Track star Sha’carri Richardson blew people away last week when she effortlessly crossed the 100m finish line in first place, making her a qualified candidate for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Earning that Olympics spot wasn’t the only thing that made 21-year-old Richardson distinguishable. Her fiery orange hair trailing behind her as she dominated the track, and her long blinged-out nails also caught the eye of many viewers. But on Thursday, June 24, Richardson seemed to ditch the bright wigs, possibly temporarily, to flaunt her natural beauty.
In a now-deleted Instagram Story post, she uploaded two photos that showed her making kissy faces at different angles, while her hair stretched out into a beautiful black afro beyond the camera frame. Giving her photo a little pizzazz, Richardson added the “Poppy” filter to her photo, which gives it a sparkle effect. Although she was giving her natural kinks and coils all of the spotlight, it looks like she was not up for the maintenance of it.
She wrote, “You come deal with this 🥺😍,” on both selfies. Many people saw the resemblance between Richardson and 1988 Olympic medalist Florence Griffith Joyner, who, like Richardson, ran in style with her long nails. In an interview with The Washington Post, Richardson said, “Y’all love talking about my hair & my nails like the greatest woman to ever enter the game didn’t run in style. Flo-Jo came to the track and knew she was going to dominate.”
The Dallas native added, “The way she did that was graceful. I always liked that. If the amazing Flo-Jo had long nails, there was no excuse why I couldn’t have long nails.” As for her actual bright orange hair color, Richardson said it was her girlfriend that helped her make that choice. “She said it just spoke to her, the fact that it was just so loud and vibrant,” she said. “That’s who I am. She just wanted me to be able to make a statement — let’s continue to show the world I’m a force to be reckoned with.”
