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00:00Oftentimes when you are at the peak of success like yourself, sometimes people can misunderstand you.
00:06Sometimes people can underestimate you.
00:09For you, is there something about Sha'Carri Richardson that you adore about yourself that people may not know about that you would like them to know, that you wish they knew about you?
00:19I want to say one thing about myself that I adore and that I love about me that most people may not know is that I am always going to show you.
00:30I know exactly who I am and I have no problem doing it because no matter what, I want people to always walk away from me and being able to say, I understand her.
00:40Like, I can't relate to that.
00:41I mean, I probably can't relate to being an athlete.
00:44I probably can't relate to being, I don't know, successful, but I can relate to being human.
00:49I can relate to having experience.
00:51I can relate to continuing to show up no matter if it's good, bad, or better day.
00:56Yeah.
00:56So, yeah.
00:58Hi, I'm Sha'Carri Richardson, Olympic silver and gold medalist, and you're watching my Essence Uncovered.
01:04Uncovered, right?
01:05Yeah!
01:05Oh!
01:06That was perfect!
01:18What's going on, Essence family?
01:19It's your girl, Sheree Nicole, here again with another edition of Essence Black Women in Sports,
01:23and this time it's Essence Uncovered. I like how we merged the two worlds, and I'm hanging out with one of the fastest women to ever live.
01:31You heard me right, track and field icon, Olympic gold and silver medalist, none other than Sha'Carri Richardson.
01:37How are you?
01:38Hi, gorgeous.
01:39How are you?
01:40I'm fantastic.
01:41That is amazing.
01:42So, I know we just wrapped up. Behind me, just a few moments ago, you were giving all the things. You were giving the face, the looks, all the things.
01:50This is your first Essence Cover.
01:52Yeah.
01:52Thinking about that and this experience you had here today, how are you feeling right now?
01:55Oh my gosh. My experience here today, being on Essence Covered, is an honor. I feel like the little girl inside me has achieved something that we only saw in the magazines.
02:05Yeah.
02:05We only saw it on TV. So, it's an honor. It even reminds me of a moment I've had with my grandmother.
02:11Like, I actually remember her reading Essence when I was younger. So, a full circle moment to just be here, be on the cover, these beautiful looks with these beautiful people, and just to admire the essence of blackness.
02:22Like, I am honored to be considered black excellence on the cover.
02:27You absolutely are. So, you talked about the looks. We had a lot of looks today.
02:30Yes.
02:30Was there one that stood out to you most or that you felt the best in?
02:33Mmm.
02:34They were all amazing, by the way.
02:35Thank you. Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. I loved all the looks.
02:37I would say, probably my favorite look would have to be the one where I look like an African goddess.
02:44Mm-hmm.
02:45I just like that because of the essence. It was soft, it was pure, and it was just covered.
02:51Yeah.
02:51But covered in a way of, like, just with energy.
02:54Yeah.
02:54So, I really enjoyed that look today.
02:55Energy and elegance.
02:56Yeah.
02:57Let's get into the nails. They are extremely sharp.
03:00Yes!
03:00And I mean that as, like, nice. Not just sharp as in a point.
03:04As in a point.
03:05It's sharp like period.
03:06Like on point.
03:06On period, you're doing your thing.
03:08On period.
03:09So, I mean, we talked about a little earlier before the cameras were rolling, how you function with these nails.
03:14Yeah.
03:14Um, I was mentioning to you that I wear contact lenses, so I can only do nails about, you know, a little bit longer than my actual, like, where my skin starts right there.
03:23I literally, like, right there.
03:24And you said you wear contact lenses.
03:25I do.
03:26Can you give me some advice on how to take these out with nails like that?
03:29Oh my gosh, actually, ooh, uh, ooh, ooh, ooh, to even describe it, my little baby cousin, she's in college, she actually gave me a tip to getting out my contacts.
03:38Like, something in the way, like, take that contact, drag it to the end or something like that.
03:42Like, it's crazy, but it works.
