straight worlds without a gold in the 110.
That just wasn’t like them.
“We were in a drought,” said Holloway, who won his first world title in Doha in 2019 and again last summer in Oregon. “It was my goal is to get us out of the drought and I called it a restoration phase. Now that we’re out of the restoration phase, it’s making sure I’m there.”
He edged out reigning Olympic champion Hansle Parchment of Jamaica by .11 seconds. Holloway’s U.S. teammate, Daniel Roberts, finished with the bronze.
Live coverage of the entire meet is available on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem through Sunday.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
