LSU alum Sha’Carri Richardson named Female Athlete of the Year

INDIANAPOLIS – LSU alum Sha’Carri Richardson was announced by USATF as the 2023 Jackie Joyner-Kersee Female Athlete of the Year on Thursday. 

The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Female Athlete of the Year award is the highest of USATF’s accolades for women. Presented annually since 1981, the award recognizes the most outstanding female athlete, and the winner is chosen through a combination of fan and media votes. 

The recipients of their respective USATF awards will be honored at the 2023 USATF Night of Legends on Saturday, December 2, in Orlando, Fla., as a part of the USATF Annual Meeting. All Annual Meeting attendees are invited to attend the event at no cost to celebrate alongside the winners. Richardson will be joined by Noah Lyles who was named the Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. 

The 23-year-old (Richardson) had 12 wind-legal sub-11 clockings in the 100 through the 2023 season, capped off by a time of 10.65 seconds to take gold at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest and move her to fifth on the world all-time performer list.  

Throughout the season Richardson won the 100 crown at three separate Diamond League meetings and won the USATF Nike Women’s 100 title in 10.82.  

Claiming bronze in the 200 at the World Athletics Championships, Richardson became the first American woman to medal in both sprints (100, 200) since Carmelita Jeter took gold and silver in 2011. In one of the most memorable moments of Budapest 23, Richardson anchored the U.S. women’s 4×100 to gold in a world-leading 41.03 to pull off a glorious USA 4×100 sweep. 

LSU release.