Sha'Carri Richardson is making major waves right now. Seriously, you're going to want to remember her name. The 21-year-old athlete just qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after winning the women’s 100-meter race at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon. She had an incredible time of 10.86 seconds.
Sha'Carri is hard to miss with her big energy, huge smile, piercings, and tattoos. Oh, and don't forget the bright orange hair — a color she says her girlfriend told her to go with in order to be "loud and encouraging and dangerous.” But the moment that caught everyone's attention even more was what Sha'Carri did just after winning her race.
She stormed through the stands to find her grandmother and hug her, practically falling into her arms. It was one of the most beautiful scenes to ever come out of the Olympic trials.
The moment was just simply stunning. But it's even more touching when you know Sha'Carri's story. She told NBC Sports after the race that her biological mother had only just died.
Just after the interview, Sha'Carri headed straight for her grandmother. But she had a lot to say after that race. Most of it was about the gratitude she has for her family. “My family has kept me grounded. This year has been crazy for me, going from just last week losing my biological mother, and I’m still here,” she said.
Sha'Carri is already turning heads for all of the best reasons. She's fast, she's fierce, and she is full of life. But now she wants people to know who she is and what she's been through.
“Last week, finding out my biological mother passed away and still choosing to pursue my dreams, still coming out here, still making sure to make the family that I do still have on this Earth proud, and the fact that nobody knows what I go through."
Hearing about her struggles has only made people more interested in this incredible athlete.
Watching her run makes her strength apparent. But once you hear her talk about her life and how much she has already overcome at just 21, you feel that strength come through even more. It simply makes her the woman you want to root for.
Sha'Carri said that her family is so important to her, especially because they are the only people who really know what she goes through. To the rest of the world, she puts on a poker face.
"And I’m highly grateful for them," she said. "Without them, there would be no me. Without my grandmother, there would be no Sha’Carri Richardson. So my family is my everything. My everything is for the day I’m done.”
“Unbelievable!” she said. “The fact that I am an Olympian, no matter what is said or anything, I am an Olympian, a dream since I’ve been young — I’m pretty sure everybody’s dream as a track athlete — so being happy is an understatement.”
We simply can't wait to watch Sha'Carri in the Olympics. This woman has so much passion and gratitude for life. She's also just an astoundingly talented athlete who is more than likely about to crush it in Tokyo.
