Sha'Carri Richardson blazed through a no-fuss opening round in the 100 meters Friday, winning her first-ever Olympic race at the Paris Games in 10.94 seconds to easily qualify for the semifinals.
The American captured the first of eight first-round races on the opening day of track action at a jam-packed Stade de France.
Unlike Olympic trials earlier this month, Richardson got off to a nice start, kicked into overdrive and cruised into the finish, tapping her chest with her hands as she crossed the line.
She'll race in the semifinals on Saturday at 1:50 p.m. ET, and if she advances there, she'll go for gold a few hours later. Richardson also plans to run in the 200-meter race and in the 4x100-meter relay.
“To be at the Olympics is a phenomenal feeling,” she said after her race. "I'm eager and excited.
Richardson said last year's worlds competition was like a "mini Olympics" and prepared her for this moment.
The Dallas native's journey to the Olympics hasn't been easy. She qualified for the 2021 Olympic team by winning the 100-meter event at the trials, but she was later disqualified after testing positive for THC, the chemical in cannabis.
She returned to the track at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic, finishing ninth. She returned to Olympic form nearly two years later, officially kicking off her revenge tour.
She won the 100m at the U.S. Track and Field Championships in a time of 10.82 seconds. She then claimed the title of fastest woman in the world with her 100m win at the 2023 World Athletic Championships in Budapest. She went on to kick off the Olympic year with a win at the Prefontaine Classic in a time of 10.83 seconds.
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"I'm better, I'm stronger and I'm wiser," Richardson told NBC in an interview last month. "I just knew that I was in a different position that I've never been in my entire life."
