Richardson eyes World Championships qualification

Richardson crossed the line in 10.33 seconds to claim silver in the Grand Prix, behind Omanyala, who clocked 10.12 at the University of Pretoria in midweek.

This was his second taste of competing against the best at senior level after he finished behind South African champion Akani Simbine in a time of 10.18 at the Nationals Championships three weeks ago.

The 19-year-old now has a better idea of the level he needs to reach, and admits he has plenty of work to do to be more competitive and participating in major events in future.

"It was a nice experience getting to run with the big star I see running in the World Senior Championships on TV. I wanted to gauge myself against one of the best athletes, and I came into the race with high hopes, but the wind was against us,” Richardson told SABC Sport.

“I did not expect to run this time and hope to run much faster as a professional athlete. It is not something I should be aiming for, since I am no longer a junior athlete.  

"And I want to win races and qualify for the big competitions, but I have to run sub-10 seconds. I hope to break the 10-second barrier soon, and I’m confident that I will qualify for the World Championships."

Qualifying standards for the World Champs in Budapest, Hungary later this year is set at 10.00, which he will be hoping to achieve soon.

Richardson will now turn his attention to the next leg of the Grand Prix Continental Tour Challenge at the Germiston Stadium in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

"It is not a setback, but it is not where we wanted to be. We still have time, and there are more races to run. I hope to be in good form going into the World Championships," he added.

"I am okay, but hopefully I can get better. 10.33 is not good. I ran a 10.18 at the SA championships. I will run the 200m in Botswana in the blue-label meeting on 29 April. Training is going well, and we still have lots to work on."