Katie Moon roared in triumph; to her left was Noah Lyles, and to her right, Melissa Jefferson-wooden and Rai Benjamin. Chase Jackson was throwing a shot at the bottom. Tara Davis-Woodhall, wearing a hat, and Jasmine Moore jumped with a flag draped on their shoulder to Jackson’s left and right, respectively. What’s this?

The World Athletics Championships USA poster. “Gold rush ✨141 athletes will represent team 🇺🇸 at @WATokyo25 as they look to do better than the 29 medals from 2023 👀,“ wrote World Athletics as they posted a poster of the top US athletes coming to the Tokyo World Championships. But the poster has ignored the defending 100m champion, Sha’Carri Richardson, while embracing Sydney McLaughlin-levrone.

Sha’Carri Richardson is nowhere to be found in the poster, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone? The queen of the 400mH occupies the most space of the poster, being the centerpiece. Levrone’s picture was a shot of her from the Paris Olympics, the American flag draped on her shoulder, wearing the Tiara she got after breaking the world record and winning the gold medal. But why wasn’t SCR present? Poor form.

True that Tokyo is going to be a tough competition for Sydney, since she is looking for a medal in a race she is not dominant in. Defeating the 400m defending world champion, Marileidy Paulino, is not easy, but things are going to be tougher for Sha’Carri in her very own event.

From a rusty season opener in May, where she placed fourth in 11.47 at the Tokyo Golden Grand Prix, Sha’Carri never quite found her rhythm. Back home at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, she managed only ninth in 11.19. The USATF Championships looked like a turning point, though.

She ran a season-best 11.07 in the 100m prelims, but she pulled out of the semis and then faded in the 200m, missing the final with 22.56. The only spark that ever came was at the Brussels Diamond League, where a runner-up finish in 11.08, just behind Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.

So, now, Tokyo is going to be equally important for both Sydney and Sha’Carri.

Sydney might win a medal in Tokyo, but Sha’carri Richardson’s chances feel low

Sydney’s biggest competition in the 400m at the World Championships will be coming from Paulino and Salwa Eid Naser. Yes a gold is hard. Sydney has a race to avenge from the Dominican, but her PB in 400m is 48.74, clocked in the US trials in 2023, while Paulino’s PB is 48.17, winning gold in Paris last year. In fact, silver is tough, too.

Salwa Eid Naser has returned to form with standout performances, clocking 48.70 in the Diamond League final (matching the American record and faster than Sydney’s PB). She clocked 48.67 in Kingston, highlighting how Naser currently edges both in raw 400m times. But that doesn’t mean Sydney is nowhere to be found.

The 48.90 in the USATF Championships! So even if not a gold or not a silver, a bronze seems to be at sight. And let’s not forget her words, “I want to show what I can do without hurdles in front of me”. McLaughlin-Levrone is not going to back down from her words. But for Sha’Carri? Richardson is facing a tougher challenge in the 100m this season.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has been undefeated in the 100m this season so far, running in 10.65s at the USATF Championships, making her the clear favorite on current form. The nearest competition is Julien Alfred, who has also not lost a single race this season other than the defeat to Jefferson-Wooden at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic (10.75 vs 10.77). So, even for bronze, Sha’Carri Richardson must clock a sub-11, but her 2025 season has not seen the clock there yet! So, do you think that this poor form is why SCR didn’t make it to the poster or what if it’s not related to her performance at all?