Remember that 18-year-old lanky Jamaican who didn’t make it out of the first round of the 2004 Athens Olympics? No, right? But you do remember a Jamaican setting the track ablaze, making himself the fastest man in the world in the 2008 Olympics. Well, it turned out the two are the same individual, Usain Bolt. So for a man who rose above all the odds to become the best in the world, some words of advice from him can guide any young athlete to success. The same happened to Sha’Carri Richardson, but her story was a bit different.

Back in 2021, Usain Bolt took notice of the flashy young athlete from the USA. Much like him, Sha’Carri also tripped on her first hurdle in the track by not making it to the Tokyo Olympics. To pick her up and set the youngster straight, Bolt said, “I would tell Sha’Carri to train harder and to be focused and not say too much. If you talk that big talk, you have to back it up. So just train hard and focus on that and try to come back, do it, and then talk about it.”

The former LSU sprinter took offense to it and clapped back in her own style, but went a bit incognito. Sha’Carri reposted an Instagram story that another user wrote. The post was a straight-up answer to the legendary track and field athlete’s comments. “Everybody wants to give advice in the media, but none of them actually take time to speak to her outside the media. So I feel her. Stop speaking on me when you don’t speak to me,” the original post read. This silent trashing of Bolt became entangled with Sha’Carri’s life on the track since then.

Now three years down the road, Sha’Carri Richardson has proven that she can talk the talk and walk the walk. Her Paris Olympics success was a testament to her grit over the years, which earned her a gold medal in the 4x100m relay and a silver medal in the 100m event. But this seemed almost improbable 3 years ago, which led to the comments from Usain Bolt.

Sha’Carri Richardson and her forgettable 2021 shaped her career on the track

When 20-year-old Sha’Carri Richardson recorded a time of 10.77 seconds in a 100-meter sprint at the 2020 United States Olympic Trials, the whole nation stood and applauded. And in some cases, she backed her attitude that was perceived as insult by the Jamaicans. So when Sha’Carri failed a test conducted by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Usain Bolt jumped into the fray to remind her to be humble, keep her head down, and work.

While Sha’Carri claimed that her use of banned substances was due to her grieving issues (she lost her mother earlier that year), she accepted the one-month ban and subsequently lost her place in the Team USA, making the trip to Tokyo. She returned to the competitive track at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic but finished last with a timing of 11.14 seconds. “Jamaicans were vexed because she was talking a lot of (explicit) before the actual race; it is just one of those things,” Bolt said after this result.

It didn’t keep her down though, as failures are the building blocks to success. After a thorough preparation in 2022, 2023 became her year, and the world got to know who the outspoken girl from Texas really is. Sha’Carri also avenged her Paris Olympic loss recently. On September 5th, Sha’Charri recorded a 10.84-second finish to trump Julien Alfred at the Letzigrund Stadium and silenced all her haters. This was Sha’Carri’s last race before the Diamond League final in Brussels, which will decide the championships on September 13-14.