Lauren Cross looked around the four-lane running track at David W Carter high school in Dallas and tries to sum up what her goddaughter, world 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson, means to this community. “Sha’Carri is a representation of each and every girl to step on this track. All the foundation starts here on this track.
So if she can do it, then you can do it,” said Cross. As she speaks, a small group of young athletes go through their paces despite the wind buffeting the track in this green suburb of the sprawling Texan city. On this Monday in May, the track team has been given a day off after their exertions the night before in the Texas state championships in Austin.
Richardson left her mark on that event a few years ago, as the host of trophies in a cabinet in the corridor of the high school prove. Things have moved fast for the 24-year-old since then. After being thrown off the USA team for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 for using marijuana, she achieved a breakout 100m title at the 2023 world championships in Budapest, with a remarkable run from the outside lane complete with extravagant nails and a celebration to match.
That victory has made Richardson one of the favorites for the 100m gold at the Paris Olympics this year and she continues the buildup to those Games at the Prefontaine Classic meet in Eugene on Saturday. “When she came out here, she was so tiny, she was the smallest one.” recalled Cross, who coached her from 2014 to 2018 and is still in cha.