CNN
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Sha'Carey Richardson easily qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials this year and is now the second-fastest women's 200-meter runner in the world.
Richardson had already secured a place on the U.S. Olympic team in Paris with her win in the 100 meters last week, but her time of 21.99 seconds further cemented her as the favorite to win the Olympic silver medal.
Only compatriot Mackenzie Long has run a faster time this year, running 21.83 seconds to win the NCAA Championships earlier this month and 21.95 seconds at the championships.
Long posted the fifth-fastest time in Thursday's heats, behind Tokyo Olympic 200m bronze medalist Gabby Thomas, NCAA record holder Abby Steiner and 2019 World Championship silver medalist Brittany Brown.
Richardson's time was just 0.07 seconds shy of her personal best, set at last year's world championships, and she is scheduled to compete in the first semifinal on Friday at Hayward Field in Eugene with a shot at qualifying for Saturday's final.
“Every time I touch the track I have an opportunity to strive to be the best version of myself,” Richardson told NBC after the race. “Every time I touch the track I feel pressure.”
“The biggest thing my coach tells me is execution,” she added. “I'm just focusing on running the curves well and making the straights a lot easier. Today…I actually felt like I ran pretty well, but I know there's still room for improvement.”
Richardson won the 100m at the Olympic trials three years ago but was barred from competing in Tokyo after testing positive for THC, the chemical found in marijuana.
The 24-year-old ran the fastest 100 metres in the world this year, winning Saturday's heat in 10.71 seconds.
The top three athletes in each event at the trials will earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the Paris Olympics, which begins on July 26.
Another already-qualified athlete, Noah Lyles, also cruised through the 200m in a comfortable 20.10 seconds, beating Elyon Knighton's 20.15 to become the fastest of the day.
Lyles hasn't lost a race in the 200 meters since winning bronze at the Tokyo Olympics and won the 100 meters at Sunday's trials, making him arguably the most in-form male sprinter in the world right now.
Meanwhile, world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won the 400m hurdles by a huge margin in 53.07 seconds, more than 1.5 seconds faster than the second-fastest qualifier, Anna Cockrell.
In the men's race, Tokyo silver medallist Rai Benjamin won handily, with Caleb Dean recording the day's fastest time in 49.45 seconds.
