"It's almost like it was a mirror on that side of me" - Sha'Carri Richardson reveals reason behind 'viral look' at Paris Olympics

By Neelabhra Roy

Modified Aug 13, 2024 15:16 GMT

Sha'Carri Richardson spoke about the look she gave her opponents while surpassing them during the 4x100m relay final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 24-year-old had an impressive Olympic debut as she won two medals.

Richardson started her campaign in Paris by clinching silver in the 100m race, finishng just behind St. Lucia's Julien Alfred, who won her nation's very first Olympic medal. The next event for the American was the 4x100m relay, where she teamed up with Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry.

The United States qualified for the event's final after clocking 41.94 seconds in the heat. Jefferson ran the first leg in the medal race and clocked 11.46 seconds before Terry did well to finish her leg in just 9.98 seconds. Next up was Thomas, who clocked 10.25 seconds. The Americans were fourth when Thomas passed the baton to Sha'Carri Richardson.

The 24-year-old surpassed her opponents and gave them a side look while doing so before crossing the finish line to clinch a memorable gold medal for the United States' women's 4x100m relay team at the Paris Olympics. Richardson giving her opponents the look has since gone viral.

The world champion spoke with Refinery29 Unbothered and was asked about her "viral look". She responded by saying that when she gave that look, it was almost she was looking at a mirror that had a version of herself that was just hers to see. Richardson said that she knew that she would not allow anyone to be in front of her.

"Honestly, that look over, if I had to just highlight anything, the look over was, it's almost like it was a mirror on that side of me, and I'm just looking at a version of myself that nobody but me could see, if that makes sense. I looked over and I just knew that no matter what was going on, there was nobody that I was going to allow — even myself — to be in front of me," Sha'Carri Richardson said.

"I know that sounds crazy, but I was in that lane and feeling like I'm always my biggest competitor [so I had to] leave my best on the track. I was just like, there's no way that I'm not going to leave my best on the track," she added.

The 24-year-old further said that her look also showed that the hard work put by herself and her 4x100m relay teammates would not go in vain.

"And so just looking over, it was more so showing that the hard work that all of us ladies in that 4x1 put in was not going to be in vain. I wasn't going to even allow myself to not cross that finish line in first place and not get that medal, or to let down those ladies and the support that we received when it comes to us crossing the finish line, in first place as Team USA," Richardson said.

"Just a full circle moment" - Sha'Carri Richardson on getting emotional on the podium after 4x100m relay gold

Sha'Carri Richardson gets emotional on the podium during the 4x100m medal ceremony (Source: Getty)

Sha'Carri Richardson had a notable moment on the podium during the 4x100m medal ceremony as she was in tears when the American national anthem was being played, and was later hugged by Gabby Thomas.

The 24-year-old was also asked about this and she said that it wasn't scripted. Richardson explained that being on the podium was a "full circle moment" for her and that she was embracing the journey she went through as not just an athlete, but as a woman.

"Getting emotional on the podium, that was not a plan, that was not scripted. I would honestly say that moment was just a full circle moment, just embracing everything, not even including what had happened in the general moment to make it on the podium, but just embracing the entire journey of being just a human and growing, not even just as an athlete, but as a woman, as a spirit," the 24-year-old said in the aforementioned interview.

Sha'Carri Richardson had a rather slow start to the 2024 season, as she finished second and third in her first two individual races at the Xiamen and Shanghai Diamond Leagues. However, her performances improved as time passed, winning the 100m event at the Prefontaine Classic before producing an impressive performance in the discipline at the Olympic trials.

Richardson clocked 10.71s in the 100m final during the trials to qualify for the Paris Olympics. However, she failed to make the cut in 200m, finishing fourth in the final.