According to Sha’Carri Richardson, the iconic photo of her staring down her rivals in the middle of the 4 x 100 m relay at the Summer Olympics in Paris belongs in the Louvre, or at least somewhere she can see it.
In an interview with Refinery29, 24-year-old Richardson stated, “I might have to hang it in my home.”
The Texas sprinter, who earned recognition for her “Sha’Carri Stare,” is now providing context for the well-recognised side-eye. She used it to come from behind on the relay’s anchor leg and win the gold for Team USA.
No matter what was going on, Richardson told the publication, “I looked over and I just knew that there was nobody that I was going to let — even myself —stand in front of me.” “I couldn’t even bear the thought of failing to cross the finish line first, taking home the gold, or disappointing the women and their unwavering support when it came to us as Team USA finishing first.”
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Richardson thought there was a fair chance the team would place first after seeing Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry, and 200-meter gold medallist Gabby Thomas run in fourth and third, respectively.
“We just knew that we had the confidence and the faith to execute at our absolute best,” the woman remarked. Not simply assurance, but also the belief in our own abilities, our mutual trust in one another, and the practices we participated in. We were certain that we would give it our all and eventually deliver the gold, no matter what. I consequently simply trusted everyone in front of me, and it was almost like a domino effect.
“And once I grabbed the stick, it was like the baton was just full of love and determination,” Richardson went on. I then realised that, in addition to being for the three women in front of me, this baton was also for a country. It’s for a world where the four of us are accepted and respected. I knew I had to give it my all in order to obtain this thing and run down the track, so that’s what I did.
In the women’s 100-meter relay at the Paris Olympics, Team USA, led by Sha’Carri Richardson and Gabby Thomas, wins gold.
The native of Dallas recorded a split of 10.09 in the relay and finished second in the 100-meter final with a time of 10.87. After being excluded from the Tokyo Olympics for testing positive for THC, she received her two gold in Paris as payback.
The Olympic sprinter said that her willpower “comes from knowing” that she has “been in the world in a way that not necessarily is the way a lot of people could handle or really bounce back or live” in a December 2023 interview with PEOPLE.
Richardson told PEOPLE, “And the fact that I’m allowed to stand here and be the woman I’ve been, as well as the athlete I’ve been.” “I’ve gained wisdom. I’ve become more composed, disciplined, and aware of my responsibilities in addition to my enthusiasm for my work.
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