Sydney McLaughlin‑Levrone and Sha’Carri Richardson gave fans plenty to talk about at the Prefontaine Classic. Sydney won the women’s 400 m in a season-best 49.43 s that day. From here, her next challenge is the Ed Murphey Classic (July 11–12), where she’ll race the open 400m again, chasing sharper form. Sha’Carri, on the other side, is still battling an injury setback. She clocked a sluggish 11.19s in the 100 m and finished last. Now, her next race might be the World Championships itself. But before their next time on the track, there are confessions from both the sides…

“I definitely looked up to Alison Felix and Sonia Richards-Ross growing up, for sure. Both of them are just amazing athletes, just so strong, so powerful, but also so poised. And I think how they carried themselves more than anything is what really inspired me to want to be the best at what I do, but also do it with class and grace,” said Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the social media post made on July 8th, 2025 by On Her Turf where they asked Team USA the best of their idols.

Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross exemplify true inspiration—both on the track and in life. Felix, the most decorated female sprinter in U.S. history, faced a life-threatening pregnancy, boldly challenged her sponsor’s maternity pay cuts, and sparked industry-wide change. Richards‑Ross, on the other side, is a record-breaking 400 m champion, rebounded from damaging injuries and emotional lows (including a disappointing bronze in Beijing), used mental coaching and faith to reclaim elite form, and captured double gold in London.

In the same video, Sha’Carri Richardson also named her hero. She said, “I’ll have to say Kobe Bryant only because he was raw, he worked hard, but he let you know exactly how he felt.” There is no need to establish how great a player Kobe Bryant is. His greatness came from being unapologetically raw and relentlessly driven. His “Mamba Mentality” wasn’t just a slogan; it defined his every action. He routinely showed up to practice hours before anyone else, often at 5 a.m., pushing his body through pain. 

Tara Davis Woodhall was also present with them. Upon being asked the same, she credited athletes like Allyson Felix, Brittney Reese, and Serena Williams as powerful influences who transformed the sport for her. She sees their legacy, especially in advocating for Black women in sports, as a torch she now carries forward, aiming to continue pushing boundaries and creating change. Allyson Felix is a great athlete to have inspired a hurdler and a long jumper. Sydney has talked of her before, while Sha’carri has also had an idol she has talked of.

Sha’Carri Richardson & Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s inspiration

“She’s possibly going into her fifth Olympics and just seeing how she’s composed herself and carried herself throughout all of it. I really admire that,” Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone told PEOPLE in a 2021 interview, talking about Allyson Felix. “She’s done it with such class and such poise, and not only that, but she’s just ridiculously fast.” Having fought the battles that caused her to hide her pregnancy, Fleix Felix ran a stunning 49.46 s, earning bronze in the Olympic 400 m final. It was her fastest time in six years, the second-best of her career, and a historic podium finish as the oldest U.S. woman to medal in track. 

She then anchored Team USA’s 4×400 m relay, helping secure gold and marking her 11th Olympic medal, making her the most decorated U.S. track-and-field athlete ever. Sha’Carri Richardson did not compete in the Tokyo Olympics. Though she had won the U.S. Trials in the 100 m with a stunning 10.86 s, that result was invalidated after testing positive for THC after many tests, a banned substance. But let’s talk about her idol as well.

“Seeing Flo-Jo, her style, as well as Gail [Devers], just showing their different approaches coming to the line, was inspirational,” Richardson shared with Vogue.”Flo-Jo’s influence on me definitely comes from her creativity and her freedom to express herself in a way no other female athlete had ever done,” Richardson explained. “She showed beauty while applying it to hard work. That’s what resonates with me.”

Florence “Flo‑Jo” Griffith‑Joyner at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, sprinted in an iconic one-legged catsuit and rocked six-inch, rhinestone-studded acrylic nails in patriotic red, white, blue, and gold—each detail chosen purposefully. The same thing is done by Sha’Carri as well.