Paris Olympics Track and Field: Celebrating Black Culture Through Extravagant Looks

From Sha’Carri Richardson’s extravagant nails to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s colorful wigs to Noah Lyles’ beads through his braids, the track scene in the Paris Olympics was as entertaining as ever while serving looks, illustrating worldwide Black culture.

Once again, that was displayed on Wednesday afternoon when Quincy Hall miraculously chased down three runners over the last 100 meters to win the Gold. As Hall grimaced to the Gold medal, the world couldn’t help but notice the gold sparkling from his mouth, which sparked conversation throughout social media.

Whether you call it a grill or slugs, Hall was sporting the look during the biggest race of his 26-year life, something others, maybe even myself, wouldn’t have done.

But you know what? Nothing but respect is coming from my direction. In a world, or more specifically, a country where so many Black people are inherently conscious of the way America views them, preoccupied with appearing unprofessional in the wrong setting, Hall doesn’t care. Neither do Richardson or Lyles and while Fraser-Price is from Jamaica, something tells me she doesn’t care about America’s standards on how Black folk should present themselves either.

As the Paris Olympics near their end, let’s look back at some of our favorite looks from the Track and Field events.