Rumors swirled on social media after the Jamaican sprinter withdrew from the 100-meter semifinal against Sha’Carri Richardson.
On Aug. 3, track and field fans around the world were looking forward to watching world champion sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson and two-time Olympic 100 champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica compete in the women’s 100-meter competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, moments before the semifinal, Fraser-Pryce abruptly withdrew from the race.
After Fraser-Pryce pulled out, a video appearing to show Fraser-Pryce and Richardson being denied entry into a gate at the Olympics warmup track went viral online.
The viral video led some people on social media to claim Fraser-Pryce withdrew because of a last-minute rule change that caused the Jamaican sprinter to miss warmups before the race.
“She said they changed the rule yesterday. So you’re asking all the athletes who, for whatever reason, don’t stay in the [Olympic] village, they can’t come through the gate? We came through this gate …