At the height of Sha’Carri Richardson’s career, she was a force of nature, blazing past rivals and turning every track into her runway. Dominance became routine, but one moment in particular grabbed the world’s attention: the 2023 USA Championships in Eugene. Just before the 100m final, Richardson ripped off her iconic orange wig, revealed her braided natural hair, tossed the wig aside, and then blasted through the finish line in 10.82 seconds. The clip became an instant legend. Years later, Richardson has finally revealed the secret behind that unforgettable moment.

During her appearance with Serena and Venus Williams on the Stockton Street podcast, Sha’Carri Richardson faced a flurry of rapid-fire questions. In the middle of it all, Serena highlighted her favorite Sha’Carri moment, the iconic scene early in Richardson’s career when she ripped off her wig. The former 100m world champion smiled and said, “Yes. That was, 2023. That was 2023 when I pulled my, it was an orange wig. Yes. Yeah. I like to think that I was like I’ve only done it once so.”

When Serena Williams asked her to walk them through the moment, she added, “It was a fun moment.” Serena asked whether she had planned it, to which Richardson revealed, “That was actually planned, literally. Even my braider and my hairstylist, both were confused, like, ‘Okay, if this what you doing, this where we’re going, we are going with you.'”

I planned it out,” she continued. “I was just so much confident in myself that year, that season, and how much work I put in that so at that point I just like ‘I’m feeling good,’ like I’m literally having fun because I have done the work. I knew I was gonna win. I knew I was just going to be my best self and what my best is, I know it’s just out of this world. I just believed that about myself”

Richardson’s decision to toss the wig before the finals showcased just how confident she was that season. In that race, she didn’t just win; she went on to claim the 100m World Championship title in Budapest, clocking 10.65 seconds. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that 2023 was the best year of her sprinting career. As she told the Williams sisters, it was a moment that represented her “transformation” in front of the world, showing she was still herself but “better.”

During the thirty-minute conversation, Sha’Carri Richardson shared everything that had been hidden about her, and in her conversation with Serena, she revealed how her husband, Alexis Ohanian, helped her with her voice.

“He gave us a voice,” Sha’Carri Richardson said on Alexis Ohanian’s Athlos

Sha’Carri Richardson became part of Alexis Ohanian’s Athlos this year after he personally invited her to join the all-women’s event as an advisor-owner. Although she hasn’t competed in the last two editions, she has remained an active member of the advisory board alongside Gabby Thomas and Tara Davis-Woodhall and will continue shaping the league’s future.

During her conversation with the Williams sisters, Richardson explained how Ohanian helped give athletes a stronger voice at a time when the sport was struggling.

“He gave us a voice, you know, in a lot of different ways, like creating the meet, like just creating different opportunities to have we can show up, and I think that was an opportunity that definitely I was grateful to be a part of. I know the other ladies as well, but also it’s a stepping stone, truly, for athletes to see as possible and for other things,” said the former 100m world champion.

Sha’Carri Richardson further expressed her excitement for the team-based league Athlos is coming up with next year. Though Richardson hasn’t signaled whether she’d participate herself, she did open up about the importance of Athlos giving athletes like herself the chance to shape their sport and business opportunities outside the track too.