American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson said winning the 100 meters final from lane nine at the world championships was fitting after a lifetime of being in her own world.
Richardson was given the outside lane as a consequence of coming through the semi-finals as the fastest loser, but she focused on her own race to run down Jamaican Shericka Jackson and take her first global title in a championship-record 10.65 seconds in Budapest.
"I executed an amazing race for myself not even knowing where the other ladies were. I was by myself in my own world," she said, adding she always been in her own element, "so lane nine was perfect for me."
Until yesterday, she lacked a signature moment despite being at the very sharp end of women's sprinting for four years.
She won the US trials for the Tokyo Olympics but was then banned after testing positive for cannabis.
Last year she failed to qualify in the world championships while Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah took a clean sweep in the 100m, and silver and gold in the 200m in Oregon.
However, her flamboyance and provocative postings helped build a following of 2.4 million on Instagram.
"Never give up, never allow media or outsiders to define who you are. Always fight, no matter, fight," Richardson said.
