From controversy to champion: The Sha’Carri Richardson story

Before becoming one of the fastest women in the world, stylish Olympian Sha’Carri Richardson started sports at a young age thanks to family support. Her running soared as she transitioned from high school success to the Junior Olympics, then college in Louisiana and the pros. The Texas native overcame adversity in her youth and the early phase of her career as she dealt with disqualification from the 2020 Olympics to later win medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Her resilience and personal style have already made her an icon and one of today’s most famous Black athletes as she continues to be outspoken and use her platform to help others.

Sha’Carri Richardson’s early life and rise in track and field

Sha’Carri Richardson had challenges from a young age that started with the separation from her birth parents. However, she had the love and support of her grandmother, Betty Harp, and her aunt Shayaria, who raised her. That same aunt was a successful track and field runner who would become her first running coach — and the person she calls mother. 

After Sha’Carri found Shayaria’s old high school medals, she knew she wanted to follow in her aunt’s athletic footsteps and make her grandmother proud. In an Interview, the Olympian said, “I want that [a medal]. I want you to bring me one, Granny.’ And [my grandmother] was like, ‘Well, you got to do something to get some medals!” Speaking on her passion, Sha’Carri’s aunt said, “She was committed. I would get home from work, and she would ask me to take her to the track.” 

Her family coaching would catapult her to becoming the top field sprinter in her class at David W. Carter High School and eventually the No. 1-ranked sprint recruit in the country. She won the 100-meter race at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympics in 2016.  At the USA Track & Field (USATF) Junior Olympics in 2017, she won the bronze medal in the 200 meters. That same year, she won team gold in the 4×100-meter relay in the Pan American U20 Athletics Championships for athletes under 20. 

The budding track star went on to Louisiana State University (LSU), where her collegiate record included setting world records in the 100-meter and 200-meter relays. She left school in 2019 to turn pro under Dennis Mitchell and got a contract with Nike.

The suspension controversy and Sha’Carri Richardson’s comeback.

After winning the 100m event in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon, Tokyo was in her sights. However, tragedy struck with the death of her biological mother, which she said she learned from a “complete stranger,” and it had been “triggering,” “nerve-shocking,” and caused “a state of emotional panic.”

To help cope with her grief, Sha’Carri used cannabis. After testing for THC, she suffered a 30-day suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), a move that meant she had to miss the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games and suffer massive public scrutiny.

However, the suspension was a temporary derailment for the future Olympic gold medalist. Other athletes and marijuana advocates spoke on her behalf while Nike kept her endorsement. One strong argument was that she used recreational cannabis in a state where it had been legal since 2016 — Oregon. Plus, the drug wasn’t used to enhance her performance. Her temporary suspension started a vital discussion about the relevance of banning marijuana, which doesn’t enhance performance, as part of anti-doping policies in light of increasing legalization throughout the United States.

How Sha’Carri Richardson faced adversity and returned stronger after the suspension

In the wake of her suspension, there were often racial overtones directed at her appearance. Her tattoos, colorful wigs and long eyelashes and nails became the topic of nasty commentary that forgot why she used cannabis to begin with — to help heal from the trauma of losing a parent seemed to be lost. As a higher education professor, Dr. Ciera Graham noted, “In response to her behavior, I heard every word in the lexicon — from ‘hood-rat,’ ‘ghetto,’ ‘low-life,’ etc.” However, it wasn’t the first time a Black female athlete was overly questioned or attacked for their appearance — hello Serena Williams — and even the late Flo-Jo, but still preserved as a winner and eventual style icon.

In an interview with “The Today Show,” Sha’Carri Richardson made a promise she was able to keep when she said, “This’ll be the last time the Olympics don’t see Sha’Carri Richardson. And this’ll be the last time the U.S. doesn’t come home with a gold medal in the 100.”

In the lead-up to her comeback, Sha’Carri didn’t hold back in her first major outdoor competition since the 2020 Olympic disqualification. She became the 100m – Women’s World Champion at the 2023 World Championship in Budapest, Hungary. Her win also set another record at 10.65 seconds. At the 2024 Diamond League Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, she easily won the Women’s 100m in 10.83 seconds.

