- Sha'Carri Richardson is making her debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- Richardson missed the 2020 Tokyo Games after testing positive for marijuana during Olympic trials.
Sha'Carri Richardson, one of the world's most formidable track and field stars, is primed to dominate at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In June 2024, the 24-year-old, 5-foot-tall sprinter won the 100-meter race at the US Olympic Trials with a time of 10.71 seconds, making her the fastest woman heading into the Paris Games. Richardson also competes in the 200-meter distance.
Richardson's journey from Dallas, Texas, to the Olympics has been anything but a sprint. In fact, it's been more like a marathon.
Sha'Carri Richardson's road to the 2024 Olympics
Richardson has had a long and difficult road to the Olympics, beset by controversy. She was a rising star in 2021 and won the 100-meter dash at the US Olympic Trials, and was widely expected to bring home a medal from the Tokyo Olympics.
But Richardson was unable to compete in Tokyo after testing positive for THC, the substance found in marijuana, which is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Richardson owned up to the drug use, explaining she had used marijuana to help cope with the death of her biological mother.
Many believed the setback would end her career. In the years following the scandal, her reputation suffered and Richardson struggled to win races, even withdrawing from a few.
However, defying expectations, she staged an impressive comeback ahead of the Paris Games.
At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Richardson ran the 100 meters in 10.65 seconds, earning gold and reclaiming her place among the fastest women in history. She also won gold in the 4x100-meter relay and bronze in the 200-meter race.
The 2024 Games mark Richardson's first time competing in the Olympics, and she's not taking it for granted.
Here's what you need to know about Richardson before this year's Olympics in Paris.
Richardson's challenging upbringing and rise to track and field stardom
Richardson was born in Dallas and grew up estranged from her biological parents. She was raised by her grandmother, Betty Harp, lovingly known as "Big Momma," and her aunt Shayaria Richardson.
She began racing at the age of nine, with her aunt as her first coach.
It was clear early on that Richardson had aspirations for stardom — she attended David W. Carter High School in Dallas, where she was the top sprinter in her class.
In 2016, Richardson won the 100-meter race at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympics. She won the same distance the following year at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Junior Olympics.
In 2017, Richardson also competed in the Pan American U20 Athletics Championships for athletes under 20, winning gold with her teammates in the 4x100-meter relay.
After graduating from high school, Richardson enrolled at Louisiana State University. In her year there, she became a finalist at the 2019 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships and set world records in the 100-meter and 200-meter relays.
In 2019, Richardson left LSU to train as a professional athlete under her current coach, Dennis Mitchell, a former Olympic sprinter who won a gold medal and a bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Her biggest competition in the Paris Olympics
Richardson may be new to Olympic competition — but don't count her out.
She's proven she can keep up with the best and has a great chance of winning against even the most seasoned sprinters.
Among her fiercest rivals are Jamaican sprinting legends Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 37, and Shericka Jackson, 30.
Fraser-Pryce, with eight total medals, is the first 100-meter sprinter ever to win individual medals in four consecutive Olympic Games. She has also excelled at the World Championships, earning fifteen medals.
Jackson has won five Olympic medals. At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, she ran the second-fastest time ever recorded for the 200-meter relay, completing her leg in 21.41 seconds.
Despite their exceptional speed, Richardson might still pose a challenge.
At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Fraser-Pryce and Jackson finished behind Richardson in the 100-meter event. They came in second and third place, respectively.
Richardson is a star on and off the track
While undeniably fueled by her superhuman athletic abilities, Richardson's rise to fame is also helped by her larger-than-life personality.
Her authenticity and bold sense of style — characterized by her striking long nails and vividly colored hairstyles — have made her a standout both on and off the track.
Whether she's sporting mandarin orange hair, as she did at the June 2021 US Olympic Trials, or bright blue locks at the USATF Golden Games later that year, she sends a clear and powerful message: she's unapologetically confident and refuses to blend in with the rest.
Although her exact net worth is unclear, Richardson is likely among the highest-earning Olympic athletes in Paris. Richardson has lucrative endorsement deals with major brands like Nike, Sprite, and Olay, and has appeared on magazine covers such as Vogue.
In March 2024, she was also announced as the face of Nike's Spring 2024 collaboration with French luxury fashion brand Jacquemus.
Richardson has also worked with companies like Oikos, Beats by Dre, and Android.
Richardson prefers to keep her personal life private; it's unclear if she is dating anyone currently, but the athlete is openly bisexual and has publicly expressed support for the LGBTQ community.