Sha’Carri Richardson is one of the biggest names in American track & field.
Frankly, she has been since 2021, if not earlier. The 23-year-old is a blur once she gets off the starting blocks, prancing about the clay surface like a dancer. Within a few seconds, she’s through the finish line, swept up in a wicked mix of shock and adulation.
As one of the fastest women in the world, Richardson has more eyes than most on her. That has brought with it a level of scrutiny that at times exceeds that which figures actually beholden to the public experience.
Richardson is a star, that much is true. But her career hasn’t been without its pitfalls, namely in Tokyo 2020, when she was vilified across the certain circles for the “cardinal sin” of ingesting weed.
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Here’s what you need to know:
What did Sha’Carri Richardson do?
Richardson was a sensation in the lead-up to the Tokyo Games. The then-21-year-old had the world at her grasp, having secured a spot on the U.S. squad with a blazing showing at Olympic trials.
Richardson rumbled through the 100 meters field with a time of 10.86 seconds, .13 seconds faster than second-place Javianne Oliver. She looked poised to join the likes of Florence Joyner-Griffith,…
