There was a time when Sha’Carri Richardson did not know that she could be fast. Rather, she used to be only mesmerized by finding the medals proudly displayed in a cabinet in her grandmother’s house. Those were won on the tracks by her aunt Shay Richardson, whom she calls “mother”. Shay quickly became a young Sha’Carri’s role model. Beating a role model is always special. So, she used to challenge her aunt to race with her. And what did the races look like? “We’d go from the bottom of the hill to Big Momma’s car,” she had revealed. “And she didn’t slow down, she didn’t let me win.” Then, one day, came her breakthrough moment.

“I think it was in fifth grade, the day I touched the car first. And that’s when I knew,” Sha’Carri had said. That was the day she truly recognized her potential. That is one side of the story. Winning is important, but losing does not mean the end of the world- this perspective was shown to Sha’Carri by Lauren Cross, the girls’ track coach at Carter High School who has seen Sha’Carri flourish since the sprinter was 14.

“Sha’Carri doesn’t need extra pressure. She puts it on herself. So sometimes it’s been my job to say, ‘You know, one mistake doesn’t define you. It doesn’t determine the outcome.’,” Cross had said. This indeed sounds like a soothing touch to someone burning with a winning desire. Sha’Carri calls Cross her “godmother,” and she has also become a part of her extended family. The champion sprinter that we see coming out and conquering has been built brick-by-brick by these people whom she calls family. So, she understands well how much support from family matters. Probably that is why she’s passing it on. How?

A video went up on Sha’Carri Richardson’s Instagram story on March 31, 2025. She wrote, “Let’s goooo Big Mac!!!” The video was of her cousin, coming from his Instagram channel. Sha’Carri Richardson’s brother goes by the username @bigmac__throws_ on his Instagram, and if that does not give it away, he is a shotput and discus thrower. His real name is Calvin Harp.

In the video captioned “More work too do 😤“, Calvin can be seen donning an orange sleeveless shirt, gray sweatpants, and a pair of bright orange Nikes. He takes his position and cleans the disk a little. Keeping the legs still, he moves the upper body a 180, then another 180, this one a bit slower.

He takes a breath, does a couple more swings, and there he goes, a 360, but his legs move this time. One spin, one and a half, and then he throws. He then just stood there for a couple of seconds, looking at how far his effort had taken him. Sha’Carri Richardson even commented on the post! She cheered, saying, “Ayeeee.“

It was a pure cousin bond moment, but this wasn’t the first time. Sha’Carri regularly keeps on dropping comments and likes her cousin Calvin Hrap’s pictures on Instagram. Also, back in 2024, in an interview, her cousins shared their thoughts on Richardson whenever she visited them. They like to spend time inside in private playing cards and indulging in their favorite dishes, such as Harp’s chicken, smothered potatoes, collard greens with fatback, Texas toast, homemade sausage, and eggs. Well, they all look closely tied up.

Also, nobody would better understand the importance of family support in sports than the Olympian herself. She has previously said, “My family is my everything — my everything until the day I’m done.” It wasn’t just her aunty but her grandma as well who inspired her.

Sha’carri Richardson’s aunt and grandma never gave up on her

Born on March 25, 2000, in Dallas, Texas,  Richardson was born to Shayaria Richardson and her husband. The Olympian has never talked openly about her father, though she does thank her mother for giving birth to her. Sha’Carri’s mother passed away when she was young. Thus, it was not her mother or her father who raised her. It was her grandmother and aunt.

After her mother passed away, Shay took care of her. When the fear of being left alone started to get a grip on the Texas native, Shay promised her, “I’m not going to give up on you”. These words did affirm and fuel the Olympian. She has said in the past, “My mom [Shay] has definitely been a pillar in my life to just be better.” But it wasn’t Shay alone!

Some of the fondest memories of the 25-year-old come from her grandma’s kitchen. She loved seeing her grandmother, Betty Hrap, cook, and their favorite hobby was watching television. “My grandmother is my heart. My grandmother is my superwoman“—that’s how much Harp means to the Olympian. The first thing she did after the 2021 USA Olympics Trials 100m win was to embrace her in a warm hug. The Olympian has also said that without her grandmother, she would be nothing. Harp did point her towards Shay, who trained her for the track. Such great support created such a great athlete. What are your thoughts on it?