The reigning world champion in the women’s 100-meter dash is the favorite in Paris.
At DraftKings Sportsbook, Sha’Carri Richardson, a 24-year-old Texan, opened as a +150 odds favorite to take gold in the event at the Paris Olympics, which kick off in late July. Her odds have since shortened to -250.
Richardson ran the 100 meters in 10.65 seconds in Budapest in August 2023 to win the event at the World Athletics Championships. That time is tied with three other athletes for the fifth-fastest of all time in the event.
American Florence Griffith-Joyner set the world record of 10.49 in 1988, but that performance is controversial due to questions about the wind.
While it’s unclear if Richardson will ever challenge the world record, she’s poised for a long career at the top of the sprinting world. Richardson overcame +550 betting odds to take gold in Budapest.
Jamaican sprinting legends Shericka Jackson (+400) and Shelly-Anne Fraser-Pryce (+1200) trail Richardson on the odds board for the gold medal in the 100 meters. Jackson also ran a 10.65 in 2023, but she’s a 200-meter specialist. Fraser-Pryce, 37, ran her personal best of 10.60 in 2021.
The final of the women’s 100-meter dash will take place on August 3.
In 2021, Richardson was left off the Olympic team for Tokyo due to testing positive for a “chemical found in marijuana.” Her disqualification quickly became a major sports scandal.
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