Richards made his outdoor world championship debut at the IAAF World Championships in London. Competing in the 200m, he ran the fastest time in the heats of 20.05, and the next day he won his semi-final in 20.14 seconds. He then went on to win the bronze medal in the final; Ramil Guliyev of Turkey won gold in 20.09 seconds, while Wayde Van Niekerk of South Africa beat Richards to the silver medal by exactly 1/1000 of a second. Van Niekerk clocked 20.106, while Richards clocked 20.107. Richards stated that his race had been undermined when he slipped coming out of his blocks. "I tried my best not to let it affect me too much," he said. "At the turn I wasn't in contention really, so to get a medal from there is a great achievement." Three days later, he ran the second leg for Trinidad and Tobago in the Men's 4x400m relay, making considerable ground of the USA's Gil Roberts before handing the baton to Machel Cedenio. The team ultimately went on to win gold.