Who is Sha'Carri Richardson? All About the Fastest Woman in the World

Sha'Carri Richardson is a track sensation for the United States, but she has faced major ups and downs in her athletic career.

In June 2021, she made national headlines after qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics (held in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), winning the women's 100-meter race at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon. By clocking in at 10.86 seconds, Richardson secured her spot on Team USA at 21 years old, according to The Washington Post.

However, she was suspended for one month from the team for testing positive for THC, a chemical in marijuana, and ended up missing the entire Olympics.

Though an initial hurdle in the sprinter's career, Richardson went on to earn the title of the world's fastest woman after she set a record time and placed first in the 100-meter race at the world track and field championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August 2023. Besting the late Tori Bowie, who previously held the record in 2017, Richardson became the second non-Jamaican world champion since Carmelita Jeter in 2011.

With charisma and confidence both on and off the track, Richardson will have all eyes on her in preparation to qualify for the U.S. team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

"You bring who you are onto the track. You bring your athlete into your life," Richardson said when asked about her biggest victory during a live chat on Instagram (via CBS News). "Just knowing that people know me not just as an athlete, but as a person. There is no separate, honestly."

So who is Sha'Carri Richardson? Here's everything to know about the track superstar and her history-making journey.

She briefly ran track for Louisiana State University

The Dallas native got her start in track at a young age. According to the Dallas Independent School District, Richardson was a standout athlete at Carter High School before attending Louisiana State University (LSU).

During her freshman year at LSU, she won the 2019 NCAA title in a college-record 10.75 seconds, per her official athlete bio. She also earned several awards and honors during her first year, including being named SEC freshman track athlete of the year and receiving the 2019 Bowerman award, the highest individual honor in collegiate track and field, noted the USTFCCA (U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association).

Following the successful season, Richardson announced in a note shared on Twitter (now X) in June 2019 that she would be ending her track journey at LSU to begin her "life long [sic] dream" of being a professional athlete.

She lost her biological mother prior to the Olympic Trials

Richardson made it known that her family comes first — and that was clear during the June 2021 U.S. trials when she headed to hug her grandmother immediately after winning the women's 100-meter race. She embraced her grandmother, who then kissed her forehead in a touching post-victory moment. Richardson told NBC Sports that she's been through a lot with her family and appreciates their constant support.

"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 during an interview after the race. "My biological mother passed away, and [I'm] 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."

Richardson did not elaborate on the circumstances of the death of her biological mother, but did say that her family and coach were the only people who really knew what goes on in her life, and she expressed gratitude for them.

"Without them, there would be no me. Without my grandmother, there would be no Sha'Carri Richardson. My family is my everything — my everything until the day I'm done," Richardson reportedly said.

Her colorful hair is a representation of her mood

Richardson often runs in full glam on the track. The athlete has competed with long, colorful nails and vibrant hair, allowing her to stand out during the race.

She actually switches her hair color often, revealing that the orange shade for the June 2021 U.S. trials was inspired by her girlfriend, who chose the color because it's "loud" and "dangerous," reported USA Today.

According to the Olympics' official website, Richardson has said that her hair hue is a way of expressing herself.

"The color is based off how I want to feel," she explained. "Like the red puts me in a very dominating mood. And, sometimes, I feel that can be overwhelming, so when I need to calm down, I have black hair. The black calms me and makes me blend in instead of being extra.

The track star continued, "The blonde is for when I'm going home to Texas. Or I'll wear it when I am away from home and wanting to feel like home."

Richardson has been compared to the late three-time Olympic gold medalist Florence Griffith Joyner (a.k.a. "Flo-Jo"), who was also known for her flamboyant style on the track. She acknowledged the comparisons by posting two photos of the track legend on Instagram in June 2019. 

"Y'all love talking about my hair & my nails like the greatest woman to ever enter the game didn't run in style," Richardson captioned the post.

Just weeks ahead of competing in Tokyo, Richardson told NBC Olympics that she's "got some tricks up [her] sleeve" with her hair, telling fans to "stay tuned" at the Olympic Games.

