I had never really paid attention to sports before the 2024 Olympics, I was always more of the stereotypical music and dance girl. I admired the athletes that dedicated their lives to their craft, but it didn’t hold my attention like it did my peers. This all changed while watching the amazing female athletes on Team USA take home gold on the 4x100 relay. I was in awe of the strong, gorgeous, independent, and inspiring women working together to reach an almost impossible dream, and I got a little emotional watching them run to their families with pride and shock. From there, I dove deeper. I started researching Sha’Carri Richardson, the 24 year old American powerhouse that won her first gold during the race. Her story was filled with ambition and drive. As I kept learning more about her, I felt myself connecting to her love of the sport and ambition to become the best she could be. She was so dedicated to her craft, but didn’t give up other places in her life because of it. I feel like in today’s world, dancers and athletes are expected to look a certain way to fit their respected aesthetics, but she broke all those barriers and let her true self show. That really stuck with me, and made me want to become more comfortable with my looks and likes and not get rid of them to fit other people’s expectations. Because of Sha’Carri Richardson and the women's 4x100 relay team, I have started to run and train my body to be better for not only dance, but to start track at my school in the spring. I want to be just like them, and push myself to be powerful, inspirational, and strong while not giving in to other’s opinions.