"Those moments were scary" - Sha'Carri Richardson opens up on how struggling with self-expression led her to rediscover herself

Sha'Carri Richardson recently opened up about her struggles with self-expression as she navigated the pressures of fame and public scrutiny. Richardson made her Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Games after missing the Tokyo edition due to a doping ban.

Richardson secured a spot to compete at the Tokyo Games after dominating the event at the Trials. During a post-match interview, she was informed about her biological mother's death by a journalist, which had occurred a week earlier.

In the wake of the devastating news, she turned to marijuana as a way to cope with the overwhelming grief. The American was then suspended, which forced her to remain distant from competing in the 2022 World Athletics Championships, ultimately missing what could have been her first Olympic debut.

However, the 24-year-old made a return with unwavering love and support from strong Black women in her life, including her grandmother Betty Harp, and her aunt Shay Richardson, whom she calls Mom.

In an interview with Essence magazine, Richardson stated that trying to defend herself from criticism and losing her true self left her unhappy.

“Coming into this level of fame—I definitely had moments where I felt as if I would have to sacrifice who I am, in order to have a career, in order to be what the world had basically deemed me to be,” Richardson said."And those moments were scary, because I’m like, If I can’t be me, I can’t even give you all what you respect and love me for. I wasn’t happy when I wasn’t being myself."

"But the unhappiness is what got me back to myself," she added.

Sha'Carri Richardson expresses content with the new phase in her life

Sha'Carri Richardson during the Olympic Games Paris 2024. (Photo via Getty Images)

After navigating a challenging period in her life and career Sha'Carri Richardson redeemed her status as a promising athlete by clinching victories at the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships, 2023 World Athletics Championships, and 2024 Games.

In the same interview, she expressed that her life is filled with positivity and she is no longer in "survival mode."

"I just feel like everything in my life is brighter now,” Richardson said. “I don’t have any darkness weighing me down, even within myself. I’m just at a different point in my life, where I’m not in survival mode—I’m in a loving energy. I love taking care of my family. I love taking care of my training partners. I just love the fact that I’ve been blessed to be in a position to show that divine energy."

At the Paris Games, Sha'Carri Richardson secured a silver medal in 100m and a gold medal in the women's 4x100m relay race.