03:44What?
03:44It works every time.
03:45Like, I can do it with nails on, with nails off, so my baby girl helped me out, so shout out to baby cousin.
03:49I want to try that.
03:50Baby cousin, I'm going to try it.
03:51If it doesn't work, I know who to find and who to blame.
03:53You do.
03:54Oh.
03:54Speaking of fashion just a little bit more, when it comes to the nails and the hair, how do you decide, like, what your look is going to be for big races?
04:02Oh my gosh, so my thought process going into big races, especially when it comes to my fashion, my hair, my nails, honestly, I have a great team that I trust, and almost, like, they can feel the aura around me when I'm in go time.
04:17Like, I don't start the day of the race.
04:19Like, it probably is, like, two, three weeks out, I'm already preparing for my race, so my team around me, like, they just pick up on my energy, and, yeah, I literally just let them freestyle, and literally what they come up with matches to the team, what I'm feeling, what I want to embrace, and what I want to show, so I trust my team.
04:37Most, I'll probably tell them if I'm feeling the color.
04:40Sometimes colors come to me because I feel like colors have a lot of energy, and I'll give them color, and they'll freestyle, but I trust their decisions all the way.
04:47So, there was a situation where you had a race, and you said, nah, this hair ain't going to work.
04:53We're just going to go with what we got going on.
04:55What happened in that moment where you said, I don't want to do this, or I don't need to do this right now?
05:00Oh, so, actually, that actually was, like, that was one of the times I actually planned out, like, fully to have, like, a stunt to do on the track, if that makes sense.
05:09Oh, okay, cool.
05:10So, that actually was planned.
05:11Like, I had my orange hair.
05:12I remember I was even telling both my, like, hairstylist and my braider, like, hey, I'm going to do this.
05:17I know what y'all don't know, so you don't think I'm just ripping off my hair.
05:19I don't like it.
05:21Or if you don't see my braids, I'm not high, you know, so.
05:23It was a whole process.
05:24Like, I literally went, got my hair braided first, and then literally went to my hairstylist, and she installed the wig the next day.
05:31And so, I was just walking around normal with my hair, and then once we got to the race, the whole concept was to show shedding, shedding the past, and just embracing who you are in the moment.
05:42I love that, which leads me to my next question.
05:44We talked a little bit earlier about you being intentional.
05:46For me, that exudes freedom.
05:48So, for you at this time in your life, and thinking about all that even happened today with this cover shoot, how does it feel to walk in that freedom, and how grateful are you at this time in your life to be able to do that?
05:57I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity that I feel, the freedom that I feel now.
06:04I feel like it was at certain points just having to learn the concept of what true freedom is.
06:09I'm like, that ain't New York.
06:11Let me tell you something.
06:12We didn't ask to be here, okay?
06:14This is where they chose to have this.
06:16Oh, my, right.
06:17So, if you hear a horn, it is what it is, and if you don't, just be thankful.
06:21We're going to do the best we can in the edit to make this what we would like it to be, but if you hear a horn, just get over it.
06:26Yeah, shout-out to New York.
06:28Back to what I was saying, I honestly am grateful because there were certain points in my life I did feel like I didn't have the freedom that I could, you know, really be myself and share myself.
06:36I thought there would be certain times I would have to limit who I am and how I could share, you know, just how I know to be myself.
06:43And I do feel like even with today, I've enjoyed the energy of everyone in here.
06:48Like, they just felt my energy and just, like, and even with the looks, like, everything just showed a different creativity of just fun.
06:55Like, just be you.
06:56Like, just one of one, like, freedom to just continue to know that no matter what you want to do, no matter who you are, you can do it and you are exactly who you are.
07:06So, I am enjoying that freedom of my life now and I felt that all today while I was filming as well.
07:11I love that.
07:12I'm glad we could create a space, a safe space for you to do that.
07:15You know, oftentimes when you are at the peak of success like yourself, sometimes people can misunderstand you.
