A significant award was given to LSU track star Sha’Carri Richardson at the 2023 USATF Night of Legends on Saturday in Orlando in conjunction with the USATF Annual Meeting. The night honored several athletes and their remarkable performances this year.
Richardson was named USATF Jackie Joyner-Kersee Athlete of the Year. For women, the top honor bestowed by USATF is the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Female Athlete of the Year award. Since its inception in 1981, the award has been given yearly to honor the most exceptional female athlete. Votes from the media and fans are combined to choose the winner.
Noah Lyles was selected as the Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year.
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“With the God that I serve, everything happens when it’s supposed to happen. So when I stand here today as the world champion, that’s because now was the time for that to happen. Now is the most impactful it would be, the most powerful it would be, and the most sincere it would be,” Richardson said in her acceptance speech.
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“I understand the influence that I have, I understand the responsibility that I have to USATF and as a top female USA athlete, and to my country, and to my black family, to my beautiful women, to everybody that has been misunderstood for trying to be their best selves and not be put into a category because they do track and field and have been put in a bubble,” she added.
Throughout the 2023 season, the 23-year-old had 12 wind-legal sub-11 times in the 100 meters. Her best result came in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, when she won gold in 10.65 seconds, placing her fifth on the list of all-time performers worldwide, according to 710 Keel.
Richardson won the 100-meter championship at three different Diamond League events this season, and she also took home the 10.82 USATF Nike Women’s 100 title.
Richardson became the first American woman to win a medal in both the 100 and 200-meter sprints at the World Athletics Championships since Carmelita Jeter won gold and silver in 2011. Richardson also claimed bronze in the 200.
The 23-year-old is proof that everything will happen when it’s supposed to. She also serves as an example for other young people to keep going despite failures.
