Usain Bolt’s prophecy that made Sha’Carri Richardson the talk of the 100m

Three years ago Usain Bolt advised Sha’Carri Richardson to focus and train hard a prophecy validated by her mixed results at the Paris Olympics.

The prediction made by Jamaican sprint icon Usain Bolt that American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson needed to “train harder” has come true in the most remarkably colourful and even humorous way. The sprint community is still in high gear a month after the Olympics in Paris, not just because of Richardson’s performances but also because of the way Bolt’s frank counsel resulted in an athletic redemption story replete with dramatic high-speed confrontations and spectacular stare-downs. The world of athletics was riveted to every word that the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt, said in the run-up to the Paris Olympics, suggesting that Richardson should be talking less and doing more.

His advice was simple yet charged with the weight of experience: train harder and keep the focus sharp.

This was after Richardson, known for her fiery persona and equally blazing hair colors, faced suspension and missed the Tokyo Olympics, only to claim silver in a nail-biting finish in Paris

“I would advise Sha’Carri to work out more, stay focused, and control her speech. You need to provide evidence for your big talk if you say it. Thus, Bolt had counselled, “just train hard, concentrate on that, and try to come back do it and then talk about it.” It appears that Richardson applied Bolt’s advice to her legs as well as to her heart when she finds herself competing on the Olympic track in Paris.