On the warm Oregon track, two of the most electrifying figures in global athletics—Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles—moved with a calm foreign to most athletes at this stage. This wasn’t about qualification. That box had already been checked. This was something else.
Richardson, known for her fire, her flair, and her defiance, didn’t need to dominate the scoreboard Thursday. Instead, she floated through her 100m heat with the quiet confidence of someone who knows she’s already on the plane to Tokyo. Finishing second in her heat in 11.07 seconds—behind a sharp 10.89 from Kayla White—Richardson’s real focus wasn’t the stopwatch. It was the feel. The flow. The fine-tuning.
She’s not hunting headlines. Not yet.
“I’m not chasing times right now. I’m just getting the reps in. When the stage is set, you’ll feel me.”
Her words echoed less like a threat and more like a promise from someone pacing herself for a larger strike. After all, the real fire comes in September.
Lyles, equally secure in his global slot, approached the men’s 100m with the mind of a mechanic rather than a gladiator. A 10.05 was enough to cruise through. But make no mistake—this wasn’t idle jogging. This was calculated ignition. After a delayed start to the season, Lyles needs rhythm. And rhythm comes from racing.
“There’s only one way to rebuild momentum,” he said. “You’ve got to get in there and move.”
He’s moving. Quietly, purposefully.
So is Kenny Bednarek, who clocked the fastest men’s time of the day with a composed 9.95—an undercurrent in the brewing tension for the final.
Meanwhile, Athing Mu-Nikolayev returned to the 800m with ghosts behind her and something to reclaim. Last year’s fall at the trials cost her a shot at Paris. This time, she looked ahead only—clocking 2:00.06, second-fastest of the day. No dramatics. Just work.
Thursday at Hayward Field wasn’t about breaking the bank. It was about balance. These athletes don’t need the crowd yet. They don’t need the frenzy. That will come when medals are on the line.
For now, they’re just sharpening the knife. Quietly.
