Speed thrills in the world of track and field, particularly over short distances. Perhaps it’s a part of our collective memory, witnessing standouts like Usain Bolt and Alyson Felix sparkle across our television screens in our youth.
No matter the cause, one thing is true: few things captivate the masses quite like a 100m sprint, particularly one that takes place during the Olympics. Outcasts become icons. Favorites become frogs. The only factor distinguishing the two is the race’s result. To the victors go the spoils — glitz, glamor, and glory. Those who fall short? Not much more.
There are a handful of standouts slated to take part in the women’s 100m dash, all of whom could compete for a spot on the podium come the conclusion of Olympic competition. Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shericka Jackson, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce spearhead a fearsome Jamaica squad yearning for another taste of gold. That’s not to mention American supernova Sha’Carri Richardson, whose stunning show of sprinting excellence in her most recent appearance at Hayward Field proved one of the most impressive of the season.
So, who is the fastest woman in the world? Which titan of running has proven themselves to be the most dangerous force across the 100m battleground? Just where does their showing rank among the greats and record-holders of yesteryear?
The Sporting News fills you in on the world’s fastest sprinter prior to the Olympic Games.
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Who is the fastest woman in the world right now?
Based on 100m times, the fastest woman in the world in 2024 is Sha’Carri Richardson, who posted a 10.71s mark at the U.S. Olympic trials back in June.
Richardson put forth an epic showcase at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., turning the track into a fiery inferno with her scorching run. She outlasted impressive showings by Melissa Jefferson (10.80) and Twanisha Terry (10.89) to punch her ticket to Paris.
Fastest woman in mph
Richardson is the fastest woman in the world at present. She can be even faster, too, having recorded a personal best time of 10.65s en route to a gold medal at last year’s World Championships in Hungary.
That equates to a speed of about 21 mph. Her top speed over those 100m is likely even better — once Richardson reaches her peak stride, there aren’t a whole lot of things that can throw her off.
Sha’Carri Richardson fastest time vs. world, Olympic records
Richardson’s best showing in the 100m was that blazing 10.65s run in Budapest. She’s still some way off the world record 100m time, which Florence Griffith-Joyner set at the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials in Indianapolis. On July 16, 1988, Griffith-Joyner posted an otherworldly 10.49s time in the 100m.
There’s plenty of intrigue — and controversy — surrounding Griffith-Joyner’s time. Some believe that the beloved sprinter’s performance was aided by performance-enhancing drugs, although Griffith-Joyner passed every drug test she was given. There’s also the question of wind assistance. In track, some races are marked as tailwind if strong winds are pushing on the backs of runners. In those scenarios, a legal limit of +2.0m/s is permitted. Griffith-Joyner’s official tailwind reading was recorded as being ±0.0m/s. At the same time, men’s triple jump was going on. That event’s wind gauge read a tailwind of +4.3m/s, by comparison.
In a time of eye-catching runners galore, Griffith-Joyner’s time still holds firm as the greatest 100m performance in track history. Jamaicans Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce got within touching distance of Griffith-Joyner’s mark in 2021, but both still fell 0.05 and 0.11s short of Griffith-Joyner’s peak.
As for the Olympic record, that belongs to Fraser-Pryce, who left her mark at the Tokyo Games with a wondrous 10.61s showing in the 100m.
Best women’s 100-meter times in 2023-24
Here’s a look at the 10 fastest showings across 100m during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
| Place | Time | Runner | Venue | Date |
| T-1 | 10.65 | Shericka Jackson (Jamaica) | National Stadium, Kingston (Jamaica) | 7/7/2023 |
| T-1 | 10.65 | Sha’Carri Richardson (United States) | Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ, Budapest (Hungary) | 8/21/2023 |
| 3 | 10.75 | Marie-Josee Ta Lou (Ivory Coast) | Bislett Stadion, Oslo (Norway) | 6/15/2023 |
| 4 | 10.77 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) | Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ, Budapest (Hungary) | 8/21/2023 |
| 4 | 10.77 | Jacious Sears (United States) | Percy Beard Track, Gainesville, Florida | 4/13/2024 |
| 6 | 10.78 | Julien Alfred (Saint Lucia) | National Stadium, Kingston (Jamaica) | 6/1/2024 |
| 7 | 10.79 | Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jamaica) | Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon | 09/16/2023 |
| 8 | 10.80 | Melissa Jefferson (United States) | Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon | 06/22/2024 |
| 9 | 10.83 | Twanisha Terry (United States) | Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon | 09/16/2023 |
| 10 | 10.85 | Dina Asher-Smith (Great Britain) | Olympic Stadium, London (Great Britain) | 07/23/2023 |
