Sha’Carri Richardson is fast. We all know this. Olympic fast. Blink-and-she’s-gone fast but apparently, Florida highways are not Olympic tracks, and the law does not care about your personal best.
Reports say the sprint queen Sha’Carri Richardson was arrested in Florida for overspeeding after clocking a wild 104 mph. Yes, one hundred and four. That’s not “running late” speed. That’s “I thought this was a video game” speed.
Let’s be honest. If anyone on Earth might feel comfortable moving at 104 mph, it’s Sha’Carri Richardson. Her legs are basically certified weapons, her acceleration should come with a warning label. But sadly, the speed limit does not adjust itself based on Olympic medals or world rankings.
Florida police reportedly pulled her over and said, “Ma’am, this is a highway, not the 100-meter final.” And just like that, Sha’Carri learned the hard way that horsepower beats leg power every time.
The Texas native was booked Thursday into Orange County Jail, where she later posted $500 bond and was released. The official charge is dangerous excessive speeding at 100 mph or more.
An Orange County sheriff’s department spokesperson said she was ‘dangerously tailgating and traveling across lanes of travel to pass other motorists.’
Florida has a six-month-old speeding law that makes it illegal to drive in excess of 50mph over the speed limit or to surpass 100mph.
A first conviction can result in up to 30 days in prison or a fine of $500, while a second offense results can be punished by up to 90 days behind bars and a $1,000 penalty.
This is not Richardson’s first run in with the law.
This incident adds to her growing list of headlines that have nothing to do with medals and that’s the frustrating part. When she’s on the track, she’s electric, when she’s off it, chaos seems to follow like a bad relay handoff.
Hopefully, this becomes one of those “lesson learned” moments. Pay the fine, slow it down and keep the speed for the track where it belongs. The world wants to see Sha’Carri Richardson flying, just not past minivans at 104 mph.
Fast is fun, jail is not.
