'Always fight': Sha'Carri Richardson is fiery, blunt and one of the best things in sports

After Sha'Carri Richardson became the fastest woman in the world at the 2023 track and field world championships Monday in Budapest, Hungary, running a 10.65 to win her first ever world title in the women’s 100 meters, which is faster than the speed of some starships, she sat in a post-race press conference that in some ways was as entertaining as her sprint.

In it Richardson, who doesn't often speak to the media, showed why she is one of the strongest, fiercest, take-no-mess American athletes. She is a multi-faceted force who will irritate some people, or even anger them, but in the end, always amaze them. She is, to be blunt, one of the best things going in all of sports.

She is also without question, and greatly, and admirably, unapologetically Black.

Black women are often asked to behave with a certain level of timidity. Can't talk too loudly or be too good. We've seen this phenomenon with numerous Black women athletes, most notably with Venus and Serena Williams. Richardson will have none of it. She's herself and doesn't care what you think. That type of agency is powerful and you can see it almost radiate off of her during that press conference.

"If you take away the 'Black' in front of the 'woman' and another woman reacts the same way," she told Teen Vogue last year, "it’s not considered as 'sassy,' (or) 'aggressive.'"

She's far from perfect. She's made mistakes. She will make more. This is what people in their 20s do. This is what many people of all ages do. Her social media habits are at times questionable and even someone who is extremely pro-Black made a horrible mistake in liking an anti-Jamaican post on Twitter. But she seems to have learned from those days without losing her brashness. Those lessons may have actually started taking shape several years ago.

"The attention comes with the big personality, and I have no problem with it," Richardson told the New York Timesin 2021. "It makes me work so I don’t end up looking crazy."

It's not accurate to say she has a chip on her shoulder. It's more accurate to say that she has no fear and doesn't feel the need to make people, especially the media, feel comfortable with her. If they are, great. If not, oh well.

There's nothing fake or canned. Just her. There's a certain amount of freedom in that.

"I'm not worried about the world anymore. I've seen the world be my friend, I've seen the world turn on me. At the end of the day, I've always been with me. God has always been with me. So being on this scale now, it's my time," she said after qualifying on Sunday. "It's always been my time, but now it's my time to actually do it for myself, and the people that felt like me, and the people that look like me, and the people that know the truth about themselves as well. I represent those people."

She's come a long way since a failed test for marijuana led to her losing her national title and Tokyo Olympic bid in 2021.

At moments in the press conference, she was inspirational, almost preaching. She was asked at one point what should her fans take away from this moment?

"I would say never give up," she explained. "Never allow media, never allow outsiders, never allow anything but yourself and your faith to define who you are. I would say always fight. No matter what, fight."

"I would say the support that I have from my coach, from my family, to supporters, to haters," she said, smiling. "I would say all that motivation has brought me to this moment. It helped me prevail, it helped me overcome and it helped me get through..."

But there were other moments that showed the fullness of her personality. When one journalist mispronounced her name, she stopped him, and pronounced it for him: "My name is Sha' Carri," she said.

When another journalist pointed out how Richardson didn't qualify for the American world championships team, she responded: "Obviously I didn't make the team last year. I don't think you had to say that." She was also asked what was the difference for her in this race? Why was she able to run so fast now?

"Blocking out the noise. Blocking out the media, like yourself," she said.

Well, dang.

But I'm here for it. Be you, Sha'Carri Richardson.

Be unapologetically you.

"I'm ready, mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I'm here to stay," Richardson said. "I'm not back. I’m better."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Sha'Carri Richardson is one of the best things in sports today