The 2020 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon, is where Sha’Carri Richardson donned the athletic gear to race the women’s 100 meters. Leaving everybody in the dust, she clocked a time of securing first place and earning a spot. Just as she won, she ran into the stands to celebrate with her grandmother, Betty Harp. But one person was missing there. Sha’Carri’s mother, who passed away a week before her triumph at the 2020 U.S. Olympic track and field trials. And today, the champion remembers her mother once again…

“I LOVE YOU,” that’s what the balloon read that went up on Sha’Carri Richardson‘s social media post from this week. On June 5, 2025, the Olympian made a post on Instagram featuring this balloon. In the next slide, there were more of those red balloons, but not the same message. And the last slide is the balloons let fly in the sky. She captioned, “4 years since my mother transitioned from this physical world, I am grateful for a mother that made decisions for me to be the young lady I am today 🕊️❤️✨!”

It has been four years since her mother’s passing. After the 2021 Trials, she told NBC Sports that with her mother’s passing, she was now here to make the family she has feel proud. Richardson said in a press conference that she didn’t want to share further details on the loss, but what she did say it that, “I am grateful for her giving me life, bringing me into this world … and I will always love and respect her for that.”

Sha’Carri Richardson’s childhood was shaped by a circle of love and unwavering support. While her relationship with her mother carried its own layers, Sha’Carri was never without care. Her grandparents provided a steady foundation, guiding her through life with warmth and wisdom. And it was her aunt who stepped in with the nurturing presence of a mother, helping shape Sha’Carri into the resilient and spirited woman the world admires today.

How love stepped in for Sha’Carri Richardson

While the Olympian had a loving environment, the lack of her biological mother was bound to have an impact on her. She used to think, “What’s wrong with me? Why is it that you don’t want to be here? Like if my mother doesn’t want to be around me, then I was like, I’m pretty sure nobody want to be around me.” Now, what could calm down a kid breaking down due to fears of abandonment? Assurance. Her aunt did exactly that.

Shay, her aunt, promised that she would never leave her. She told a young Sha’Carri Richardson that she is never going to give up on her. As per People magazine, she said, “I’m never going to leave you. I’m her mom. I didn’t have to birth her to be her parent.” Did these words help her? Of course it did. The woman herself admitted that words of affirmation transformed her life, and Shay remains a constant in it. “My mom [Shay] has definitely been a pillar in my life to just be better,” she told NBC DFW in 2024.

She continued, “Understanding you may not come from ideal circumstances, but at the same time, it’s not where you start … it’s the direction you want to go. I wouldn’t have even started running track if it wasn’t for my mom.” Shay herself was a track and field athlete, and it was only when Sha’Carri stumbled upon her medals, a fire started burning in her to rule the track. From then on, it was her aunt in her early years who gave her all the training she needed. Today, we are well aware of what that training has created…