She fell down. She got up. Now she needs to win.
For Sha’Carri Richardson, Paris will be the place where she becomes a legend, or another “coulda-woulda-shoulda been.” The Olympics are cruel. Four years is a long time to wait for redemption, and repeat opportunities are far from guaranteed.
“I know that the hard work I’ve put into, not just physically on the track but as well as mentally and emotionally to grow into the mature young lady that I am today and that I’m going to grow into was a full-fledged surreal moment for me to actually embrace and be able to show to the world and on the track,” the 24-year-old told ESPN after running a time of 10.71 seconds in June to qualify for the 100-meter competition at the Olympics.
Richardson became the fastest woman on Earth after winning the 100-meter title at the World Championships with a time of 10.65 seconds — beating not one, but two Jamaicans. Richardson completed step one. Step two was checked off the list when she made the Olympic team, though she failed to qualify for the 200-meter sprint in Paris. Step three is winning gold in France, as an individual or as an expected lock for the 4×100 relay team.
However, before we can think about what could happen to Richardson, we can’t ignore her past. It’s a pivotal part of her story, and the reason why Paris will host the most important races of her life.
“It sent me into a state of emotional panic,” she told NBC after finding out that her biological mother had passed away during the Olympic trials for the 2020 Games. That led to marijuana use, which was followed by a positive drug test that disqualified her from participating in Tokyo along with a suspension by the World Anti-Doping Agency. “I didn’t know how to control my emotions or deal with my emotions during that time.”
No matter if you’re reading this from a state where marijuana is legal or not, it doesn’t mean much. It doesn’t matter how “cool” weed has become in pop culture, negative stereotypes and stigmas are still applied when Black people indulge.
After enduring a family tragedy and being booted from the Olympic team, the hits kept coming for Richardson. She became an easy target to attack, especially for the Black people who’ll say anything to be acknowledged by the white gaze. “Legalizing weed in [the] track and field competition is terribly dangerous if you throw the javelin,” said FS1’s Emmanuel Acho in a now-deleted tweet, when discussing Richardson at the time. Richardson lashed out at “the media,” she finished last in the 100 meters at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic, and she even took shots at track legends Allyson Felix and Usain Bolt.
“Encouraging words on TV shows are just as real as well nothing at all,” Richardson posted on social media. That post was in response to a comment that Felix made on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live when asked about Richardson’s suspension. “She’s obviously been through so much,” Felix said. “I hope that she’s just supported. I hope that people rally around her. Obviously, she has a great personality, and she’s brought a lot of attention to the sport. I think she’ll be in the sport for a very long time.”
Felix went on to say, “I think just more than anything, for all athletes, there’s so much that goes into it — we just, you know, give her the support that she needs.”
And when Bolt said that she should “train harder” and “not say too much” Richardson went to social media again, “Everybody want to give advice in the media but none of them actually take the time to speak to her outside the media. So I feel her. Stop speaking on me when you don’t even speak to me.”
It was if Richardson was turning on the community that had held her down, and it wasn’t a good look.
Then she took Donnie McClurkin’s advice. It was needed. Life comes at you fast when you’re confident and unapologetic. Those are personality traits that people either love to hate — especially if you’re a Black woman.
“In the past three years, I’ve grown a better understanding of myself, a deeper respect and appreciation for my gift that I have in the sport, as well as my responsibility to the people that believe in and support me,” Richardson explained in June. “I feel like all of those components have helped me grow and will continue to help me grow into the young lady that I have been divined and by God been blessed to be.”
Lately, her mantra has been, “I’m not back, I’m better.” It’s the motto of a person who’s self-aware and constantly evolving. “I don’t just mean I’m a better runner,” she recently told Vogue. “It’s beyond that. I’m better at being Sha’Carri. I’m better at being myself.”
On the track, the closest sensation we’ve seen to Flo-Jo now has a chance to cement her name in history on the world’s biggest stage. And from Richardson’s interviews to the way she’s carried herself, it feels like this might be the moment when “That Girl” wins “That Gold.”
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