Sha’Carri Richardson Says Black Women Athletes Aren’t Given The Same Grace As Competitors Of Other Races

Sha’Carri Richardson says her Olympic fallout was a “growing and touching experience” but still believes she was treated unfairly.

The 21-year-old graced the cover of Teen Vogue, which was published on Wednesday. In her cover story, she spoke candidly about her suspension from the Tokyo Summer Games last year. The sprinter credited accountability as her means of getting through the heavily publicized suspension due to her THC use.

“How I show myself forgiveness is honestly by acknowledging it first, acknowledging the situation for what it is, acknowledging my responsibilities in it,” Richardson shared. She also added that she reached out to the people who had been in her corner since day one to apologize for letting them down as well.

“Acknowledging them made me feel like it was okay within myself,” she added.

Though young, Richardson spoke on Black womanhood during that same conversation, especially as it pertains to Black female athletes, stating that Black women are not granted the same grace when expressing emotion in their sport.

“It almost seems like we have to be superheroes. It’s just irritating because you take away the abilities, you take away the speed, you take away the talent, and we’re still human,” she explained.

In recent weeks, Richardson has spoken out on social media regarding her treatment compared to fifteen-year-old Kamila Valieva, who was allowed to compete, despite testing positive for a banned substance in December. Her test results were not made public until after she had already competed in the Olympics in February and secured a gold medal in the team figure skating event. Unlike Richardson, Valieva had her temporary suspension lifted. Richardson has maintained that the only reason she was prohibited from competing was due to her race.

Sha'Carri Richardson for Teen Vogue, Feb 2022.

Photography by Izack Morales https://t.co/nL4DkTVLA8 pic.twitter.com/3N38qm17t0

— Dani Kwateng (@danikwateng) February 23, 2022