All we know about Team USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson from her dating life to her nail art

Team USA athlete Sha’Carri Richardson has won silver at the 2024 Olympics women’s 100-meter race, four years after she was disqualified from the 2020 Games. 

The sprinter came to prominence in 2019 when she broke the 100-meter collegiate record at the NCAA Division I Championship, running the dash in 10.75 seconds. In the years since, she has become known for her power and speed, and her iconic beauty looks, on the track.

Here’s all we know about Sha’Carri… 

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How old is Sha’Carri Richardson? 

Sha’Carri is 24; she was born March 25, 2000 in Dallas Texas.

Where did Sha’Carri Richardson go to high school? 

She attended Carter High School in Dallas where she won four individual state titles and was a two-time Texas Relays champ at 100-meters. 

Which college did Sha’Carri race for? 

Sha’Carri moved to Louisiana State University for college in 2018, running for the LSU Lady Tigers track and field team. 

In 2019, at the age of 19, Sha’Carri won the 100-meter with a time of 10.75 and made the decision to forgo college eligibility and sign a professional contract. 

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Did Sha’Carri’s mother die? 

Sha’Carri was raised by her beloved grandmother Betty and her aunt Shay Richardson, whom she calls mom. 

She had a complicated relationship with her biological mother, who died in 2021. However, Sha’Carri was unaware of her mother’s passing, and was given the news by a reporter after a track meet. 

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“I am grateful for her giving me life, bringing me into this world … and I will always love and respect her for that,” she said during a press conference at the trials.

“I always was asking myself, ‘What’s wrong with me? Why is it that you don’t want to be here?’ ” she told the Prodigy series in 2024.  “Like if my mother doesn’t want to be around me then I was like I’m pretty sure nobody want to be around me.”

But her aunt, Shay, was a major force in Sha’Carri’s life, reassuring the young girl that she would never leave her, telling Sha’Carri that she was her mom and that she “didn’t have to birth you to be your parent”.

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“My mom [Shay] has definitely been a pillar in my life to just be better,” Sha’Carri told NBC DFW in 2024. “Understanding you may not come from ideal circumstances, but at the same time, it’s not where you start … it’s the direction you want to go. I wouldn’t have even started running track if it wasn’t for my mom.”

Why did Sha’Carri start running?

Sha’Carri’s aunt Shay was a former runner, and as a young girl found her aunt’s collection of medals.

Shay then took Sha’Carri to the track, and Sha’Carri then joined the track teams at her middle and high school, and then at LSU before going professional.

Why did Sha’carri Richardson not make the Olympics? 

Sha’Carri qualified for the 2020 Olympics at the 2020 United States Olympic Trials, held in Oregon in 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic. 

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However, after the news of her mother’s passing, the athlete smoked marijuana, which is legal in Oregon but is on the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) banned list. 

A urine sample that she submitted tested positive for THC metabolites and she accepted a one-month suspension which made her ineligible for the Olympic 100-meter. 

“I’m not making an excuse or looking for empathy in my case,” she told The Today Show and Savannah Guthrie. “However, being in that position in my life, finding out something like that … Dealing with the relationship I have with my mother, that definitely was a very heavy topic on me.” 

“I was definitely triggered and blinded by emotions, blinded by sadness, and hurting, and hiding hurt,” she said. 

Why does Sha’Carri wear long nails on the track? 

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Sha’Carri is noted for her colorful wigs and long nails on the track, which are decorated in extravagant and often detailed designs including gemstones and dangling charms. 

Sha’Carri has credited her family for raising her to appreciate the beauty in self-care, and added that the nails offer an insight into what she brings to the track that day.

 “My grandmother, my aunt, and my mother all influence the beauty I exude to the world on a day-to-day basis, especially in big moments,” she told Elle magazine. “They kept their nails well-manicured. Hair was also something that I saw a lot of attentiveness to.” 

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Who is Sha’Carri dating? 

Sha’Carri came out as bisexual in 2021 with a Twitter shoutout (now known as X) to the LGBTQ community in June of that year. She began dating Janeek Brown in 2019 but they split in 2022 amid allegations of abuse, which Janeek later confirmed.

Sha’Carri has teased a new romance, sharing pictures of flower bouquets on social media, but she has not revealed the name of her new partner.