Paris 2024 Olympics: Sha’Carri Richardson opens up on her ‘clean, fresh and fast’ style ahead of women’s 100m 

By Michael Hincks
3 min|
Sha’Carri Richardson poses for her official Team USA Olympic portrait
Picture by Getty Images

Sha’Carri Richardson is ignoring any negative 'energies and opinions' at Paris 2024, and for the perfect reason – she has gold in her sights.

The U.S. sprinter is ready to show the world what she is capable of, and heads to the French capital as the favourite to win the women’s 100m.

And she will hope to do so in her own unique style.

“My looks are always mixed up,” Richardson told Elle. “You never know what you’re going to get when it comes to me.”

Sha’Carri Richardson: 'My look reflected my focus'

Richardson flashed her trademark long fingernails for her official Team USA Olympic portrait ahead of Paris, and while she ditched the colourful hair seen at the U.S. Trials in June, her imposing quality on the track was plain for all to see.

“That’s just authentically who I am. I never play small, this is how I show up in life,” she added. “I wanted to focus on competing at my best, and my look reflected that. It was clean, fresh, and fast.”

Richardson posted a season’s best 10.71 in those trials, making her the fastest woman this year.

“All I needed to do was execute,” she said. “I knew I could do it, and I did.”

Sha'Carri Richardson poses with her gold medal after winning the women's 100m U.S. Trials.

Picture by 2024 Getty Images

Richardson’s steely focus and desire for a more natural look was first made known with a huge statement on the track last year.

On the starting blocks at the U.S. Track and Field Championships, she waited until she was on camera and her name was announced before pulling off her orange wig – part of a look she had previously called 'loud and encouraging and, honestly, dangerous' – and throwing it behind her.

Revealing her hair in braids underneath, not only did she leave the wig behind, but also her compatriots, as she stormed to victory.

On her decision to try this new look, she added: “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.

“They kept their nails well-manicured. Hair was also something that I saw a lot of attentiveness to.”

A month later, she lit up the global stage in similar fashion.

“I’m not back, I’m better,” Richardson declared on Instagram, winning the 100m at the World Championships in Budapest to lay down a marker for Paris 2024.

And so, no matter her style, Richardson is ready to fight for the crown, with the women’s 100m under way on 2 August at the Stade de France.