Sha'Carri Richardson

Sha'Carri Richardson (born March 25, 2000 ) is an American track and field sprinter who competes in the 100 meters and 200 meters races. Richardson rose to fame in 2019 as a freshman at Louisiana State University, running 10.75 seconds to break the 100 m collegiate record at the NCAA Division I Championships. This winning time made her one of the ten fastest women in history at 19 years old.

In April 2021, Richardson ran a new personal best of 10.72 seconds, becoming the sixth-fastest woman of all time (at the time) and the fourth-fastest American woman in history. She qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics after winning the women's 100-meter dash with 10.86 in the United States Olympic Trials. On July 1, it was reported that Richardson had tested positive for cannabis use following her 100 m final at the U.S. Trials, invalidating her win and making her ineligible to compete in the 100 m at the Olympics. After successfully completing a counseling program, she accepted a one-month period of ineligibility that began on June 28, 2021. In July 2023, she became the US national champion in the women's 100 metres at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, running 10.82 seconds.

Richardson won gold in the 100 m at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, beating Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in a new championships record time of 10.65 seconds. On the penultimate day of the 2023 World Championships, she also won gold as part of Team USA in the women's 4 × 100m relay final with a championship record of 41.03 seconds. On June 22 2024, Richardson defended her title as the US national champion in the 100-metre sprint event by winning the women's 100m final in 10.71 seconds (WL), qualifying for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

Early career
As a teenager, Sha'Carri Richardson won the 100 m title at the AAU Junior Olympics—the largest national multi-sport event for youth in the United States—in 2016, then another title at the USATF Junior Olympics in 2017. She made her international debut at the 2017 Pan American U20 Athletics Championships, where she won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 meter relay alongside Gabriele Cunningham, Rebekah Smith, and Tara Davis.

Louisiana State University
In 2018, Richardson enrolled at Louisiana State University and began competing for the LSU Lady Tigers track and field team. She was a finalist in the 60-meter dash at the 2019 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships.

At the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, the 19-year-old completed the second-best female one-day double in history after Merlene Ottey, breaking two world U20 records. She won the 100 m with a time of 10.75 s, setting a collegiate record and improving Marlies Göhr's 42-year-old world U20 best. In the 200 m, she placed runner-up by less than one hundredth of a second in a time of 22.17 s, breaking Allyson Felix's record set at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She also ran in the 4 × 100 m relay which finished second.

Four days after the NCAA Championships, she announced she would forgo collegiate eligibility after her first year, and sign a professional contract. She trains with former Olympic sprinter Dennis Mitchell and is sponsored by Nike.

2021: Tokyo Olympics and suspension
Richardson qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics with a 100-meter time of 10.86 seconds at the 2020 United States Olympic Trials. It was 0.13 seconds faster than Javianne Oliver, who finished second. A urine sample that she submitted tested positive for THC metabolites, however, indicating recent cannabis use and putting her participation in the Olympics in doubt. After successfully completing a counseling program, she accepted a one-month suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that began on June 28, 2021. While Richardson was ineligible for the Olympic 100 meters due to the suspension ending on July 27, 2021, she could have been eligible for the Women's 4 × 100 relay scheduled for August 5, 2021. However, she was not selected, thereby missing the Olympics entirely.

Richardson stated that she took the drug to cope with the pressure of qualifying for the Olympics while mourning the recent death of her biological mother. Her suspension was criticized by many individuals and organizations in favor of liberalizing cannabis policies, including NORML, members of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, and other members of Congress. U.S. President Joe Biden also suggested that drug-testing rules governing athletes could be changed. USADA responded to the criticism by pointing out that as a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code, it has an obligation to enforce it in the United States. Furthermore, they stated that changing those rules might be problematic, as the vast majority of the world's nation states consider consuming marijuana a criminal offense. In response to the controversy, in September 2021, the World Anti-Doping Agency announced that it would conduct a review regarding the prohibited status of cannabis. Cannabis has remained a prohibited drug for Olympic athletes since 1999, though in 2013 the World Anti-Doping Agency increased the level of THC metabolite allowed from 15 ng/mL to 150 ng/mL.

Richardson returned to the track at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic, placing ninth – last place – with a time of 11.14 seconds. The Tokyo medalists, Jamaicans Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, repeated their placements.

2023: World Champion
On April 8, 2023, she ran the fourth-fastest 100 m by a woman in all conditions, clocking 10.57 seconds with a strong, illegal 4.1 m/s tailwind to win the women's final at the Miramar Invitational. It converts to 10.77 s in still conditions. In May 2023, she secured her first Diamond League victory, winning the 100 m in Doha with a new meeting record of 10.76 s (+0.9 m/s).

In July 2023, Richardson participated at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. On July 7, 2023, Richardson became the US national champion in the 100-metre sprint event by winning the women's 100m final in 10.82 seconds, qualifying for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. On the third day of the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, she won her first major individual title on the international stage, winning gold in the women's 100-metre sprint event in a championship record of 10.65 seconds. On August 25, 2023, she won bronze in the women's 200 m final in 21.92 seconds, finishing behind USA teammate Gabrielle Thomas (21.81), and defending women's 200m world champion Shericka Jackson (21:41 CR). She would also go on to win gold as part of Team USA in the women's 4 × 100m relay final with a championship record of 41.03 seconds. Her teammates in this event were Tamari Davis, Twanisha Terry, and Gabrielle Thomas.

2024: Paris Olympics
In June 2024, Richardson won the US Olympic Trials 2024 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. On June 22, 2024, Richardson defended her title as the US national champion in the 100-meter sprint event by winning the women's 100m final in 10.71 seconds. She did not qualify for the 200m, though, coming fourth in the final.

Personal life
Richardson was raised by her grandmother Betty Harp and an aunt. In 2021, a week before her qualifying race for the 2020 Summer Olympics, her biological mother died. Richardson knew nothing of her mother's passing until she was asked about it by a reporter. Richardson stated that she smoked marijuana, in the state of Oregon where it is legal, after learning about the death of her biological mother.

She is noted for her long nails and colorful hair on the field, and she has stated that her style is inspired by that of Florence Griffith Joyner.

In 2021, Richardson stated that she has a girlfriend. She gave a Twitter shout-out to the LGBTQ community immediately after her win in June 2021. Richardson identifies as bisexual.

Circuit wins

 * Diamond League
 * 2023: Doha Diamond League, Chorzów Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, Zürich Weltklasse
 * 2024: Prefontaine Classic

National titles

 * NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships
 * 100 m: 2019
 * AAU Junior Olympics
 * 100 m: 2016, 2017
 * USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
 * 100 m: 2023, 2024

Namesakes
In 2023, a track at John Kincaide Stadium was renamed the Sha'Carri Richardson Track.

November 10, 2023 was declared Sha'Carri Richardson Day in Dallas, Texas.