07:22Sometimes people can underestimate you.
07:24For you, is there something about Sha'Carri Richardson that you adore about yourself that people may not know about that you would like them to know, that you wish they knew about you?
07:34Hmm, I would say one thing about myself that I adore and that I love about me that most people may not know is that I am always going to show you exactly who I am.
07:47And I have no problem doing it because no matter what, I want people to always walk away from me and being able to say, I understand her.
07:56Like, I can't relate to that.
07:57Like, I mean, I probably can't relate to being an athlete.
08:00I probably can't relate to being, I don't know, successful, but I can relate to being human.
08:05I can relate to having experience.
08:07I can relate to continuing to show up no matter if it's good, bad, or a better day.
08:12Yeah.
08:12So, yeah.
08:14What or who keeps you grounded?
08:16As we continue to talk about authenticity and you firmly rooted in who you are, what or who keeps you grounded?
08:22What reminds you to always be Sha'Carri?
08:24Oh my gosh, my, what keeps me grounded first will be my faith.
08:28I feel like my faith is something that as long as I keep that first, everything is like a domino effect and will follow through.
08:34So that's my first key of keeping me grounded.
08:37Then it will be my family.
08:38I love my family.
08:39Out in Dallas, Texas, I miss them.
08:41I love them all the time.
08:42And I appreciate just them always reminding me of who I am no matter what is going on.
08:48And I have no problem.
08:50And also I appreciate my relationship, my person that continues on a day-to-day basis, help me just see who I am, critique me and let me know my rights, my wrongs.
08:58And well, I appreciate my training team, like my training environment where I go there and it's another safe place and they continue, you know, they see me, but they understand as well, you know, the direction that I want to go.
09:10And we all come on board together and we make it work.
09:13So I have a great, great support system.
09:15When you talk about your coaches, I know, you know, every player, every athlete is different and coaches have to kind of keep that in mind as they're coaching certain, certain athletes.
09:23But is there a certain level of communication that you're more receptive to when it comes to being coached that you're like, yo, if you, if you chat, if you're telling me like this, I'm good.
09:32If you're telling me like this, maybe we should figure out a different way to tell you that.
09:36I would say actually it would be funny when I say I like I me and my coach, we have a very close relationship.
09:44But for me, even if we weren't close, like I like I like rough, like not saying rough, but I like the fact it's just like like give it to me exactly how you need to.
09:52Like, like if I'm not doing something, if I'm not at practice busting my tail to my fullest potential or I am, you know, not doing what I'm supposed to be doing.
10:01Like I'm or if I am doing what I'm doing, like I like for my coach to tell me exactly what is on his brain, no filter, raw, because at the end of the day, I'm going to give it right back to him the same way.
10:10But at the same time, I know that it comes from a such a genuine place of wanting to pull the best out of me, no matter what, to the point where even he may or he is willing to go against, not against me, but going against myself to pull out of me what I need.
10:25So I'd be like, coach, give me to me straight.
10:26Like, I don't need no baby talk.
10:28Don't talk to me.
10:29Let me know what's up.
10:30I love that.
10:30Yeah, I take that all day.
10:31I love that, which to me takes great strength.
10:33And we were off camera.
10:34We talked about strength a little bit and kind of your views on that with all you've accomplished in mind as a woman and as a track star for you.
10:43What is strength?
10:44How would you define it?
10:46How would you define strength?
10:46I would define strength as win, lose, draw, never giving up.
10:53Like you're always like no matter what it looked like and whether if you did it in the way you wanted to, you did do it, you didn't do it.
11:01Never, ever, ever giving up.
11:02I feel like that is what strength is because we are all as beings going to have good days, bad days, beautiful days, ugly days.
11:10But at the end of the day, we have to continue to know that strength comes from getting back up step by step.
11:18You know, it may not be a big step, a baby step, but you're still stepping.
11:21Gotcha.
11:22A couple more questions for you before I let you out of here.
11:24Your voice, your aura, your presence carries a lot of weight.
