Sha’Carri Richardson’s Eugene flop suggests a case of too much too soon | Andrew Lawrence

After a Richie Tenenbaum-like unravelling on and off the track, it's fair to wonder whether the American sprint star will be remembered more for running her mouth than running at all

Mujinga Kambundji. Javianne Oliver. Barbara Pierre. They are but a sampling of the women who have brought up the rear in the 100m dash at the Prefontaine Classic in recent years. If those names are news to you, it's probably because the TV networks tend not to go out of their way to spotlight the biggest losers.

The notable exception of course came during last Saturday's edition of the Pre, a hotly anticipated Diamond League showcase that would mark the return of Sha'Carri Richardson from a monthlong, THC-triggered drug suspension that cost her a spot in the 2020 Olympics - and on the same Hayward Field where she stole hearts from Eugene to Yokohama after clocking a 10.86 to win the US trials. What's more, Richardson would be going toe-to-toe with Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson - the fearsome Jamaican trio that locked out the 100m podium in Tokyo.