Sha’Carri Richardson missing as Gabby Thomas, McLaughlin-Levrone bag nominations for top US award
Sha’Carri Richardson paid the price for failing to deliver 100m gold for Team USA after being omitted from the list of nominees for the 2024 USATF award, which she won last year.
Olympics 100m silver medalist Sha’Carri Richardson will not be defending her crown as America’s finest after being snubbed for the USATF Jackie Joyner-Kersee Athlete of the Year award.
Richardson, who won silver in 100m and anchored Team USA in 4x100m relay to Olympics glory is not among the nominees for the prestigious award, which leaves three-time Olympics champion Gabby Thomas and world 400m hurdles record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as favourites.
The 24-year-old had a topsy savvy season that saw her win a couple of Diamond League races but lost to Julien Alfred in 100m in Paris, having failed to make the 200m US Olympics team, although she helped deliver gold for her country in the relay.
However, that was not enough to earn her nomination for the award that she won in 2023, especially with some of her colleagues bagging multiple gold medals in Paris.
Thomas is the leading contender for the award after winning three Olympics titles, the first American since Allyson Felix in 2012, having bagged 200m title as well as being part of the victorious 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams.
McLaughlin-Levrone, meanwhile, retained her 400m hurdles crown, in a new world record time, before helping the USA team to the 4x400m relay gold, feats that put her in good stead even though she did not feature in many events.
Also on the list is Olympics 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell, who was among the surprise gold medalists in Paris, while Olympics long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall and Valarie Allman, the Olympics discus throw champion, are also on the list.
Russell is also nominated for the Breakthrough Performer award while Davis-Woodhall and Allman and McLaughlin-Levrone bagged another nomination in the Inspirational Athlete Performance category.