Though there wasn't an Olympic hair and beauty surprise due to her suspension, Richardson has sported pink hair and green braids since, as showcased on Instagram.

Ahead of her summer 2023 U.S. Track and Field Championships 100-meter sprint, she took off her orange wig and raced with her natural hair braided and pulled back, revealing heart and star designs on the sides of her head.

She didn't run at all in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

As a result of her one-month suspension from Team USA and being disqualified from the June 2021 Olympic trials after testing positive for THC, Richardson was unable to participate in the women's 100-meter race.

"I am human," she posted on Twitter (now X) in July of that year.

Richardson received a barrage of celebrity support from fellow athletes, including soccer player Sydney Leroux, former NBA player Dwyane Wade and track gold medalist Michael Johnson.

Skier Gus Kenworthy tweeted, "Marijuana is NOT a performance enhancing drug," while actor Seth Rogen chimed in on social media that racism and hatred is why weed is portrayed so negatively. Rogen added, "Also if weed made you fast, I'd be FloJo."

In a July 2, 2021, interview on Today with Savannah Guthrie, Richardson opened up about her suspension: "I know what I did. I know what I'm supposed to do and what I'm allowed not to do, and I still made that decision. But I'm not making an excuse or looking for any empathy in my case."

Though Richardson still qualified to run on the women's 4x100-meter relay team — as her suspension would have been over before that competition started — when USA Track & Field announced its roster for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics days later, Richardson's name was not on it. Her next and first Olympic opportunity would be the 2024 Paris Summer Games.

She revealed the lessons learned from the suspension

Months after not being able to participate in the Olympics, Richardson posted an Instagram Story where she celebrated how far she had come that year. She wrote tributes to loved ones and shared photos of herself with them.

"I thank y'all for teaching me the strength I never knew I had. I thank you for teaching me my value before I even knew it existed. I thank y'all for teaching me to live my truth yet understand my future. I thank you for teaching me not to want for anything and to work for everything," she wrote. "To my babies I WILL NEVER STOP SO YALL CAN KEEP GOING. 2022 I don't feel sorry for any of you."

In February 2022, Richardson spoke candidly on how self-loved helped her to work through her suspension and what it means to be a Black woman in sports.

"That entire situation taught me to look into myself and to see that I have to be grounded because do you see how fast they flip?" she told Teen Vogue, referring to people who change their perception of others — notably Black women — when a mistake is made.

"It almost seems like we have to be superheroes," Richardson said. "It's just irritating because you take away the abilities, you take away the speed, you take away the talent … and we're still human."

She made her comeback in August 2023, becoming the fastest woman in the world

Though she placed ninth at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic — her first track appearance after the suspension and missing the Tokyo Olympics — and didn't qualify for the 100-meter sprint at the 2022 World Championships, Richardson didn't give up.

In July 2023, she finished first at the U.S. Track and Field Championships. The following month, she won the 100-meter race at the World Athletics Championships in 10.65 seconds — setting a record for the event and earning the title of the fastest woman in the world.

The win came just a day after she told NBC Olympics, in a video captured by CNBC, that she was focusing on herself rather than what everyone else was saying.

"I'm not worried about the world anymore," Richardson said. "I've seen the world be my friend. I've seen the world turn on me, but at the end of the day, I've always been with me. God has always been with me, so being on this scale now, it's my time."

And it was.

Her high school's track was named in her honor in November 2023

In November 2023, Richardson's high school district, Dallas ISD, named the track at John E. Kincaide Stadium after her.

At the dedication ceremony, Richardson told The Dallas Morning News she was "speechless" and "this is one of those full-circle moments."

"I hope this communicates not to just my community, but to the children, to the adults, that there is so much more," she said. "Never forget where you come from. You want to use it as motivation."

Richardson's wishes are already coming to fruition. At the event, Carter High School track member LaMya Jordan said, per the newspaper, "It's pretty inspiring, seeing someone who came from where I come from and doing things really big. It makes me want to go out and do the same."