Sha’Carri Richardson makes a statement at the Olympic Trials
Sha’Carri Richardson floats across the line in the 100m semi-finals, clocking 10.64 (+2.6). Photo by How Lao
By Caela Fenton
The crowd loves Sha’Carri Richardson.
The 21-year-old from Dallas, Texas delivered one electric performance after another in her debut at the 2020 Track and Field Olympic Trials. Richardson went pro in 2019 after one year of competition at Louisiana State University (during which she captured the NCAA title in the 100m).
Richardson ran 10.86 in the 100m final to secure her Tokyo berth. That 10.86 came on the heels of a 10.64 in the semi-finals earlier in the afternoon, during which Richardson pointed at the clock for the final 10m of the race, a show of confidence and a move that sent the Hayward Field crowd to new decibels.
Richardson’s post-final celebration was more of an emotional one. Seconds after finishing the race, with all her competitors still on the track, Richardson bounded up to the stands and into the arms of her grandmother.
Sha’Carri Richardson (right) celebrates with her grandmother (left) after earning her spot on the U.S. Olympic Team in the 100m. Photo by Sarah Northrop
“My grandmother is my Superwoman, so to be able to just have her here at the biggest meet of my life,” Richardson said post-race. “Honestly, that will probably feel better than winning the race itself, of being able to just hold her after becoming an Olympian.”
Family means everything to Richardson, who revealed in a trackside interview immediately post-race that she had found out about the death of her biological mother in the week before trials.
“Nobody knows what I go through. Everybody has struggles and I understand that,” Richardson said. “But y’all see me on this track and y’all see the poker face I put on but nobody but them [her family] and my coach, know what I go through on a day to day basis…without them, there would be no me. Without my grandmother, there would be no Sha’Carri Richardson.”
While the athlete did not wish to elaborate on her biological mother’s passing, saying that it is sensitive and confusing topic for her to speak on, but she did say this: “I am grateful for her giving me life, bringing me into this world...I will always love and respect her for that and I definitely pay her respect every time I step on a track. I love her, and I know she loved me.”
Despite this emotional situation leading into the trials, Richardson—through the strength of the rest of her family—was able to stay focused on her Olympic goal.
Richardson says she has dreamed of being an Olympian since she first started in the sport as a kid. Javianne Oliver (26) and Teahna Daniels (24) rounded out the podium for the women’s 100m, making this a fleet of young, first-time Olympians in the event.
In 2016, Richardson was competing at the AAU Junior Olympics while many of her other competitors were in Eugene trying to make the Olympic team for Rio. After winning the 100m at the Junior Olympics, Richardson came back the next year and won the 100m at the USA Track and Field Junior Champion in 2017. Her early success prepared her for moments like these.
“Age doesn't matter when you step on the track,” Richardson said. “It's about who's been working the hardest at practice, it's about who has the heart, who wants to go into that finish line first.”
The Olympic Trials Champion showed that heart and determination in both her semifinal and final performance in the 100. Richardson’s sizable wins seemed to fuel her celebration that followed the finish line.
Sha’Carri Richardson takes a moment to appreciate her gold medal from the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field. Photo by Adam Eberhardt
“I use my age as honestly an intimidating factor to everybody else getting on the track,” Richardson said. “If you've been doing this and I step on the scene, I'm letting you know, ‘I respect you, but at the end of day when we go on this line, what you've been doing, you have to do that against me,’ and we just go on from there.”
Even at her own young age, Richardson is fast becoming an inspiration for younger athletes. Her message to those athletes is to stay true to their own individuality, a mindset that Richardson embodies.
“It's okay to have role models, but at the end of the day never be someone else,” she said. “Always continue to be yourself and work hard.”
One of the ways that Richardson expresses her individuality is through her various colourful hairstyles. She sported bright orange hair for the trials, a color that was picked out by her girlfriend for being “loud, encouraging, and honestly dangerous,” which seems to be a pretty apt encapsulation of Richardson’s persona on the track.
It doesn’t hurt that it looks like flames when she reaches top speed.
There are high hopes and big hype around Richardson’s Olympic debut. The Guardian calls her “the most exciting, compelling, and intriguing sprinter since Usain Bolt.” Many are hoping that Richardson might be able to snag the USA’s first gold medal in the women’s 100m since Gail Devers’ win in 1996.
But one thing is for sure, American fans cannot wait to see Sha’Carri take on the Olympics.