“To remove an apparently widespread impression that events for women are included in the Olympics track and field program at Paris, as a result of the unusual growth recently in feminine athletics, the American Olympic committee today issued a statement emphasizing that none are scheduled.” – Birmingham Age-Herald, June 4, 1924.

No women will be in Olympics. That’s what the headline of this article from 1924 read. Admittedly, this headline was misleading because women were allowed to participate in the Games. They had been since 1900. But it wasn’t until 1928 – 28 years later – that they were given the opportunity to compete in track and field events. To go from a stat like that at the 1924 Paris Olympics to this: 5,250 female athletes will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the exact same number as men for the first time in history. Isn’t it eye-opening?

That said, egalitarianism is the way forward, and we can firmly believe so. A century after that Birmingham Age-Herald article highlighting the American Olympic Committee’s statement, female athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson are set to make history at the 2024 Games in the same city. Their participation symbolizes the tremendous progress in women’s athletics over the past 100 years. As Wall Street Journal reporter Rachel Bachman rightly pointed out in their tweet, “The last time the Olympics were in Paris, a century ago, things were much different for women in the sport.”

Now that we have come this far, let’s go back to when it all started in the modern era. The year was 1896, and in the first modern Olympic Games, a female Greek athlete, Melpomema, harbored a desire to participate in Athens but was ousted from doing so. Why? Because founder Pierre de Coubertin believed it would be inappropriate. It was a cultural and societal moratorium that women were genteel and docile. As a result, in the next edition – although not officially sanctioned – women had to dedicate themselves to sports that were homogeneously “ladylike.” Track and field wasn’t one of them.

These included tennis, croquet, sailing, equestrianism, and golf. In that 1990 edition, out of 997 cumulative athletes, a staggeringly low 22 women competed, and that too in just two dissimilar disciplines – tennis and golf. But let’s fast forward to 1928, the first time track and field events were open to women. That year, 277 women participated (more than double compared to 1924’s 135 women). And then-16-year-old Elizabeth Robinson became the first women’s Olympic track champion. 60 years later, Florence Griffith Joyner set the 100m and 200m records that female athletes are now chasing.

Interesting fact: After women’s boxing was added to the Olympics program at the 2012 London Games, it became the first time women were allowed to compete in every sport.

Modern trailblazers like Sha’Carri Richardson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Gabby Thomas, and Shericka Jackson (to name a few) have become the face of women’s track and field. As they look to continue the legacy of not just Flo-Jo but also of Elizabeth Robinson and every other female track and field athlete who came before them, it’s undeniable that women’s power will be the clarion call now come the Olympics. And with her star wattage and feisty personality on and off the track, it’s safe to say that Richardson is one of those athletes that the ‘dying’ track and field desperately needs.

With fellow American Gabby Thomas striving to break Flo-Jo’s 200m record, Sha’Carri Richardson will be looking forward to making her mark on the Olympic stage. Her journey ranges from the highs of winning the 100m trials at the 2021 US Olympic Trials with a blistering 10.86s to the controversy of testing positive for THC, a component of marijuana, and getting suspended from competition. However, she showed her strength of character by admitting to her mistake and owning up to the fact that she was under duress after her biological mother’s death.

After winning the 100m with 10.65s and 4x100m relay gold in the 2023 World Athletics Championship, she has solidified her status as one of the greatest sprinters in the world right now. Her story has inspired many young athletes and instilled in them the importance of honesty. Even her vibrant style that features artistically long nails, wigs, and lashes emphasizes individuality. Her effect on the track and field community has been recognized worldwide.

Sha’Carri Richardson is a trailblazing icon in sports marketing

At one point, commercials featuring Sha’Carri Richardson had around 3000 airings across 6 TV ad campaigns aired nationally. This is more than most athletes of her generation. Furthermore, she cut an incredible deal with Nike amounting to $20 million. She was also on the creative team that created the costumes for the USA’s track and field athletes.

This deal compares to offers made to legends like Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James. In comparison, her male peers in sports, like Noah Lyles and Fred Richards, have not reached her level of fame or sponsorship. Lyles has partnered with Coca-Cola, Xfinity, Visa, and Omega and earns about $2 million annually. At the same time, Richards draws around $6,000 monthly from his deals with Crocs, Marriott, Peloton, and Celsius. This just goes to prove how much of a weightage Sha’Carri Richardson’s image holds.