As the Olympic Games creep closer with each passing day, the French capital keeps on trying to put its best foot forward for the visitors waiting to touch down later this year. And now, as the latest gesture to help visiting athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson feel at home, and to keep them motivated, statues of the world’s foremost sporting stars have been erected in the heart of the city in collaboration with sporting apparel giant Nike.
In a recent post on Instagram by Sneakernews, larger-than-life-size figures of Richardson, basketball MVP LeBron James, and soccer prodigy Kylian Mbappe can be seen gracing Paris’ squares. “@kingjames @k.mbappe @itsshacarri and other Nike athlete statues on display in Paris“, reads the caption of the post along with images of the bright orange-colored statues.
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The lineup is constituted of Italian fencing celebrity Bebe Vio, Spanish soccer icon Alexia Putellas, and Victor Wembanyama, French basketball player, joining the three other superstars. This adds to the French capital’s facelift efforts keeping in mind the upcoming big games. Notably, just a few days back, in one more attempt to make the games memorable, the organizers officially declared Alison Saar as the sculptor making the Olympic sculpture. As the city amps up the last-minute preparations, the athletes are also on the way to theirs. And Sha’Carri is not an aberration.
Richardson’s ambitions fuel the flames in her heart
Richardson has been itching to get in on the action since her gold-winning 100m sprint at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Along with the fact that her last Olympic dreams were put asunder after a doping fiasco, the American sensation is right to aim high for her maiden run on the grand stage. Back in 2021, after missing the Tokyo run, Richardson had roared, “I’m not done.”
She has already proved that with her performance in last year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest. But that is only the job half done. With the reigning 100m champ withdrawing from several tournaments in recent weeks, including the Miramar Invitational, fans only get behind the belief that her entire efforts are being focused on the big prize for the moment.
While her journey to the top won’t be an easy ride by any means, thanks to the likes of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Gabby Thomas, Richardson will surely look up to her statue in Paris to give her all the motivation she needs. With Richardson already having arrived in the iconic city in style, only time will tell if her real-life stepping will see her justifying her iconic statement, “I am not back…I am better!”
Written by
Edited by
Bhujaya Ray Chowdhury