Sha’Carri Richardson won her debut race at the Olympic Games Friday, having received a sign of loving support from a secret admirer.
The world 100-meter sprint champion was the favorite to take gold going into the competition in Paris and began her quest in the opening first-round heat at the Stade de France.
Richardson eased to victory in a time of 10.94s, taking her safely through to Saturday evening’s semifinals.
By the end of the heats, she had put down the fourth fastest time, behind Cameroon’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou Smith (10.87), Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.92) and Great Britain’s Daryll Neita (10.92).
Richardson had set off the sleuths Thursday night, when the 24-year-old Team USA athlete posted to her Instagram story.
First, there was a GIF of a bouquet of red roses, complete with a teddy bear sporting a gold medal and a message that read “To the love of my life.” Richardson added “The Best” with a heart emoji.
She followed that up with a second story post, highlighting that August 1 is ‘National Girlfriend Day’ in the calendar, and written in red, “My boo”.
Richardson’s relationship status has long been the subject of considerable interest, but she was tight-lipped when speaking to Vogue for a feature article published last month.
“There are things Richardson just won’t talk about. Her personal life is off-limits,” wrote journalist Maya Singer.
That’s entirely understandable considering the sprinter went through a very public break-up when splitting with Jamaican hurdler Janeek Brown in 2022, after three years together.
Richardson is out as bisexual, having posted as such on X back in 2015. In recent months, she has been rumored to be romantically linked with fellow U.S. sprinter Christian Coleman, although there has been little evidence thus far to suggest they are actually an item.
She’s enjoying having more control in her life compared to three years ago, when she won the 100-meter sprint at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials in a bright orange wig to secure her spot in Tokyo, only to have the place snatched away from her due to a positive test for a banned substance.
All that is in the past. When she laid down the fastest time in the world so far this year in Eugene, Ore., to punch her ticket for Paris, there was a more natural confidence about her.
“I wanted to focus on competing at my best, and my look reflected that. It was clean, fresh, and fast,” Richardson would later tell Elle Magazine.
That’s not to say there isn’t still glamour. For the Opening Ceremony, she sported her signature long nails in the stars and stripes of the U.S. flag. She had a different colorful design at the Stade de France on Friday.
The spotlight is firmly on her building up to the 100m final on Saturday night. If everything goes to plan, Richardson will get her Olympic flowers. For now, she’s thrilled with the red roses from her mystery boo.
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