Meet ‘fast and furious’ Sha’Carri Richardson, the would-be Tokyo Olympics sprinter hopeful suspended for cannabis use and compared to Florence ‘Flo-Jo’ Griffith Joyner
- She won the US Olympic Trials 100 metres in 10.86 seconds and her PB of 10.72 makes her sixth fastest woman of all time
- She changes her hair colour to suit her mood – blonde reminds her of her hometown Dallas – and showed her LGBT pride with a rainbow emoji tweet last month
Sha’Carri Richardson, 21, was that girl: a favourite for the Olympic gold in the women’s 100 metres, 25 years since the last time anyone in a US vest won it. She was the embodiment of the American dream with her flaming orange hair, soaring to the finish line at the US Olympic Trials last month, leaving the competition behind in the dust as she clocked 10.86 seconds to qualify. Her PB of 10.72 makes her sixth fastest woman of all time.
But the dream ended with a rude awakening with Richardson’s one-month suspension for a positive cannabis test. It’s a big blow to sports fans who lose the chance to see the sprinter they fell in love with – not just for her impressive speed, but also for her “fast and furious” style.
But what is she like off the track?
She failed her drug test because she was grieving
“In some type of way, I was trying to hide my pain,” she said. “Don’t judge me because I am human. I’m you. I just happen to run a little faster.”
Her grandmother is her “heart”
That was what Richardson told USA Today after she ran to her grandmother in the crowd to give her a hug after her win at the US Olympic Trials. She also called her grandmother “her superwoman”, as it was her who stepped in, along with her aunt, after her mother abandoned her as a child.