"Not a goal of mine to be known"- When Sha'Carri Richardson opened up on fame and what mattered beyond it

Sha'Carri Richardson once shared that fame isn’t something she cares to chase. Despite having a massive fanbase with millions of Instagram followers, the American sprinter added that she isn’t someone who wants to be known solely for her sport.

She mentioned that if she is going to be known, she wants it to be for more than just her sport or a single moment. In fact, she wants to be recognized for who she is in areas that matter most to her, including her family, serving the community and more.

Via Associated Press in July 2024, Sha'Carri Richardson spoke about the things that mattered to her beyond fame, stating:

“It’s not a goal of mine to be known. But I definitely don’t want to be known for one thing. No one does. It’s important for me to be the best person I can be in all that matters to me, like family, community and the work that I do.”

Notably, Richardson has shown her pride in her identity as a Black woman. In addition to being known for embracing her authentic self through style, hair and other ways, the Dallas-born has also been vocal in challenging racial inequalities in sports.

Besides this, Sha’Carri Richardson is known for her remarkable comeback at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, where she won two gold medals in the individual 100m and the women’s 4x100m relay and a bronze in the 200m. This redemption came after she missed the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to a positive test for marijuana, which led to a one-month suspension.

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Sha'Carri Richardson reflects on the deeper message about her nail designs

Sha'Carri Richardson attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" (Photo by John Shearer/WireImage) Source: Getty

Sha'Carri Richardson opened up about the deeper message behind her nail designs. She shared that they are a tribute to the women in her family who introduced her to nail art at a young age. In an interview with USA Today ‘For The Win’ in June 2025, she reflected on the message, stating:

“I'm saying the deeper message is, if anything, no matter what the design is, the relationships and my nails comes from the beautiful women within my family that have always shown me nail art from a young girl, like me being a little girl. So, I would say the deeper messages is a relationship to the women in my family, and also, I trust my team to create art every single time.”

At the Paris Olympics, her debut appearance at the Games and her most recent major track and field campaign, Richardson sported a red, white, and blue nail design, with one finger on each hand painted like the American flag.

The American also had a successful campaign in terms of performance, winning a gold in the women’s 4x100m relay being an anchor and an individual 100m silver medal.