EUGENE, Ore. — Sha’Carri Richardson knew she had been beaten.
The American sprinter slowed down as she neared the finish line and clapped for the three women who had overtaken her.
Richardson finished fourth in the women’s 200-meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials on Saturday night, one spot shy of what she needed to secure her ticket to Paris. Her time of 22.16 seconds was behind not only pre-race favorite Gabby Thomas, but also second-place Brittany Brown and third-place McKenzie Long.
Richardson, who won the women’s 100 meters during the opening weekend of the Olympic Trials, will focus on that event in Paris. She is the reigning world champion in the 100 meters and also won a bronze medal in the 200 meters in Budapest last August.