Who was Sha'Carri Richardson's mother? US sprinter's 'mom' prepared her for Paris Olympics comeback
PARIS, FRANCE: Sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson has had a busy month as she recently starred in Netflix's 'Sprint' docuseries, featured on Vogue's August 2024 digital cover, and finished her redemption story by winning a silver medal in the 100-meter sprint at the 2024 Olympics.
The 24-year-old sprinter took home silver in the women's 100-meter final on August 3 at the Paris Olympics, three years after being controversially disqualified from competing at the Tokyo Olympics.
As Sha'Carri took home her first-ever Olympic medal, she stated that a community, which includes her aunt Shay Richardson, whom she calls 'Mom', and grandma Betty Harp, helped her get to where she is now.
Who is Sha'Carri Richardson's 'mom'?
The World Champion sprinter calls her aunt Shay Richardson "mom," who raised her alongside her maternal grandmother Betty Harp in South Dallas. Sha'Carri Richardson typically refers to her grandma as "Big Momma," per Biography.
According to Vogue, she has a close bond with her aunt Brenda Davis, cousins Kyle Harp, Aniyah Davis, and Bella Harp, sister Tahjna Calhoun, and cousins Calvin Harp and Natalie Byers.
Her aunt Shay was the track star of the Richardson family before Sha'Carri. The two would race one other up the street in their area, testing their speed.
Sha'Carri told Vogue, "We’d go from the bottom of the hill to Big Momma’s car. And she didn’t slow down, she didn’t let me win. And I think it was in fifth grade, the day I touched the car first. And that’s when I knew."
Sha'Carri Richardson's biological mother died in 2020
Though Sha'Carri Richardson's biological mother's identity is unknown, the professional sprinter disclosed that she passed away a week before she won the 2020 US Olympic Track and Field Trials.
Sha'Carri pledged to keep pursuing her goals and respecting her family despite the unexpected tragedy. "I'm still here," she told NBC Sports following the 2021 match.
"Last week, finding out my biological mother passed away and I'm still choosing to pursue my dreams, still coming out here, still here to make the family that I do have on this earth proud," she said at the time.
Sha'Carri used the opportunity to show her gratitude but stated she didn't want to divulge any more information during the press conference.
The Team USA website quotes her as saying, "I am grateful for her giving me life, bringing me into this world ... and I will always love and respect her for that."
Sha'Carri Richardson's grandma Betty has been her major support
Sha'Carri Richardson previously acknowledged in her Vogue interview that her grandmother Betty Harp has been a major support in helping her get to this stage.
The Dallas native rushed into the stands to greet Betty as she secured her maiden Olympic berth in 2021 with a dominant 100-meter performance.
"It definitely feels almost better than getting a medal. It made it feel so much sweeter, though, the fact that she was there," Sha'Carri described the experience to Today at the time.
Sha'Carri has always shown gratitude to these two women. Betty, Shay, and Sha'Carri all participated in a Sprite campaign earlier this year and the sprinter expressed how great it was to share the limelight with her family.
She told Essence in May, "It was priceless for them to actually be able to share a moment with me of just reflecting on the journey that we all have had together."
"The sacrifices and the support they’ve given me just over my lifetime, to be able to sit in that moment with them...I feel like that was the greatest moment for me."
Sha'Carri Richardson's family pushed her to be successful
Three years after being controversially disqualified from competing in the Tokyo Olympics, Sha'Carri Richardson took home the silver medal in the women's 100-meter final on August 3 at the Paris Olympics.
Sha'Carri finished 0.15 behind Saint Lucian Julien Alfred, who took first place in the sprint event with a time of 10.87. Her family has been supporting her throughout the 100-meter and 200-meter races leading up to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Sha'Carri won gold medals at the 2023 World Championships in the 100-meter and 4x100-meter relay events.
In a 2021 post-race interview, Sha'Carri stated to NBC Sports, "Without them, there would be no me. Without my grandmother, there would be no Sha'Carri Richardson."
"My family is my everything — my everything until the day I'm done," the sprinter remarked, per People.
Sha'Carri's grandparents took up the role of major caregivers after her biological mother left when she was a small child.
Sha'Carri struggled with her biological mother's absence and felt self-conscious despite the supportive atmosphere. She addressed her upbringing in an episode of 'Quibi's Prodigy' series from April 2024.
Sha'Carri's aunt Shay reassured her that she would never be abandoned. "I'm not going to give up on you," she said and comforted Sha'Carri. "I'm never going to leave you. I'm her mom. I didn't have to birth her to be her parent."
Sha'Carri acknowledged that these words of encouragement changed her life, and Shay has remained a constant throughout.
Sha'Carri Richardson was disqualified from Tokyo Games following a positive test for THC
Sha'Carri competed in her debut Olympic Games in Paris after being disqualified from the 2020 Tokyo Games and suspended from the American team following a positive test for THC.
According to the New York Times, the sprinter tested positive for marijuana. Her attorney verified to NBC News that she was expelled from the Olympic squad following a positive test for the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, THC.
The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) stated in a statement that the athlete failed the drug test on June 19, the day she won the women's 100-meter race, at the US Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and USA Track & Field both classify marijuana as a prohibited drug. Sha'Carri tested positive for marijuana in Oregon, where one is allowed to own and consume the drug recreationally, per People.
