Sha’Carri Richardson biography: 13 things about sprinter born in Dallas, Texas

Sha’Carri Richardson is an American athlete originally from Dallas, Texas, United States and based in Clermont, Florida, USA. Here are 13 more things about her:

1. She was born in Dallas.
2. Her biological mother Shakayl C. Richardson lived in different parts of Texas including Dallas and Mesquite. Details about her biological father have yet to be made public.
3. She is openly gay.
4. She competes in the 100 meters and 200 meters.
5. She was raised by her grandmother Betty Richardson Harp and her aunt Shayaria Richardson, who was 12 years older than Shakayl.
6. When she was growing up, her family had little money.
7. She tried basketball, dancing and flag football before trying track and field.
8. She was already an athlete when she attended DeSoto West Middle School in DeSoto, Texas.
9. When she was a junior in Carter High School in Dallas, she tried to take her own life.
10. An alumna of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, she was a member of the LSU Lady Tigers, the track and field team representing the university in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women’s indoor and outdoor track and field.
11. She is 5’1″ tall.
12. She is 2 years younger than her former girlfriend Janeek Brown, a Jamaican 100m hurdler.
13. Her agent Renaldo Nehemiah represented the U.S. when he won gold in 100m hurdles at the 1979  International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Cup and the 1979 Pan American Games.

TIMELINE

2016

• She won the 100 m title at the U.S. Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympic Games 2016, which was held at the Turner Stadium in Humble, Texas from July 31, 2016 to August 6, 2016.

2017

• She, Gabriele Cunningham, Rebekah Smith and Tara Davis won a gold medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay at the 2017 Pan American U20 Athletics Championships, which was held in Trujillo, Peru from July 21-23, 2017.
• She won the 100m title at the USATF Hershey National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships, which was held in in Lawrence, Kansas, USA from July 24-30, 2017.

2018

• On August 20, 2018, she entered Louisiana State University.

2019

• She was a finalist in the 60m dash at the 2019 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships, which was held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA from March 8-9, 2019.
• She won the 100m and finished second in the 200m at the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, which was held in Austin, Texas from June 5-8, 2019.
• On June 12, 2019, she announced she would forgo collegiate eligibility after her first year and sign a professional contract.

2020

• Her life story was featured in “Prodigy” Season 1 episode 4, which aired on April 6, 2020.

2021

• On June 5, 2021, her biological mother Shakayl passed way in Dallas at age 43.
• With a 100-meter time of 10.86 seconds at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, which was held from June 18-27, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon, USA, she qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
• On July 2, 2021, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced that she accepted a one-month suspension beginning on June 28, 2021 after she tested positive for 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (Carboxy-THC), a urinary metabolite of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, marijuana and hashish.
• On July 2, 2021, she said in an interview with “Today” that she did not know about her mother’s death until a reporter told her about it a few days before the U.S. Olympic Trials started and she took marijuana after that.
• She finished ninth among nine competitors in the 100m at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic, which was held in Eugene from August 20-21, 2021.

2022

• On June 23, 2022, she did not advance out of the heats in the 100m after finishing fifth place at the 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene

2023

• On March 25, 2023, she turned 23.
• On April 8, 2023, she won the 100m at the Miramar Invitational 2023 in Miramar, Florida.
• On July 7, 2023, she became the U.S. national champion in the 100m sprint event by winning the women’s 100m final in 10.82 seconds.
• On August 21, 2023, she won gold in the women’s 100m sprint event at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.