Sha’Carri Richardson timeline in photos: From Dallas Carter to U.S. Olympic star

Whether it be ripping off her orange wig seconds before running away with a 100m national title, coming back from a suspension to win a world championship or being the face of many companies as a brand ambassador, Sha’Carri Richardson is no stranger to making headlines.

But before setting the global track stage on fire, Richardson was an up-and-coming sprinter at Carter High School in Dallas.

Here’s a comprehensive timeline of Richardson’s rise to stardom as she prepares to run at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Showing out at Carter

As a sophomore, Richardson won the Class 4A 100-meter final in 11:58 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.

Richardson commented on her performance at the time, “Competition is everywhere, and I just try to beat everybody with my times.” Adding, “I don’t go against people, I go against myself every time I hit the track.”

Following up on her breakout 2016 year, Richardson broke the UIL 4A record in the 100 with an 11:28. She would go on to win the 200 in the 2017 UIL meet and was part of a 4×100 team that won gold in a 4A record time of 45.96.

Richardson announced that she was signing with LSU ahead of her senior track season. A recurring theme with Richardson was her forecasting an Olympic future. When asked about her decision to sign with the Tigers, she said, “I feel like this is the best step that I should take to become an athlete in the Olympics.”

Photos: See Sha’Carri Richardson in her high school track days at Dallas Carter

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Shines at LSU

Richardson started her collegiate career just the way she ended high school — on fire.

As a freshman, Richardson broke the collegiate record with a 10.75 in the women’s 100-meter dash, winning in 10.75 seconds at the 2019 NCAA outdoor track and field championships in Austin. It was also the best in the world at the time in 2019 and an under-20 world record.

Richardson placed second in the 200 meters at the 2017 NCAA meet on the same day, which made the Dallas native the first woman to run under 10.80 in the 100 and under 22.20 in the 200 on the same day.

Just four days after Richardson’s incredible performance at the 2019 NCAA championships, she announced her decision to forego her remaining NCAA eligibility and sign a professional contract.

Trials and tribulations

Richardson took her career to new heights in at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, which were rescheduled to July 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She shocked the track and field world when she won the 100-meter dash in a time of 10.86 seconds, handily beating the rest of America’s best sprinters.

With the win, she achieved her goal of qualifying for the 2020 Summer Games.

But Richardson’s Olympic dreams were put on hold after the urine sample she submitted at the trials tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

The Dallas native accepted a one-month competition ban that disqualified her individual entry for the U.S. team, and USA Track and Field declined to break its trials-based qualifying protocol to add Richardson to the 4×100-meter relay team.

In a TV interview with NBC, Richardson explained that she had used marijuana to cope with the death of her biological mother and the pressures of the sport.

Becoming world champion

After serving her competition ban, Richardson roared back to prominence in 2023, running a 10.75 in her season opener in a small meet in Miramar, Fla., in April and winning the 100m in the Doha Diamond League the next month.

Both early-season performances foreshadowed what happened at the U.S. championships in Oregon last July, when she won the U.S. title in the 100 meters in 10.82 seconds.

The win booked her ticket to the World Track and Field Championships later that summer. Shortly after the race, Richardson announced to the world, “I’m not back, I’m better.”

At the 2024 World Championships in Budapest, Richardson won the gold medal in the 100 meters with a championship record time of 10.65 seconds. She then finished second in the 200 meters to Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson and helped the U.S. win the 4×100 meter relay.

Dallas ISD honors Richardson

Richardson was honored in November by her former school district, which renamed the track at Kincaide Stadium to the Sha’Carri Richardson Track. She was flanked by members of the Carter track team as she spoke to reporters about what the honor meant to her.

“I am really speechless,” Richardson said. “Life is full circle, and this is one of those full-circle moments, being able to stand in the stadium, in my hometown, where I basically started my career as a track athlete and my city showing me love and support. I love the city, and I’m excited to continue to inspire my city because Dallas is the best.”

2024 Summer Olympics

Richardson is with the rest of Team USA in Paris, waiting for her chance to race for Olympic gold. She earned her spot in Paris by winning the 100-meter final in a season-best 10.71 seconds at last month’s U.S. track trials.

She will begin her Olympic journey on Friday, Aug. 2 at 4:50 a.m. in the preliminary rounds of the women’s 100 meters.

If she advances, she would run in the semifinals on Saturday, Aug. 3, at 12:50 p.m. and potentially the final on Saturday, Aug. 3, at 2:20 p.m.

If Richardson is selected for the U.S. 4×100 meter relay, preliminary rounds will be Thursday, Aug. 8, at 4:10 a.m., and the final will be Friday, Aug. 9 at 12:30 p.m.

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