I think Sha’Carri Richardson should take a break.
Everything is happening too fast for her, no pun intended. Obviously, bigger things are going on right now than track, and until her mind is right, things won’t get better on the track. I think her being suspended and not competing in the Olympics had a greater effect on her mind than she let on.
While it was nice that NIKE and Kanye stood behind her, it also put a bigger bullseye on her chest.
The pressure became too big for her, and it showed in her race today, where she came in dead last.
When you go from one of the top 3 fastest women in the world to dead last in a Final, some self-reflection needs to happen. We often talk about mental health, but that just doesn’t been sending someone a positive tweet or IG comment. You have to dig deeper, and I think the interview she did after the meet shows she is in a bit of denial.
No one is counting her out, and everyone wants to see her succeed, but there is just so much pressure on her, and she is still a very young woman that I think a step back from the spotlight would be very helpful for her.
That also means staying off social media, where she is currently getting COOKED by the masses.
Social media builds you up to tear you down. Those are the rules, and we all know them. Everyone has been on that Summer Jam screen, some of us more than once. You need to be a really grounded and secure person to handle that type of attention crashing down on you 24/7.
Sha’Carri should take the rest of the year off, enjoy her friends and family. When she feels she is ready mentally, then come back, the good needs she has three years before the next Olympics.
Flip the page for the race, the post-race interview, and the Twitter reactions.
