The 21-year-old track star made headlines after winning the 100m race at the U.S. trials, qualifying her for the Tokyo Olympics.
Sha'Carri Richardson is now the fastest woman in America, and made headlines over the weekend after qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. Clocking in at 10.86 seconds, Richardson won the women's 100m race at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon, securing her spot on Team USA at just 21 years old.
The young athlete has certainly captured fans' attention as a stand out on the track. Here are three things to know about the track and field star before we head to Japan for this summer's games.
She Won Amid Heartbreaking Loss
After Saturday's race, the Richardson told NBC that the year has been "crazy" for her, and revealed that her biological mother had died just a week before the race. But that wasn't going to keep Richardson from achieving her dreams and making her family, who she called "my everything," proud.
"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. "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."
"My family is my everything," Richardson shared. "My everything until the day I'm done."
She Ran Track at Louisiana State University
Richardson was a star early on, running track and field at Carter High School in Dallas, Texas, before attending Louisiana State University.
During her freshman year at LSU, she won the 2019 NCAA title in a college record 10.75 seconds. During her time there, she was named SEC freshman track athlete of the year and received collegiate track and field's highest honor, the Bowerman Award, in 2019.
In June 2019, Richardson took to social media to announce that she would be ending her track and field career at LSU to begin her journey of becoming a professional athlete.
She Keeps It Glam on the Track
Not only did Richardson win on Saturday, but she did it in style, sporting full hair, makeup and nails as she dashed across the finish line.
The orange hair she rocked for the Olympic trials was actually picked out by Richardson's girlfriend, USA Today reported. "My girlfriend actually picked my color," Richardson said ahead of the race. "She said it like, spoke to her, the fact that it was just so loud and vibrant, and that’s who I am."
According to the Olympics' official website, Richardson uses her hair as a way to express herself.
"The color is based off how I want to feel. 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," she explained.
Richardson 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 will surely keep the looks coming. The track star told NBC Sports that she's "got some tricks up my sleeve" when it comes to her hair at the Olympic Games, and teased fans should "stay tuned."
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