In her first race after being disqualified from the Tokyo Olympics. Sha’ Carri Richardson looked as though she hadn’t been on a track for any reason since the Olympic Trials. On Saturday everybody and their cousin Bam-Bam tuned in to see the Prefontaine Classic at the University of Oregon. This is where Richardson would run the 100 meters against the world class sprinters that she missed competing against by not being in the Olympics including the three Jamaicans that won the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.
Well playas, it was over before it even got started. At the sound of the gun it looked like everybody else was shot out of a cannon while Richardson was standing still. She finished dead last with a time of 11.14. When she won the Olympic Trials she clocked a 10.81. She was clearly not ready to compete with women that were at that tops of their games coming out of the Olympics.
Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! She was saying that “they gone have to see her.” When in reality, they never saw her because she was never in the race.
Then to make matters worse she stepped to the mic snapping, “I’m not done. You know what I’m capable of. Count me out if you want to. Talk all the sh– you want. Because I’m here to stay. I’m not done. I’m the sixth fastest woman in this game ever. Can’t nobody ever take that from me.”
It’s clear that she’s talented but where is her team? When you get blasted like that, there’s a way to handle yourself. It’s okay to say that I wasn’t ready to run today. It was clear that she wasn’t in the same shape as the other top performers.
We know that she’s phenomenal but she wasn’t ready to run on this day. The fact that she ran an 11.14 knowing that the women showing up were blazing fast running at the best 10.61 and had the confidence of a lion because they had just come off of Olympic medals.
And please stop with the “she’s only 21” foolishness. Most of the great athletes we’ve seen competing in the Olympics are 21 or younger and they aren’t wilding like that.
The freakin’ gymnasts we watch every four years are 16 and 17 years old. Simone Biles is 24 and she’s the old veteran in the game. Naomi Osaka is 23 and she’s been around forever seems like. CoCo Gauff is 17 years old. So stop making excuses for her not understanding how to handle the limelight because of her age. Age has nothing to do with it.
It’s called having a team around you that will help you navigate this thing called success. Agents, public relations professionals and folks that really care about your success.
The dun that was smoking weed with her before the Olympic Trials didn’t care about her success. The dun that told her that she could say and do whatever she wants to do post-race on the mic just because she felt like it doesn’t care about her success.
Only the folks that hold you accountable in your success are the ones that care about you becoming even more successful. Stop me when I start lyin’!
