Sha’Carri Richardson honoured at 2023 USATF awards: 'I understand the influence that I have'

Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles took home the major awards at the USA Track and Field (USATF) Night of Legends on Saturday (3 December), following their remarkable performances in athletics this year.

Richardson was awarded the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Athlete of the Year for women after winning the 100m, securing bronze in the 200m, and anchoring the women’s 4x100m relay team to gold  at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

“With the God that I serve, everything happens when it’s supposed to happen. So when I stand here today as the world champion, that’s because now was the time for that to happen. Now is the most impactful it would be, the most powerful it would be, and the most sincere it would be,” Richardson said in her victory speech. 

“I understand the influence that I have, I understand the responsibility that I have to USATF and as a top female USA athlete, and to my country, and to my black family, to my beautiful women, to everybody that has been misunderstood for trying to be their best selves and not be put into a category because they do track and field and have been put in a bubble.

Meanwhile, Lyles took home the Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year for the third time in his career, following his remarkable 100m, 200m sprint double at the World Championships, as well as helping the 4x100m relay team to gold. 

The 26-year-old has become one of the most dominant forces in the sport, with less than a year to go until the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

“I feel like I’ve shown that as long as you yourself, you work hard, you can display whatever it is that is you, and still get the job done,” Lyles, 26, said in his victory speech.

“I told my agent when we first met that I wanted to transcend the sport. Whether that’s doing walk-ins, whether that’s telling the NBA that they’re not world champions…. They didn’t like that! Whether that’s having uncomfortable conversations with NFL players, other track and field athletes. Whether that’s giving flowers to people that deserve it.

“It’s hard to go through life and not be heard. I know that everybody here has a story to tell, and I just want to see you tell it!”

Other big winners on the night include discus thrower Laulauga Tausaga-Collins, who became the first USA female athlete to win a world title in a throwing event in Budapest, while Dennis Mitchell won the Coach of the Year Award.

The late Tori Bowie, the 2017 100m world champion and triple Olympic medallist at Rio 2016, was posthumously awarded the Legacy Award for her impact on and off the track.