Sha’Carri Richardson has just faced one of the most upsetting losses of the season. She reached Eugene, Oregon, to win her first Diamond League trophy, but fell short of others by a big margin and could not finish in the top three. She looked as fresh as ever when she came out to start the race, but could not bring glory to America and lost the race against her Jamaican rival Shericka Jackson.

Nonetheless, along with her 100m sprint, her hairdo also made it to the headlines as she came up with a new hairstyle. It was her first time running with her natural hair. In a post-race interview, Richardson revealed why she kept her hair natural and ran with open hair.

Sha’Carri Richardson and her new afro hairdo

Following the race, Richardson talked with NBC Olympics and shared various nooks and crannies of her 2023 season. This post-race conversation was shared by NBC Olympics & Paralympics on their X handle (formerly Twitter).

In the conversation, 23-year-old Richardson says, “I would say my coach; I told him that if I go 10.6, I’ll go with my natural hair. So when I became the world champion, I ran the 10.65, so I had to pull out the natural.” She had a smile on her face while she was talking about her new hairstyle.

However, though Richardson’s hairstyle took the spotlight, the American sprinter ended her run by securing a fourth position. It was her famous Jamaican rival, Shericka Jackson, who got the better of Richardson this time and won the race. Jackson clocked a sensational time of 10.70 seconds and claimed the number one spot with absolute finesse.

The Ivorian sprinting prodigy Marie-Josee Ta Lou placed second with 10.75 seconds, and another Jamaican legend, Elaine Thompson-Herah, finished third with 10.79 seconds.

Richardson looked great in the first half of the race, but it wasn’t clearly a great day for the current 100 meter world champion. But, this left Richardson’s fandom to ponder if one of the possibilities of her loss could be her open hair style that she opted?

Did Richardson’s Natural hair look hinder her path to success?

Sprinting icons like Florence Griffith Joyner and Sha’Carri Richardson never shied away from flaunting their fashion statement on the tracks. Whether it be intriguing hairstyles or long nails, Flo Jo and Richardson pulled it off with absolute finesse. Hence, just like Flo Jo, Richardson also opted for natural hair look during the final Diamond league run.

However, as per the Jamaican-American athlete Sanya Richards-Ross, who framed a multitude of accolades on her wall of fame in her beloved discipline of 400m, once talked about how the hair blowing in the wind can slow the athlete down. In a 2012 interview with Slate, the retired athlete stated, “whenever air flows around a speeding projectile – be it shot put or a runner’s body – aerodynamic principles come into play.”

Talking about the 100m sprint, she further added, “a 100-meter sprinter can use up to 20 percent of her total energy expenditure overcoming air resistance, or  the drag exerted on her frame due to friction between her and the air.”

Richardson looked poised to replicate her world championship performance in the first half, but she fell short of other runners, while Jackson found her way to the top. While Jackson was seen donning a hair bun, Richardson chose to keep her hair loose. Hence, the intrigue still stands, whether it’s her hair that hindered the American sprinter’s 100m glory or not?

Read More: Shericka Jackson Erases Sha’Carri Richardson’s Hype on American Soil After 10.70 Run at Diamond League

Though it might have been a challenging day in Eugene for Sha’Carri Richardson, but she surely known how to pull herself back. Despite the disappointment, Richardson’s spirit remains strong, and fans anticipate her return to the track next year.

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