Yahoo Finance Sha'Carri Richardson Is Already the Breakout Star of the Summer Olympics
Cliff Hawkins, Getty Images
On Saturday, June 19th, Sha'Carri Richardson qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in less than 11 seconds. At just 21 years old, Richardson is currently the fastest woman in America and finished the 100-meter dash in just 10.65 seconds-eclipsing her former fastest time of 10.72-and she pointed at the clock for the last 30 meters to drive home the point that she is doing the damn thing.
The Dallas native and LSU grad is now on track to become the first American woman to win gold at the Olympics in the 100-meter since Gail Devers took home the medal in 1996.
"I just want the world to know that I'm that girl and that every time I step on the track I'm going to try to do what is that me, my coach, my support team believe I can do, and the talent that God blessed me to have," Richardson said in her post-race interview.
Richardson also noted that her starting is not the best. In fact, she was actually behind in the first leg of the 100-meter. But she credited her training to not panic for winning in the end.
"We know my starting is not quite the best like the world loves to point out," she joked, "But we know...the part of the race I do know I'm great at...we just continue to make sure I'm not too far behind so when I get to that part of the race I do what everybody else knows I can do."
And as the internet will gladly tell you, Richardson did just that in falsies, a lace-front wig, and acrylics because she really is that girl, as she said.
Sha’Carri Richardson wins olympic trials in full lace, lashes, and nails on Juneteenth. a true National Treasure pic.twitter.com/MOcMhDVliP
— Big Nik 🌈🇯🇲 (@NikTeezy) June 20, 2021
A week before this trial, Richardson's biological mother passed away. "My family has kept me grounded," Richardson told ESPN. "This year has been crazy for me. Last week, finding out my biological mother passed away, and still choosing to pursue my dreams, still coming out here, still here to make the family that I do still have on this earth proud."
There’s nothing like the love of a grandmother. Beautiful ❤️
21 year old Sha'Carri Richardson embraces her grandmother after qualifying for her first Olympic Games.
pic.twitter.com/Rf65ZiTmx4— Karine Jean-Pierre (@K_JeanPierre) June 22, 2021
Richardson said she's "highly grateful" for her family, including her grandmother who was watching her in the stands. "Without my grandmother, there would be no Sha'Carri Richardson," she continued. "My family is my everything, my everything until the day I'm done."
We cannot wait to see Richardson take to the track (and set it on fire) in Tokyo.
