2021 Outdoors

[marra]

Regardless what you think of her, I can tell you from personal experience that there were TWO 'Olympians' that were widely discussed by non-sports fans and non-sports media in the US this summer - Simone Biles and Richardson.

I say that not to justify her actions, behaviour or anything. Just a description of what impact she has had. Like Usain Bolt she has got people talking about athletics. Unlike Bolt, she has not yet done so because of her actions on the track.

But if we are all serious about building the profile and popularity of the sport the world over, we should be hoping that she does find a way to harness the undoubted talent she has better, whilst retaining the support that she has received thus far. Hopefully that might encourage others who see something of themselves in her to be interested in taking the sport up where they might not have done so previously.

[Occasional Hope]

Actually, the lesson Ukhov teaches us is the sort of person who breaks minor rules is likely to be the sort of person inclined to break more serious ones.

[Walsh7]

The wind was 2.9 for deGrasse's 9.74!

[JamieSLA]

Drug cheat, LOL.

[JamieSLA]

It's entertaining. I'm here for it.

[MysteryBrick]

At no point did I say the Richardson drama was what counted. I said it was popular. And looking at the engagement throughout the US media, I was correct...

[SprintRelayFan]

Really good summary of the meet - it was higher quality than I’d anticipated!

[drobbie]

Let's not forget Ukhov got a year for being drunk. Performance enhancing or not, there are good reasons for not having people under the influence wonder around a sporting arena where implements originally designed as weapons are being thrown, you've got human bodies being pinged 6m up in the air and steaming down a track at 27mph. If we're going to start factoring in legality in certain States, we'll open a massive can of worms with all of the stuff you can buy legally in other countries.

as far as i am concerned there is a clear distinction between performance enhancers and other drugs

[philipo]

Richardson is going to have to mature pretty quickly. I'm sure the usually merciless US sports media, always sensing the potential of some easy news clicks, are aware of Sha'Carri's serial failures to impress in big pressure races since she turned professional, and will be lining up to present her with awkward questions to answer come her next Diamond League appearance. "I've heard in some circles that the word 'choker' is being used when describing you Ms Richardson. What would you say to such suggestions?" All set up for the young, under pressure lady to potentially blow up or react angrily again to make for the next clickbait article and Twitter controversy.

She's going to need proper guidance in the next few months/years, and honestly, being coached by that notoriously combative drugs cheat Mitchell, who will always have a massive chip on his shoulder about how he felt the athletics authorities treated him during his running days, is likely not going to help matters....

well said Run. !
. Unfortunately on this supposedly informed, serious athletics Forum there is at least one view that the only thing about the Eugene meet is this sad American sprinter and her silly outbursts interview and rubbish talk.
To me, and others, how much extra social media interest and SR being the talking point of the meet means sweet nothing.

The real interest and talking point is not NBC/SCR rubbish but the performances of Ingebritsen, Jeruto, Frerichs, a 19.52 200m by a rejuvenated Lyles, the ability of the Kenyan 1500m Gold medallist to show her domination, the tiredness of so many athletes schlepping over to Eugene because they are beholden to Nike, the out standing qualities of Thompson Herah who in my eyes set a new WR in the 100m, Kambundji finally getting there. Yes, Mystery, that's what counts on this Forum you would expect , not the mildly deranged world of Twitter, Instagram and all the social media crap, so beloved in the this current world.
Please let us not sink to the abyss of Track and Field Forum, with some crazy rubbish about Richardson and how she is stimulating interest in track and field... yeah, thats why the support for athletics cannot fill a small stadium with fans for a big meet, even though full of knackered athletes..
. what mattters to some to the exclusion of all else is being a so called special personality in your chosen sport which makes you hopefully eventually rich and successful. Thank goodness the mass of athletes, if and when successful know how to behave. Not humble athletes just grown ups with some semblance of self control in the public domain.

[Paps]

its weed , not performance enhancing and legal in her country (parts of it) there is a clear difference between that and performance enhancing stuff, free pass for me

Let's not forget Ukhov got a year for being drunk. Performance enhancing or not, there are good reasons for not having people under the influence wonder around a sporting arena where implements originally designed as weapons are being thrown, you've got human bodies being pinged 6m up in the air and steaming down a track at 27mph. If we're going to start factoring in legality in certain States, we'll open a massive can of worms with all of the stuff you can buy legally in other countries.

[RunUnlimited]

Richardson is going to have to mature pretty quickly. I'm sure the usually merciless US sports media, always sensing the potential of some easy news clicks, are aware of Sha'Carri's serial failures to impress in big pressure races since she turned professional, and will be lining up to present her with awkward questions to answer come her next Diamond League appearance. "I've heard in some circles that the word 'choker' is being used when describing you Ms Richardson. What would you say to such suggestions?" All set up for the young, under pressure lady to potentially blow up or react angrily again to make for the next clickbait article and Twitter controversy.

She's going to need proper guidance in the next few months/years, and honestly, being coached by that notoriously combative drugs cheat Mitchell, who will always have a massive chip on his shoulder about how he felt the athletics authorities treated him during his running days, isn't likely to help matters....

[treadwater1]

Her post race interview gave the impression that she’d been backed into a corner and some sort of survival instinct had kicked in, she was talking about how the critics had doubted her, and that line that “I’m the 6th fastest woman in the game and nobody can take that away from me”. Nobody who’s opinion means anything in T&F had gone out of their way to put her down, most of her rivals had just been saying “no comment” when asked about her. Sadly she has been too influenced by what has been said on social media.

She lives so fast, I have a concern that her huge potential won’t be met and she’ll drift away from the sport eventually. A lot of questions need to be asked of Nike and the other companies that have promoted her, it’s not surprising she thinks she’s the bees knees when she hasn’t won anything, when clearly the companies offering her endorsements think the same thing

[Christy93]

Just reflecting on Richardson a few days on. An athlete with a history of not performing under pressure and of giving up in races really should not pile pressure on herself by boasting. She ran a poor 4th in her first DL race in 2019. She gave up in that year’s US Champs. She was literally shaking in her blocks (look at her right leg) on Saturday. She’s a huge talent with astonishing top end speed (let down by her poor start) but I think she is going to join a relatively short list of great athletes who can’t cope under pressure. Powell, Mamede, Bedford come to mind.

I've been thinking and I feel her behaviour is that of a deeply insecure person, which is why I'm going to stop talking about her. Hopefully she feels more worthy of her place at the top soon, because she is a huge talent and I think we'll see a less combative Sha'Carri Richardson once/if she finds her place and stops trying to prove herself 24/7.

[Sovietvest]

Just reflecting on Richardson a few days on. An athlete with a history of not performing under pressure and of giving up in races really should not pile pressure on herself by boasting. She ran a poor 4th in her first DL race in 2019. She gave up in that year’s US Champs. She was literally shaking in her blocks (look at her right leg) on Saturday. She’s a huge talent with astonishing top end speed (let down by her poor start) but I think she is going to join a relatively short list of great athletes who can’t cope under pressure. Powell, Mamede, Bedford come to mind.

[MysteryBrick]

Like it or not, she was the talking point at Eugene. It's bringing eyes to the sport, however unedifying it is.