Who is Kayla White? All about the athlete who beat Sha'Carri Richardson to seal team USA spot at the USATF Nationals

Kayla White surprised everyone with her performance at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Not only did she book her place in the US team for the upcoming World Championships, but also she upstaged Olympic champion sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson in the 100m event.

White completed the race in 10.89 seconds, while Richardson finished second, despite producing a season-best timing of 11.07 seconds. White went on to improve her performance to 10.84 seconds in the finals, which helped her finish second overall.

However, this wasn't a major concern for Richardson, since she had already made the cut for the World Championships by virtue of being the defending champion of the previous edition held at Budapest in 2023.

This isn't the first time White surprised Richardson in an athletic event. In 2023, at the Botswana Grand Prix, White outpaced the Olympic champion sprinter to win the 200m event with a timing of 22.38 seconds.

Sha'Carri Richardson was all set to compete in the 200m race as well, but she withdrew her name at the last minute, which allowed Kayla White to make it to the national squad for the upcoming World Athletics Championships, which would be held in Tokyo in September 2025.

Kayla White's Early Life & Childhood

All about Kayla Patrice White and her childhood [Image Source : Kayla White's Instagram]

Kayla Patrice White was born on September 24, 1996 at Miami in the state of Florida. The 28-year-old runner completed her primary education at the Miami Southridge Senior High School. White later moved to the North Carolina AT&T University, where she pursued her higher studies.

Kayla White's early achievements

White honed her athletic skills at North Carolina AT&T University, where she won multiple honors for the athletic team of North Carolina AT&T Aggies. Before her current performance at the 2025 USATF Nationals, White's best performance was recorded at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships, where she ran 100m within a time of 10.95 seconds.

In the same year, White also became the NCAA indoor champion, winning the race within 22.66 seconds. White finished at the second position in the 60m hurdles event. White won 5 NCAA Division I All-American awards and 5 individual Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles in the same year.

Other achievements of Kayla White

Kayla White's personal best in the 200m event is 22.01 seconds, which she had recorded at the USATF Nationals in 2023. This helped her to qualify for the Budapest World Championships, where she made it to the semifinals.

White had previously represented the US relay team in the women's 4x100m relay event at the Guangzhou World Relays 2025, where the US team finished fourth. White also participated in the Miami leg of the Grand Slam Track League, where she finished sixth in the 200m event and seventh in the 100m event, respectively.

Edited by Tushhita Barua