Usain Bolt's Advice To Sha'Carri Richardson Benefits Every Athlete
By: Omar Cook
Sha’Carri Richardson has been making headlines for quite some time now as she has emerged as track and fields’ biggest stars but it has not come without controversy. After being disqualified from the 2021 Olympics this summer, Richardson was forced to set her attention to her next race at the Prefontaine Classic.
Sha’Carri was very vocal about her previous performances leading up to this highly anticipated race with Jamaican sensations Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, as of course any elite athlete should feel confident about winning. Unfortunately, her cockiness was not taken well publicly after she placed last place in the 100m race taking 9th place in her first race back since her U.S. Olympic trials race.
In early September, Sha’Carri once again hit the track in the Diamond League this time taking 4th place in the 200m. Much improved from 9th place as she begins to find her groove once again.
Track superstar Usain Bolt gave some sound words of advice for the U.S. champion.
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,” Bolt said. “So just train hard and focus on that and try to come back do it and then talk about it.”
Bolt mentioned that the Jamaican women had added incentive to beat Sha’Carri due to her public comments.
“Jamaicans were vexed because she was talking a lot of s**t before the actual race, it is just one of those things,” he said. “Jamaicans don’t like when people talk s**t about us because we are a very proud people. So if you talk about us we are gonna want you to back it up. It definitely gave those women the extra push [to win.]”
Bolt has delt with athletes that have been outwardly vocal in the past as he went head to head with Justin Gatlin in the 2016 Olympics.
“That was my thing with Justin Gatlin — because he’s the one that was always talking — so that gives me that energy like, ‘All right you think you’re gonna win let’s go!’ So it does give you that extra boost to wanna beat that person,” he said of Gatlin. Gatlin finished second to Bolt in the 2016 Olympics.
Sha’Carri Richardson is definitely one of track’s hottest stars as she currently has run the 6th fastest time in history in the 100m in 10.72 seconds, but Richardson will have to deal with being humbled for the time being. Like the old saying goes, if you talk the talk you gotta walk the walk. Richardson will definitely be back on top but at this moment, her talking needs to be done with results.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:
