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With the world looking forward to the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games set to start on July 23 and end on August 1 — 21-year-old Sha’Carri Richardson is one of the latest athletes to have secured her spot in the tournaments.
On June 19, the Dallas, Texas native was dubbed “America’s fastest woman” at the U.S. Olympic Trials. “With a time of 10.86 seconds,” she flew through the 100-meter final race and subsequently scored her spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
In an interview with NBC, the young athlete shared that very recently her biological mother had passed away. She ran straight into the arms of her grandmother after her win at the Trials — and in the same interview she emphasized that nobody really understood what she was going through besides her family and coach. Notably, Sha’Carri said it was her lifelong dream to become an Olympian.
“Without my grandmother, there would be no Sha’Carri Richardson. My family is my everything, my everything until the day I’m done,” she said passionately.
In another interview, when asked what she wanted the world to know about her, the 21-year-old confidently expressed, “I just want the world to know that I’m THAT girl. That every time I step on the track I’m gonna try to do what it is that me, my coach, [and] my support team believe I can do, and the talent that God blessed me to have. Every time I step on the track I’m not going to take the opportunity to perform in vain.”
As her first time competing in the Olympic games, Richardson will represent America in both the 100-meter and 200-meter races.
In her interviews, Sha’Carri’s confidence exudes and her spirited and bubbly personality shine. While commenting on her vibrant orange hair, she highlighted, “My girlfriend actually helped me pick this color. She felt like it was loud and encouraging. She was like, ‘If you go out there and be the best, you need to look the best. You need to make a statement.’”
We wish Sha’Carri the best in Tokyo — we’ll be watching!
