When you hear the words, Fastest Woman in the World, Who Comes to Mind? I'm pretty sure there would be varying answers, but I have a good guess about whose names would come up. And these women, without a doubt, worked hard enough for them to be considered to be the fastest woman or one of the fastest women there is. As for the fastest female in the world, we know who that is, but the new fastest female in the world, that's probably a topic for debate. The operative word being probably, mainly because it's quite easy to determine the fastest woman based on their times. On that note, let's talk about who has been long established as the fastest female in the world, Flow Joe. Florence Griffith's joiner, known as Flow Joe to many, is an American sprinter who set world records in the 100 meters and 200 meters that have stood since 1988. As many of you, perhaps even all of you, know that Flow Joe is also a three-time Olympic champion, one-time world champion, two-time Olympic game silver medalist and one-time world championship silver medalist among others. Griffith started running at age 7, chasing Jack rabbits to increase her speed. From a young age, Griffith's joiner developed an interest in sports and fashion. Always with an eye for flair, part of the Flow Joe legend is that she convinced her high school relay teammates to pair long tights with their track uniforms. Unsurprisingly, she quickly became a media celebrity with her six-inch decorated fingernails and eye-catching racing suits. Dress good to look good, look good to feel good and feel good to run fast. She said of her on the track fashion statements. In 1987, she rededicated herself to the sport and then married Al Joyner, winner of the 1984 gold medal in the triple jump. It was then that she changed her name to Florence Griffith's joiner and eventually picked up the nickname Flow Joe. The following year, she made history in the sport. This, all of you know about for sure. It was in the US Olympic trials in July 1988 when Griffith's joiner achieved a stunning breakthrough when she ran the 100 meters in 10.49 seconds, obliterating Evelyn Ashford's record of 10.79. Her time was faster than the men's records in a wide range of countries, including Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Turkey. She then competed in the Soul Olympics later that year where she twice broke the Olympic record and then won the final easily in a windated 10.54. In the semifinals, she broke the nine-year-old record for 200 meters and then 100 minutes later, she set another world record in the final with a time of 21.34 seconds. Griffith's joiners records for 100 meters and 200 meters have yet to be broken. At the games in Soul, she ran in both relays, winning a third gold medal in the 4x100 meter and a silver in the 4x400 meter. That said, it's been 35 years since Florence Griffith's joiner, also known as Flow Joe, set the women's 100 meter world record in the quarterfinals of the US Olympic trials of 1988. The time of 10.49, which lowered the existing record by 0.27 seconds, has often been called unbeatable. To be fair, given that it is still standing after more than three decades, it definitely is unbeatable, at least for now. But that is not to say that countless athletes didn't try. In fact, that brings me to the next point. While no one has broken her record yet, a few athletes are coming really, really close to breaking it. One of them is American track star Shikari Richardson, who is referred to by some as the new fastest woman on earth. She earned the moniker after the Olympic hopeful turned in her personal best of 10.65 seconds, in the women's 100 meter sprint at last year's World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Center in Budapest. Richardson's blazing time of 10.65 seconds was a world championship record and personal best for the American athlete. Notably, Richardson took 0.02 seconds off the previous best set by Shelley and Fraser Price last year. While she may not have broken flow Joe's long-standing record in the distance, she is now tied for the title of fifth fastest woman over 100 meters in history. But wait, there's more! Her amazing run is an unprecedented performance, given that no one has ever won the title after making a final based on time instead of auto qualifying. And it does not end there, not by a long shot. Richardson turns out to be the first American 100 meter world champion in six years. For context, the late Tori Bowie was the last US sprinter to bring home the 100 meter gold from the Worlds in 2017. After the world championships, Shikari went home with not one, not two, but three medals. In addition to the gold medal in the 100 meter race by clocking 10.65 seconds, Shikari also achieved a bronze medal in the 200 meter race, finishing at 21.92 seconds and another gold medal in the women's 4x100 meter relay. That said, it does not really come as much of a surprise that Richardson was awarded the Jackie Joyner Cursey Athlete of the Year award. In addition to bringing home three medals from the Worlds, it also worked in her favor that she is the first woman whose primary event is the 100 meters to win the Jackie Joyner Cursey Award since Carmelita Jeeter in 2011. Anyway, that's that for Richardson, but as I said earlier, many athletes, including Richardson, are trying very hard to break flow Joe's longstanding world records. The famously known Jamaican trio is, without question, also vying to have their names written in history books from where flow Joe's would have been. The Jamaican trio composed of Shereka Jackson, Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelley Anne Fraser Price have what it takes to do just that. All three of them are close to breaking flow Joe's records, it's just a matter of who will and when. But do not be mistaken, the Jamaicans are not the only ones who have a shot at it. There are strong competitors from all over the world. But let's talk about them for now. Elaine Thompson-Herah, one of the most decorated sprinters of the past decade with 11 World and Olympic medals, at a season's best of 11.00 last year at the World Championships in Budapest. Shelley Anne Fraser Price, on the other hand, came into the 100-meter finals at the World Championships with every chance to make history, as she has done so many times before. She did make some history just not the sort she was hoping for, when she won her first bronze medal among the 15 she has amassed at Worlds. Still a good addition to her already amazing collection of medals. Then there's Shereka Jackson. World athletics noted that in 2023, Shereka Jackson extended her reign as the queen of the 200 meters. Notably, Shereka went undefeated in the half-lap sprint for the entire year, retaining her world title and creeping ever closer to the long-standing World Record. In Budapest, she took silver in the 100-meter with a time of 10.72. A few days later, Shereka retained her women's 200-meter title in style. She had a good start from Lane 6 and was noticeably already ahead of the bend before she eased clear as the field entered the home straight, clocking 21.41 to break her own championship record from 12 months ago. But again, Richardson, Price, Hera and Jackson are not the only ones who have the potential to break flow Joe's records. There's also Richardson's compatriots Gabby Thomas, St. Lucia's Julian Alfred, and Ivorian sprinter Marie Josie Talu among others. To say that the race to break flow Joe's world records is on is definitely an understatement. Perhaps we'll see the decades-long record broken in Paris. Well, we'll see in a few more months. Who else are we looking forward to seeing in Paris? Watch this to find out!