Sha’Carri Richardson at the 2024 Olympics

Sha’Carri Richardson’s Olympics debut finally came true in 2024 when she officially joined other elite Black track and field athletes on the podium, making her 2020 suspension a distant memory. Thanks to her strong anchor leg on the 4×100m relay team, she secured Team USA’s Olympic gold medal with a time of 41.78s. She said in an interview, “It was a phenomenal moment, and I honestly was honored just to do that, with ladies who trusted me to be their anchor and to help us all bring that gold back to the States.”

Sha’carri Richardson’s Olympics 2024 also resulted in an individual honor in her specialty. In the 100m race, she came in second behind Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred to win the silver medal with a time of 10.87. After her medal win, there was controversy about a requirement to use a separate entrance for warm-up. An overnight rule didn’t allow entrance with personal drivers — the same gate she and other athletes used 24 hours before with no problem. The new entrance enforced at the last minute took an hour to get to, taking time away from proper warm-up, and in the opinion of some, may have cost her the 100m gold medal.

Her comeback at the 2024 Olympics is a testimony to the Texas native’s resilience and athletic prowess. She didn’t let personal tragedy and often unfair media coverage distract her from achieving her childhood dream and keeping her promise to her grandmother. Sha’carri was one of the highlights at the Paris games that many were looking forward to seeing, and she didn’t disappoint.

Sha’Carri Richardson’s cultural impact and influence

Richardson has come a long way and has been open about her personal growth, handling stress and how she focuses on what matters despite being a busy and successful athlete. The young star has several honest and positive messages for fans and others who may be struggling, showing how her influence is likely to go beyond her success in track.

During an interview with Nike, the track star reflected on the importance of “Staying focused on what you need to take care of: your family, your mother, your cousins. That’s where that comes from: listening to the ones around me that see the potential in me that I’m still learning to see for myself.”

When asked what advice she would give to other young Black women, she remarked, “It starts with a level of more acceptance of myself — meaning all of myself, not just the parts that I can tolerate.”

That self-acceptance, confidence and obvious flair for fashion — along with record-breaking talent — have contributed to making her an electrifying star. Thanks to her Nike endorsement, she wears the brand both on and off the field while also mixing it with luxury brands.

The late Flo Jo’s legacy lives on in the petite 5-foot star as both have proven that sweating and breaking records on the Olympic track doesn’t mean you can’t  — or shouldn’t — look good. Both women display long and colorful custom nails and swagger. Flo Jo had the one-legged bodysuit and often designed her own outfits while being unapologetically glamorous. She refused to play down her unique style to make others comfortable or be more acceptable to the mainstream gaze. Years later, Richardson said, “My [track] lane is my catwalk.”

In a viral moment that cemented Sha’Carri Richardson’s symbolism in her style, she tossed off her orange wig before winning the 2023 100m Championship to reveal her braids. When talking to Vogue, the track star revealed that moment came about because “I’m not gonna change the confidence that I have in myself ever. But at the same time, I have learned there is a way that I can carry that so much more gracefully.”

Sha’Carri Richardson’s enduring legacy in sports

So, what’s next for Sha’Carri? Expect to see the runner go full force in the 2025 track season at the Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo and the World Athletics Championships as the defending champion. In May 2025, she was among the athletes who attended the Met Gala. She was styled in a dress from Valentino by Alessandro Michele. The gown was a strapless butter-yellow chiffon dress with three tied bands in the chest area over a lavender lace bodice. She topped off her look with yellow and white bows in her hair.

Expect to see more of Sha’carri Richardson’s style on display thanks to her endorsements and collaborations, which include Nike, Beats and Apple Music. Her 2024 deal with Nike was for a reported $20 million through 2028. The same year, she became the first female athlete to get an endorsement deal with Sprite while also becoming a brand ambassador for Powerade. She’s also got a beauty deal as a brand ambassador for Olay products.

As far as her legacy, in addition to winning medals, she ran a personal best of 10.72 in 2021. That championship record time helped Richardson become the sixth-fastest woman of all time and the fourth-fastest American woman in history.

Her role in shaping the future of sprinting and track and field has included advocacy. She’s become an outspoken voice calling for better compensation and more governance for track and field. The sports star has also been honest about her vulnerability and the importance of mental health, especially after her public struggle after losing her mother. As she told the Today Show, “Don’t judge me because I am human. I’m you — I just happen to run a little faster.”