Record-Breaking Sha’Carri Richardson Wins 100-Meter Championship: ‘She Is the Best in the World’

Richardson's gold medal at the world championships comes two years after she was left off the U.S. Olympic team for using marijuana

Sha’Carri Richardson is the world’s fastest woman!

The American sprinter, 23, flew past her competition this weekend and ran the final 100-meter race in 10.65 seconds to win gold at the World Athletics Championships on Monday night in Budapest, Hungary.

Her time was a record for the women's 100-meter at the world championships.

“I would say ‘never give up,’ ” Richardson said afterwards, according to The Associated Press. “Never allow media, never allow outsiders, never allow anything but yourself and your faith define who you are. I would say ‘Always fight. No matter what, fight.’ ”

Richardson’s gold medal win caps off a two-year comeback after she was left off the Team USA roster for the Tokyo Olympics and banned for a month for using marijuana — a controversial suspension that was debated across the sports world, and even saw President Joe Biden questioning the US Anti-Doping Agency’s rules on the drug.

On Monday night, the Dallas, Texas, native outran five-time world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and former Olympic gold medalist Shericka Jackson to win the gold.

“She is the best in the world!” NBC Sports announcer Leigh Diffey proclaimed after Richardson crossed the finish line, covering her mouth in shock as she looked up to the scoreboard to see the race results.

Related: Sha’Carri Richardson Is 'Not Worried About the World Anymore' as She Continues to Dominate on the Track

Richardson's win comes one day after she gave an inspiring post-race interview after the 100-meter heats on Sunday, telling NBC Sports she’s no longer worried about how she’s perceived by others and is instead focused on being true to herself.

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“I’m not worried about the world anymore,” Richardson had said. “I’ve seen the world be my friend. I’ve seen the world turn on me. But at the end of the day, I’ve always been with me. God has always been with me, so being on this scale now, it’s my time.”

Related: Sha'Carri Richardson Says She's 'Learned So Much' This Year After Team USA Suspension

Richardson, who first burst onto the track and field scene with her fiery orange hair and long nails, said “it’s always been my time.”

“But now it’s my time to actually do it for myself and the people that feel like me, the people that look like me, and the people that know the truth about themselves as well,” she continued. “I represent those people.”

Last month, Richardson dramatically tossed off her wig moments before she sprinted to a first-place finish at the U.S. Track and Field Championships — a symbolic moment for the American sprinter who seems destined for next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

“I’m ready, mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I’m here to stay,” a defiant Richardson declared after that race. “I’m not back. I’m better.”

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