Words by Shayni Solanki
Back in 2021, Sha’Carri Richardson fell victim to one of the internet’s most random hate trains. Two years later, she found a way to shut everyone up.
Women in the public eye are rarely given the grace they deserve, especially in sport. Think of all the years Serena Williams had to deal with waves of hate. The hate has become a regular cycle, and not it’s not only unhealthy but also unfair. People have a knack for tearing down successful and confident women. When this happened to Sha’Carri Richardson, she was barely an adult.
Back in 2020, Sha’Carri fulfilled a lifelong dream of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. Born in 2000, she was barely in her 20s yet had found herself with a spot secured in the world’s most prestigious sporting event. We can all remember her performance with her flaming orange hair in the air as she soared to become one of the world’s most anticipated athletes. In a moment of pure bliss, the world was rooting for her. Her feat was amazing alone, but made even more admirable by the fact her mother had passed a week before. To even get out of bed after losing a loved one is admirable, but to get out of bed to qualify for the Olympics is a whole other level.
It didn’t take long for people to start labelling her as “arrogant”, though. Critics said she was too confident, and some genuinely didn’t like that she knew her own worth. Not long after she qualified, Sha’Carri tested positive for marijuana and was pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics. The affair erupted – everyone had something to say about her. The public that had only a short time before adored her, began turning their backs on her over a simple mistake. It looks like no one was grasping how truly impressive it was for her to somehow land a 10.65s finish time with weed in her system.
After the scandal, Sha’Carri took a break before making a return to the track. Dealing with the loss of her mother and the pain of the Tokyo Olympics incident would have been more than enough for some people to quit. Sha’Carri Richardson never quits though: She’s told us many times. After a month she returned to the track at the Prefontaine Classic race. Finishing last, it wasn’t her best performance but, hey – it was a one off.
Flash forward to 2023, it’s the World Athletics Championships and Sha’Carri qualifies fastest (with ease). Starting from the last lane, she stormed and took home a gold medal for the 100m race. No one could touch her. One of the greatest comebacks of all time, she also went on to secure the win for the 4x100m relay race. With years of hard work, patience, and confidence, Sha’Carri came back in full force. Absolutely awful time to be a hater.
If this teaches anyone anything, it’s to let people have their off days. Not every athlete is going to be perfect in every performance, especially after losing their mother. When everyone turned on her, Sha’Carri shut her haters up, and did it her way.
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