Sha’Carri Richardson: Sprint superstar causes a sensation at the Olympics

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Sha’Carri Richardson
The sprint superstar causes a sensation

Sha’Carri Richardson

© Getty Images

Soon they will finally start: The 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Already an absolute highlight: Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson. GALA explains why.

Long eyelashes, longer fingernails and even longer, colorful hair: Sha’Carri Richardson, 21, is a real eye-catcher on the tartan track. But it would be too easy to reduce the American sprinter, who is considered one of the greatest hopes for a medal in the country at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, to just her eye-catching appearance. It heralds a new era for star athletes.

Sha’Carri Richardson: Your story

In the third grade, Richardson, who calls running icon Florence Griffith-Joyner an idol, began with athletics; In 2016 she won the state championships for her high school athletics team in Dallas, Texas. This was followed by successes in the US U20 championships and the Pan American U20 championships. With a 100-meter time of 10.72 seconds, Sha’Carri Richardson caused a sensation worldwide on April 10th – only five athletes were officially ever faster on this route. At the end of June, she qualified in Eugene, Oregon to take part in the Olympic Games. After her successful qualification, she thanked her partner and explained that she had chosen her current hair color orange: “It’s loud and lively and has reminded her of me.”

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What nobody knew: Before this competition, which was about everything for the 1.55m tall athlete, Richardson had to cope with a severe blow of fate: her birth mother died. “I’m still here. Last week I found out that my biological mother had died. And yet I decided to pursue my dreams and make my family proud,” said Richardson in an interview. “Everyone sees my poker face, but only my family and my coach know what I go through every day.”

The mother left the family early, Richardson grew up with her aunt and is very open about personal issues: “I have a therapist,” she admitted. One should know that athletes also have to fight internal struggles.

“We are human just like everyone else. But at the end of the day we all want to be heard and understood”.

So we can look forward to the moving performances of the young athlete – on and off the tartan track.

This text originally appeared on GALA.de.

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Brigitte

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