Despite being a two-time Olympic medalist and three-time World Champion, Sha’Carri Richardson has faced a boatload of criticism. At the 2025 US Champs, she failed to qualify for the 200m and withdrew from the 100m semis midway amid turbulence in her personal life with Christian Coleman. In the past too, she has received negativity after getting suspended in 2021 for testing positive for THC. Fans kept bashing her in 2022, targeting her inconsistent form, after failing to qualify for the World Championships. But in 2023, Richardson delivered one of the biggest comebacks track and field has ever seen. She stormed to a World Championship title in 10.65s. Even in 2025, she anchored her team to a 4x100m relay World gold. So, how does she manage to turn a storm of criticism into her weapon? 

The answer came on November 14, 2025, during a candid conversation with Serena Williams and her sister, Venus Williams. The older Williams sister wondered how Richardson dealt with the negative comments on social media. Well, the reply was pretty straightforward. The track and field star said, “I use it as motivation.” She claimed that one is definitely missing something if there is no hatred around them. Of course, she receives a lot of love from the fans. But the negativity has a much stronger effect on her performance on the tracks. 

The 25-year-old continued, “The hate has just gained you something, and just that energy, that negativity, is something that, because it’s not true, you don’t want it to be me. And because you’re threatened by that, I’m more motivated by that.” She confessed that she often goes through the comments and takes them all in when she gets ready for practice. “I think about those comments when I’m on the track,” she admitted. These comments become her superpower when her coach yells at her and she doesn’t want to listen. She was like, “I need this for this lawn right here.” 

Unlike Sha’Carri Richardson, Serena Williams revealed that she never really handled the hatred that well. But her sister shared a similar superpower with Richardson. Venus Williams’ secret stash of power came from people who said that she couldn’t do something. She revealed, “Once I heard ‘You can’t,’ that was it!” 

2025 has brought its own challenges, including public scrutiny following the airport scuffle involving Christian Coleman. Many feared the off-track turbulence might shake her confidence or derail her progress. And even under the intense pressure of online criticism, Richardson showed that she’s still dangerous on the track. But the Olympian hasn’t faced that criticism alone, either.

Twanisha Terry stands against the haters and backs Sha’Carri Richardson

A few months ago, Twanisha Terry shared an appreciation post for Melissa Jefferson-Wooden on X. But a fan decided to badmouth Richardson in the comments. And ‘TeeTee’ wasn’t going to tolerate that. She replied, “I don’t tolerate anyone degrading people I’m associated with, ESPECIALLY those I train with. That comment was not only disrespectful, it was completely out of pocket. Whatever relationships exist between me, Melissa, and Sha’Carri are none of your business, and definitely not something to be picked apart based on personal assumptions.” 

Terry further asserted that her fanbase runs on respect and asked the X user to unfollow her if he couldn’t abide by that. It’s simply proof of their unbreakable sisterhood. But if we look at Richardson’s records, we’d know that the negativity won’t have any diminishing effect on her performance on the track. She herself stated that her “talent speaks for itself,” while people criticized her hair color, long nails, and her outspoken attitude. 

Through every suspension, setback, and storm of online hate, Sha’Carri Richardson has transformed criticism into fuel. Backed by unwavering allies, she continues to grow stronger, proving that no matter the noise, her resilience, talent, and fire will always define her.