"Real recognizes real" - Sha'Carri Richardson recalls meeting Jackie Joyner-Kersee at USATF awards

Sha'Carri Richardson earned the 2023 Jackie Joyner-Kersee Female Athlete of the Year award for her exceptional achievements and athletic prowess in the 2023 season.

Richardson was presented with the USATF Female Athlete of the Year Award at the Night of Legends held on December 2, 2023, in Orlando, Florida. Her most notable achievement came at the 2023 World Championships, where she won the gold medal in the women's 100m.

Richardson beat two of the pre-race favorites, Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, after recording an impressive time of 10.65 seconds. Furthermore, the 23-year-old secured a bronze medal in the 200m event and led the American women's 4x100m relay team to secure gold by running the last leg of the race.

Right from missing out on competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to a doping ban and failing to qualify for the 2022 World Athletics Championships held on home soil to dominating two straight events in Budapest, Richardson proved herself worthy of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee award.

The fifth-fastest women's 100m sprinter of all time shared pictures of the night, where she is seen donning a stunning outfit resembling Tiana, a Disney princess. The pictures also include a portrait of Joyner-Kersee and the sprinter hugging the former athlete.

"Real recognize real," Richardson captioned the pictures.

Joyner-Kersee had a legendary journey in athletics, winning three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals in four Olympics in the Long Jump and Heptathlon events.

Along with Sha'Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles was awarded the 2023 Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year Award, Dennis Mitchell was awarded the 2023 USATF Nike Coach of the Year, and Shwanti Jackson won the 2023 USATF Youth Athlete of the Year.

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Sha'Carri Richardson enters the Forbes’ '30 under 30' sports list

Sha'Carri Richardson poses during the Team USA Paris 2024 Olympic Portrait Shoot at NBC Universal Studios Stage

Sha'Carri Richardson recently earned her spot in the Forbes 30 under 30 sports list (2024). Her performance at the 2023 World Athletics Championships and the 2023 Diamond League Series, including the victory at the Zurich meet, proved her worth of being placed among the other notable athletes.

Her Forbes bio includes information on Richardson missing out on the Tokyo Olympics and 2022 World Athletics Championships. The bio also praises Richardson for speaking openly about the use of cannabis to cope with her biological mother's death and then weaving a tale of redemption.

The 23-year-old is the only track and field athlete on the list, which also contains superstars such as Jessica Pegula, Kyle Kuzma, and Olivia Dunner.