Who is Sha'Carri Richardson? Insider the sprinter's home life

Sha’Carri Richardson is having a big month. She just starred in Netflix’s Sprint docuseries, became Vogue’s August 2024 digital cover star, and is heading to Paris in a few short weeks to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games.

The athlete is ready for a comeback, and she mentioned in her Vogue interview that her grandma, Betty Harp, has been a huge support in getting her to this point. As you might remember, the track and field star was disqualified from competing in the Tokyo Olympics back in 2021 after she tested positive for THC, the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis.

'Sha'Carri's tough. I made her tough,' Betty told Vogue. 'I’m a strong woman, I’ve overcome obstacles in my life. So I knew what I was talking about when, from time to time, things got hard and she’d want to quit—I’d say, "Don’t start nothing and don’t finish it. You start, you finish."'

Sha'Carri has embraced that mentality, telling the publication that she shows up to practice rain or shine, even attending mere hours after undergoing emergency dental work.

'You keep showing up, no matter what,' she said. 'Most people, they only think of track every four years. The Olympics, that’s all there is—those few seconds on TV. But for me, track is my life on a day-to-day basis. Everything I do—what I eat, what I drink, if I stay up too late—it’s all reflected on the track. Every choice. That’s what the world doesn’t see.'

While the 24-year-old has an arsenal of fans, her family has repeatedly been front and center cheering her on. So, who are Sha’Carri’s parents and extended family? Here’s what you need to know.

Sha'Carri was raised by her grandmother and aunt

Sha’Carri Richardson was raised by her grandmother Betty and her aunt Shay Richardson, according to NBC. Sha’Carri usually refers to her aunt as her mother and her grandmother as "Big Momma," Biography says.

Betty and Shay raised Sha'Carri in South Dallas. She is close with her family, which includes sister Tahjna Calhoun, her cousins Calvin Harp and Natalie Byers, her aunt Brenda Davis, and her cousins Aniyah Davis, Kyle Harp, and Bella Harp, per Vogue.

Before Sha'Carri, her aunt Shay was the Richardson family track star. The two would put their speed to the test, racing up the street in their neighbourhood.

'We’d go from the bottom of the hill to Big Momma’s car,' Sha'Carri told Vogue. '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.'

Now, whenever Sha'Carri visits home (she currently lives in Florida to train), she values her 'private time,' Betty told the outlet. During the trips, Betty treats her to a true Texas feasts, including chicken, smothered potatoes, collard greens, and Texas toast with homemade sausage and eggs.

'[She wants] nobody looking at her,' Betty continued. 'Just playing card games, fooling around with her cousins. Just loving her to death.'

Throughout the years. Sha’Carri has paid it forward to the two women that raised her. Earlier this year, Sha'Carri, Betty, and Shay all starred in a Sprite campaign, with the sprinter saying that it was special to share the spotlight with her family.

'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,' she told Essence in May. '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.'

Watch Sha'Carri, Betty, and Shay's full ad here:

Sha’Carri has made it clear that her family is her foundation.

'Without them, there would be no me,' she told reporters in 2021 after the Olympic Trials. 'Without my grandmother, there would be no Sha'Carri Richardson. So my family is my everything. My everything until the day I'm done.'

Sha'Carri calls her high school coach her 'godmother'

Sha'Carri's love doesn't just extend to her biological family. She's also super close with Lauren Cross, the girls' track coach at Sha'Carri's Carter High School. In fact, they're so tight that Sha'Carri refers to her as her "godmother."

Lauren frequently encourages Sha'Carri to ease up on herself. 'Sha’Carri doesn’t need extra pressure,' she told Vogue. 'She puts it on herself. So sometimes it’s been my job to say, "You know, one mistake doesn’t define you. It doesn’t determine the outcome."'

Her biological mother passed away in 2021 ahead of the Olympic Trials

Sha’Carri hasn’t said a lot in public about her biological mother, but Sha’Carri shared in 2021 that she died just before the Olympic Trials.

'My family has kept me grounded. This year has been crazy or me. Going from, just last week, losing my biological mother, and I'm still here,' she said in a post-race interview. 'I'm still here. Last week finding out my biological mother passed way and still choosing to pursue my dreams, still coming out here and still making sure to make the family that I do still have on this earth proud.'

She also said this about her mother, per NBC: 'I want to thank her for bringing me into this world. I respect her and love her. I know she loves me.'

Sha'Carri later shared that she learned about the death of her mother from a reporter during a pre-race interview. She used marijuana as one way to cope with the 'nerve-shocking' news, which ultimately resulted in her disqualification from the Games, per the New York Times.

'It sent me into a state of emotional panic,' she told TODAY in 2021, adding, 'I didn’t know how to control my emotions or deal with my emotions during that time.'

She also apologised to her fans, family and sponsors, saying, 'I greatly apologise if I let you guys down, and I did.'

Her grandmother Betty Harp is her biggest supporter

Sha’Carri has so many great things to say about her grandmother, and she sweetly gives her shout-outs after big races. She ran into her grandmother’s arms after qualifying for the Olympic Games in 2021...

...and she did the same in 2024!

Sha’Carri says her grandmother is 'my heart.'

'My grandmother is my superwoman,' she told USA Today in 2021. 'Honestly, that was one of my biggest goals in life: to have her see me compete in one of the highest levels and be successful.'

The sprinter has continued to pay tribute to Betty, telling Vogue that 'everything I am, it’s because of that strong, wise, Black woman. Everything.'

'I’ve been blessed, because I’ve had other people in my life who have helped me along,' she continued. 'But the foundation, that’s her.'

Rooting for you, Sha'Carri!

Related stories:

• Dina Asher-Smith on Keeping Young Girls in Sport & Preparing for the Tokyo Olympics

• Olympic sprinter Beth Dobbin overcame epilepsy to become a champion

• Katarina Johnson-Thompson: ‘I'm going into Paris feeling strong – both physically and mentally’
  

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