In the lead up to the Paris Olympics this summer, For The Win will be profiling the stars competing on the world's biggest stage. In the 15 days leading up to the Opening Ceremony, we'll be profiling 15 athletes from Team USA. First up is Shakyari Richardson.
Missing out on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics may have been the best thing that happened to Sha'Kary Richardson.
From that moment on, she came back better and faster than ever before. In fact, she is now the fastest woman in the world. Richardson is the new face of the U.S. women's 100-meter race.
Will she win gold in August? We'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, here are five things you need to know about her before she competes.
1. Shakari Richardson has been banned from the 2021 Olympics
Sha'Carey Richardson wins the first round of the women's 200 meters on day seven of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Eugene, Oregon.
After failing a drugs test, Richardson has been barred from competing in the 2021 Olympics.
She had won the 100m Olympic trials in June 2021, earning her a place on the national team, but then tested positive for marijuana, a substance still banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. She was suspended for one month and was barred from competing in the Olympics. She later issued a public apology for the incident.
2. She wins the U.S. Olympic Trials again in 2024
Richardson also won the Olympic qualifying round this year, clocking 10.71 seconds in the final.
Shakari Richardson ran the fastest 100 meters in the world this year. #ParisOlympics! pic.twitter.com/ke9xz7EZ7H
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 23, 2024
Richardson's time was the fastest in the world this year, beating the following qualifiers:
- Jasius Sears (10.77)
- Julian Alfred (10.78)
- Melissa Jefferson (10.80)
- Sherica Jackson (10.84)
- Tia Clayton (10.86)
That's amazing.
Richardson placed fourth in the 200 meters at the U.S. Trials, missing the qualifying round by 0.26 seconds.
3. He celebrated with his family immediately after winning.
The moment was priceless after Richardson qualified for the race. She immediately ran to her grandmother in the stands and gave her a tearful hug.
What a wonderful moment.
It was a family moment Shacarie Richardson will never forget. #TrackfieldTrial24 pic.twitter.com/WyZCgyE6S0
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) June 23, 2024
Richardson was raised by her grandmother, Betty Harp, and her mother died just a week before the 2021 Olympic Trials, making her exclusion heartbreaking in part.
4. She set a world championship record in the women's 100 meters
Richardson ran the 100 metres in 10.65 seconds at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, the fastest time in the history of the race.
Afterwards, Richardson left us with this great line: “I'm not back, I'm just better.”
@nbcolympics “I'm not back, I'm just feeling better.” Shacarri Richardson wins the national championship in the women's 100m. #track #usatf #running #shacarririchardson
♬ Original Sound – NBC Olympics & Paralympics
She is absolutely right.
5. Richardson's Olympic journey begins on Aug. 2.
Richardson and the other athletes in the women's 100 meters will start at 4 a.m. ET on August 2. The final will be held on August 3.
