Sha’Carri Richardson had to settle herself with defeat again, two times in a row. No, it is not about her US Olympic trials performances. Rather, it is about the accolade that measures the wholesome performance, not just the sprinting showdowns on the track. Yes, we are talking about the Black Entertainment Television Awards 2024. After 2023, this time as well, Sha’Carri had to return empty-handed from the Sportswoman of the Year section. She has Simone Biles to accompany her as she also faced defeat in the final six. 

Meanwhile, People Magazine reported that the WNBA star Angel Reese has claimed the prestigious award for her records made in the last year. The Chicago Sky has many gems in her bag during this timeline. Those achievements have already touted her as the future Rookie of the Year in basketball. Meanwhile, for both Sha’Carri Richardson and Simone Biles, the year 2023 was not far less. Both sportspersons proved themselves on the world stage. While Sha’Carri did her thing at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Simone shone golden in Antwerp, at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. 

Apart from that, both athletes proved to be pivotal when their resilience was counted. However, Angel Reese made her route in the same season differently. In the 2022-23 timeline, the 6’3” forward stepped into Baton Rouge to play for the LSU Tigers. The rest could claim to be a part of a tale. 

In that season, Angel Reese averaged 23.0 points and 15.4 rebounds per match. Furthermore, riding on her otherworldly performance, the LSU Tigers achieved the first NCAA women’s basketball title, the first in the program’s history. The jury didn’t make a mistake in choosing the Most Outstanding Player’s name, and it was Angel Reese. Apart from that, in the NIL deals as well, the Maryland- native had few more numbers to make. 

As per On3’s update in September 2023, Angel Reese was standing at the eighth position with $1.7 million numbers. As a Black woman sports star, she found no one above her on that list.  Comparing all those factors, Angel Reese’s nomination overpowered names like Simone Biles, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Naomi Osaka. However, the duo of Simone and Sha’Carri remained radiant in their own way. 

Sha’Carri Richardson and Simone Biles – the faces of resilience and grit

Simone Biles has found herself three times in the nominee list of the BET Award – among those years, in 2020, she claimed the award while in both 2022 and 2024, she found herself away from that podium. However, in all those years, the four-time Olympic medalist hardly found any match when it came to entertaining the community through her deeds. In 2023, she set several such examples. 

After taking a two-year hiatus since her Tokyo Olympics appearance, Simone claimed her eighth US Gymnastics title, breaking the 90-year-old record set by Alfred Jochim. Not just that, in the WAG, Antwerp, she took four gold medals. That was her first international contest after taking off from the sport because of ‘twisties’. Those achievements sang a paean for her among the communities and gymnasts who feel too shy to talk about mental issues or make a comeback after taking a break. For Sha’Carri Richardson, the story was different in some ways. 

The Dallas-born sprinter claimed the top position in the 100m contest at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Thus, in a stacked field, she took revenge on her Jamaican opponents, who had ridiculed her in the Prefontaine Classic 2021. Additionally, in the 200m event as well, she received the bronze medal in the same competition. That remained a memorable comeback for sure. Now, as both of them have qualified for the Paris Olympics, fans might expect a few more such examples from them to make it a big.