11:29A lot of people have a lot of things to say.
11:30In social media, people just, they, when you get to typing, it's not about typing in the phone and in the computer.
11:35You just get real brave.
11:37For you, how do you determine when you're going to respond or exercise your right to raise your voice and when you're going to just chill?
11:45Oh my God, I love that question.
11:47Thank you for that.
11:48Because I like how you said that because it's moments.
11:51All of them categories got different moments.
11:53I feel like when I fail to use my voice only when it's for the greater good.
11:59I feel as if only when I feel compelled by something put on my heart, on my spirit to speak on that is going to bring more peace and more positivity, then it will do negative.
12:09I feel like that's when I want to for sure use my voice and to inform people.
12:13A lot of people, especially when it comes to track and field, really don't understand.
12:18So I would love to continue to use my voice or my essence or, you know, the platform I do have to show and to vocalize exactly what track and field is to the world and not just every four years when people tune in.
12:30I would say that's when I want to use my voice.
12:34And then choices when I don't want to use my voice, I would say, again, one of the, I just listened to Miss Stacey Abrams and she told me, well, not me, but she told the group what she was talking to.
12:44She was basically saying, if you wouldn't take advice from them, don't take critique from them.
12:48And I feel like that is something that, like, I just heard it recently, but I feel like in my brain it's registered so differently because it's like, you're right.
12:56Like, people that get online and have so many comments, they put their phones down and they see the life that they really live.
13:01Yeah.
13:01When you put your phone down, you see the life that you really live.
13:04Yeah.
13:04So it's just at the end of the day, you have to be in tune with your star player.
13:07You have to be grounded and create your own environment where you know sees your rawness, your ugliness, your beauty on a day-to-day basis compared to, you know, when you do get online and people only see moments.
13:18Yeah.
13:18So I just pour myself into the people that see everything around me and the people that be online, I know they're going to watch no matter what.
13:24That's great.
13:25So I'll be like, watch, baby.
13:26Watch.
13:27You all, as I close this out, I'm going to give Sha'Carri the opportunity to answer or not.
13:33And this is the beauty in recording and editing.
13:35We could just get rid of stuff.
13:37So we started off initially this interview and I mentioned that she was a gold medalist.
13:42I did not mention the silver.
13:44She said, uh-uh, sis, one moment.
13:45I have a silver medal as well, which I'm also equally proud of.
13:49And so I redid that intro that you saw earlier.
13:51With that said, there was a lot of conversation around what transpired before the 100-meter final.
13:58A lot of people had their own interpretations of how that may have impacted you or what have you.
14:03And, again, you've been moving in stride.
14:05You're proud of yourself, as you should be, and everything that you did up to that point.
14:08Is there anything that you want to address regarding what transpired that led up to that race?
14:14Honestly, there was nothing I would really address.
14:18I feel like divinely everything that happened that day was meant to happen to help me from my journey.
14:22Not just for Paris game, but for 2025 Tokyo World Championship, 2028 LA games.
14:31I felt like everything that happened, I wouldn't try to even define explanation for, you know, the mishap, obviously, with the meet that happened that they saw online.
14:42But at the end of the day, I felt like what was put onto me, my heart, and my body to perform out there align with my journey long-term, if that makes sense.
14:53Absolutely, absolutely.
14:53So, like, again, and then one monkey don't stop, no show.
14:57That's right.
14:58That's right.
15:00You all heard it here first.
15:01There's no excuses.
15:03And there's no other reason to ask any more questions about this.
15:06It's been established.
15:07And you talk about divine.
15:08It was divine for us to connect here.
15:10Thank you for sharing your incredible moment with us.
15:13And I'm going to tell you right now, I'm going to be staring down my next challenge like you were staring down on a girl like that.
15:18I'm doing that to everything that's coming to me in 2025.
15:22Yes, ma'am.
15:22And beyond.
15:24Thank you, Sha'Carri, so much.
15:25Thank you so much.
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