“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,” said Bolt speaking to the New York Post after Richardson missed out on competing at the Tokyo Olympics.
The multiple world record holder would later reiterate his sentiments on the American speedster’s impact on the sport in an interview with Revolt and how he dealt with his failures.
Track legend Usain Bolt’s interest in Sha’Carri Richardson’s career and her adherence to his advise can propel her to the GOAT status of women’s sprint.
Usain Bolt’s interest in Sha’Carri Richardson’s career in the past year by giving career-changing advise could propel her to the GOAT status of women’s sprint.
Before the Paris Games, the Jamaican track legend was invested on how Richardson would bounce back after failing to make her debut at Tokyo 2021.
He said: “I like her energy because I think she’s good for the sport because her energy is different. It’s spicy, it’s a vibe. You will have failures throughout your career, it’s just one of those things,” he added.
“In my first Olympics in Athens, I didn’t make it outside the first round. So, it’s just about being determined and pushing yourself, and just believing that you can do it, and just go and do your best.”
On the back of Bolt’s advise, Richardson would make her Olympic debut in Paris, where she was agonisingly stunned to a second-place finish behind Julien Alfred in the women’s 100m final.
Although she did earn redemption in the women’s 4 x 100m relay, excelling as Team USA’s anchor leg as she propelled the quartet from third to first place in the race to earn gold, it didn’t take away the disappointment of losing her first Olympic 100m final.
Despite the loss, the American track star didn’t make a fuss about it, especially after a controversial situation before her semifinal race where she alongside the great Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce were denied entry into one of the warm-up track areas and had to take a longer walking distance to gain access.
Putting the Olympic shortcomings behind her, Richardson got back to her training base in the US and worked harder to prepare for her next race and possible revenge on Alfred.
She successfully achieved this at the Zurich Diamond League, where she defeated the newly crowned Olympic champion, producing an impressive performance.
Richardson got the comeback win against a stacked 100m field at the Letzigrund Stadium, blazing to a time of 10.84s to Alfred’s 10.88s, while Dina Asher-Smith and Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith came in third and fourth, each with a time of 10.89s and 10.93s respectively.
Her response to the heartbreak in Paris shows her champion’s grit, though that is something Bolt has noticed about the American.
With the Diamond League final set to take place in Brussels on September 14, where Richardson and Alfred will meet again, the world 100m champion will be gunning for another famous win against her fierce rival to prove her mettle that she’s not backing down on the path to GOAT
status of women’s sprint.
