On a day meant to celebrate motherhood, Sha’Carri Richardson flipped the spotlight right where it belonged. Onto the woman who’s been her anchor, her backbone, and her biggest cheerleader. The U.S. track and field queen didn’t just post a tribute. She shared a piece of her soul. A heartfelt photo of her grandmother, Betty Harp, smiling with delight in front of a decadent dessert tray lit up Richardson’s Instagram stories. And it also reminded the world that not all mothers wear the title by birth. Some earn it through unconditional love.

It was a dream moment for Richardson, not because of fame or fortune, but because the woman who helped raise her was finally getting the flowers she’s long deserved. “This picture is my childhood wildest dream come true,” she wrote on her Instagram story with the kind of joy that comes from a lifetime of quiet sacrifice and shared struggle. There were also tacos. Yes, tacos, paired with a touch of caviar.

A classy-meets-cozy tribute from the fastest woman in America to the one who kept her grounded when life could’ve easily spun her out of control. Richardson has never shied away from crediting the real village behind her meteoric rise. And at the center of it all is Betty Harp, the grandmother who stood in when others couldn’t.

After Richardson’s biological mother passed away just a week before her breakthrough at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, it was Harp and her aunt Shay, whom she calls ‘Mom,’ who held her together. When she blazed through the finish line to claim her first Olympic berth in 2021, the first thing she did was race into the stands to wrap her arms around Harp, who could be seen wiping tears from her eyes.

That embrace wasn’t just a celebration. It was a lifetime of love being poured into a single moment. “My grandmother is my heart. My grandmother is my superwoman,” Richardson once said, as per Team USA. And those aren’t just pretty words. They’re lived experiences. From cooking sessions in the kitchen to long hours in front of the TV, Richardson’s childhood was shaped by the unwavering presence of a woman who never left her side.

Good or bad, win or lose, Harp was always there. This Mother’s Day wasn’t just another celebration. It was a spotlight on an unbreakable bond. Sha’Carri Richardson didn’t just honor her grandmother; she let the world know that everything she is today is because of the woman who never let her fall. Meanwhile, if Betty Harp was the heart of Richardson, her aunt Shay has been the soul.

The woman who gave Sha’Carri Richardson a mother’s love when she needed it most

“I didn’t have to birth her to be her parent.” Those powerful words from Shay, the woman Sha’Carri Richardson proudly calls her mom, echo far beyond any track. In a life shaped by early abandonment and emotional uncertainty, Shay stepped into a space where love was needed most. And it was not by obligation, but by choice. From the moment Sha’Carri’s biological mother left during her early years, it was her grandparents who raised her.

But it was Shay who filled the void that absence left behind. She didn’t just offer a roof or guidance. She offered something deeper: stability, emotional safety, and the unshakable promise of presence. “I’m not going to give up on you,” Shay once told a young Sha’Carri. She even added, “I’m never going to leave you.” For a child wrestling with self-worth and the sting of rejection, that vow became an anchor.

Sha’Carri revealed that she often questioned her value, haunted by the thought. Richardson shared, “If my mother doesn’t want to be around me, then I was like, I’m pretty sure nobody wants to be around me.” Shay’s unwavering support helped dismantle those painful beliefs. Over time, her nurturing reshaped Sha’Carri’s self-image.

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She even sparked her athletic journey. “My mom [Shay] has definitely been a pillar in my life to just be better,” Sha’Carri said in 2024. Today, her success on the track is matched by the strength of the bond between them.