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Sha'Carri Richardson has cemented her status as one of the finest track and field athletes in the world courtesy of some impressive performances over the past year. The 24-year-old made her Olympic debut in Paris a few weeks back and ended up with two medals.
Richardson won the silver in the 100m run, finishing behind Julien Alfred, while helping the United States 4x100m relay team to gold. Additionally, she also has three World Championships medals to her name, two of which are gold. She is currently sixth in the overall world rankings while being No. 1 in 100m.
In addition to her performances on the track, the American is also known for her long nails, which are similar to that of the great Florence Griffith-Joyner.
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On that note, let us take a look at five unknown facts about Sha'Carri Richardson.
#1 Sha'Carri Richardson is the fifth-fastest 100m runner in history
Richardson is among the fastest female 100m sprinters of all time, with a career-quickest timing of 10.65 seconds, which is the joint-fifth fastest ever. She is tied with Marion Jones and Shericka Jackson. Only the legendary Florence Griffith-Joyner, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Carmelita Jeter have recorded faster 100m timings than the 24-year-old.
Richardson's best moments in 2024 came in the 100m as she won the Olympic silver in the discipline and was a part of the gold-winning 4x100m relay team. The LSU alumna clocked 10.87 seconds in the 100m final while taking 10.09 seconds to run the final leg in the 4x100m relay final and guiding the United States to the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
#2 In 2023, Sha'Carri Richardson had a track and a day named in her honor in Dallas
2023 was a year to remember for Sha'Carri Richardson, as she won three medals at the World Championships in Budapest. She clinched the gold in the 100m and 4x100m relay events while clinching a 200m bronze.
That year, Richardson was also honored in her birthplace Dallas as a track at the city's Kincaide Stadium was named after her. The Dallas Independent School District also named November 10 as "Sha'Carri Richardson Day".
Speaking about having a track at the Kincaide Stadium named after her, Richardson said that she was "speechless".
"This means so much if you from the city, you know the stadium is rooted in memories . I’m literally speechless," the American wrote on social media.
#3. Sha'Carri Richardson identifies as bisexual
Sha'Carri Richardson is bisexual, as claimed by her in an old tweet in 2015. The American, who was only 15 at the time, said that her family knew about her sexuality.
"My family know im bi," the then-teenager wrote.
Richardson has been in a relationship before with Janeek Brown, one that she called "abusive". Brown later spoke about their breakup in 2022, claiming that both she and Richardson were physically and mentally abusive.
“We were both abusive, mentally, verbally, physically, everything and if I’m going be on this and keeping it real as f***, we been abusive through most of this relationship. There’s people who [have] seen that and people who know that," Janeek Brown said.
#4. She was brought up by her grandmother and her aunt
Richardson was raised by her aunt Shayaria Richardson and her grandmother Betty Harp.
“Having those people in my life, it just really showed me that it’s love out there. It’s what made me who I am today," she said in the 2020 documentary "Prodigy" as quoted by Andscape.
In 2023, Richardson's aunt congratulated her on being named the "USATF Athlete of the Year. She responded by calling her "Momma".
"I love you Momma," the Dallas native said.
Sha'Carri Richardson's grandmother has often been seen attending her races and she was also present in Paris, watching her win two medals.
#5. Richardson set an U20 collegiate world record
The American broke the 100m U20 world record during the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, clocking 10.75 seconds. The then-19-year-old thus bettered Marlies Gohr's record that stood for 42 years.
While World Athletics have not ratified this record, it is recognised by Olympics.com. Interestingly, this timing is better than the 10,87 seconds Richardson clocked to take the 100m silver at the Paris Olympics.
