Sha’Carrie Richardson is one of the most entertaining, colorful, joyous and talented athletes in the sprints. The women’s 100m in Tokyo, featuring Sha’Carri, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, Blessing Okagbare, Dina Asher-Smith, and Javianne Oliver is worth the trip to Tokyo!
This piece is by Joe Zochert, SOJC Track Bureau for RunBlogRun.
It is a cooperative program between RunBlogRun and Professor Lori Shontz, and her students.
All pieces are edited by Lori Shontz and Larry Eder.
Sha’Carri Richardson, 100m USOT Champion, photo by Kevin Morris
For want of a hug, Sha’Carri Richardson hugs her grandmother,
By Joe Zochert
SOJC Track Bureau for RunBlogRun
EUGENE, Ore. — After winning the women’s 100 meters in a time of 10.86 and making her first Olympic team on Saturday night, the first person Sha’Carri Richardson wanted to hug was her grandmother, who was in the Hayward Field stands.
“That moment for me, the reason why I did it, the passion that I have, the people in the stands, they’re the reason I’m here,” Richardson said. “It felt amazing, it felt surreal. I can’t wait to go see my family and let it all sink in.”
Richardson, 21, posted the fastest times in each of the three rounds at her first Olympic Trials. In the semifinals, she pointed at the clock before crossing the finish line and still had the fastest time of 10.64, beating which is .19 ahead of the heat’s runner-up, Javianne Oliver.
In the finals, she beat Oliver again, this time by a margin of .13, as she crossed the finish line with her arms raised above her head.
Her competition in the final included former Oregon Duck, English Gardner, who got a gold medal in the 4×100 relay in the 2016 Olympics.
“It’s just motivation to see everyone who’s in the sport who came in when I did. Showing people that age doesn’t matter. It’s about who has the heart to get to the finish line. I use my age as motivation,” said Richardson.
She is currently ranked No. 2 in the world in the 100 with only Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the 2019 100m world champion, ranked above her.
The LSU product stands out among the competition with her signature look: Her ever-changing hair color, which was dyed orange for the trials.
“It means to stand out so I am visible and able to be seen,” she said. “My girlfriend picked this color because it’s loud and, honestly, dangerous. She said you need to look the best and be the best,” Richardson said.
Richardson will look to get another Olympic spot in the 200 meters when qualifying begins Thursday. She is ranked fourth overall in the U.S. with a season-best of 23.61.
Regardless, her spot on the Olympic team is clinched, and she’s got a plan for her hair at the Tokyo Olympics.
“There will be some switching,” she said. “I got tricks up my sleeve for my hair. Stay tuned.”
