8 times Sha'Carri Richardson's nails stole the show: From Stars & Stripes to sparkling neon

8 times Sha'Carri Richardson won the nail game: From Stars & Stripes to neon brights

Everyone’s eagerly looking forward to supporting track superstar Sha'Carri Richardson at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At only 24 years old, she currently holds the title of the fastest woman in the world. Not only is she a remarkable athlete, but also has an exceptional sense of style - looking at her intricately designed nails. Richardson's incredible nails have certainly taken the beauty world by storm. So while you are waiting for her to blaze the tracks, let's take a look at some of her most impressive nail designs to date.

1. Opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics 

Athletes typically prioritize performance over fashion, opting for minimal on-field attire. However, Richardson's eye-catching nail designs have challenged this norm. Her long, embellished nails, often adorned with bold patterns and even the American flag, have become a signature style, drawing attention both on and off the track. For the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on July 26, 2024, she jazzed up her nails with the Stars & Stripes. 

2. 2024 Olympic Games, Women’s 100 meters

For most of her major races, Richardson's fingernails are carefully adorned with accessories such as hanging charms, sparkling gemstones, and even stiletto accents. She explained to Nylon in July that her current manicure “is based on what mood I’m in.” Richardson explained, "What am I bringing to the track that day? I let my nails express that." At the  Women's 100m Round 1 at the Paris Olympics her nails were on point with geometric patterns and neon colors ruling the design. Her nails featured a mosaic-like design finished with intricate stones and beading, while she maintained her signature lengthy stilettos in terms of shape.

3. 2024 US Olympic Track and Field Trials, Women’s 100 meters

During the Olympic track and field trials in June, Richardson wore three different press-on nail styles commissioned from nail artist Sophia Kinaya Haug. The designs were dramatic to say the least, featuring 3D floral appliques, rubies, angel wings, and a cross. Her nails also had touches of green and gold, reflecting the Jamaican flag.

4. 2023 World Athletics Championships, Women’s 200 meters

Some fans have mentioned that Richardson's unique blend of style and athletics is similar to legendary sprinter Florence "Flo-Jo" Griffith Joyner, who set the women's world records for the 100m and 200m sprints in 1988 - all while sporting striking, long nails. “If the amazing Flo-Jo had long nails, there was no excuse why I couldn’t have long nails," Richardson mentioned back in an interview in 2021. 

5. 2022 Diamond League series, Women's 100 meters

Sophia Haug, the nail artist who has worked with her, says Richardson is “setting a new standard, saying you can express yourself and be bougie and beautiful on the track”. However, there are some stipulations. “She did ask me to make [her nails] a little shorter because it was harder for her to tie her shoelaces,” says Haug. “She knows her max.”

6. 2021 Wanda Diamond League Prefontaine Classic, Women's 100 meters

Apart from wanting her appearance to match the atmosphere and aiming to cross the finish line in style, there are also personal reasons behind her bold beauty choices. She attributes her family's influence to how she presents herself to the world. “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,” Richardson told Elle before the Games in June. “They kept their nails well-manicured. Hair was also something that I saw a lot of attentiveness to.”

7. 2021 USATF Golden Games and World Athletics Continental Tour, Women's 100 meters prelims 

With her signature long nails always on point, Olympian Sha'Carri Richardson relies on a team of nail artists to bring her nail dreams to life. Their creations perfectly capture her style and personality. As she says in her Nylon interview: “It’s really not me; it’s them — they just understand me just as a person.”

8. 2020 US Olympic Track & Field Team Trials, Women's 100 meters

Sha'Carri wore ombre nails with stars and gems detailing when she competed in the first round of the Women's 100 Meter dash in 2020. With her trademark long nails, long lashes and fire-cracker hair, Richardson is certainly one of the track and field's most electrifying style icons.