The Olympic Games are always a special time. The pomp, the circumstance, the competition, the heartbreak — it’s what sports fans tune in for every four years. Between Simone Biles’ historic gold medal moments and Team USA’s hoop dreams, to Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav’s infectious fandom, this year’s Paris Games have been exciting to watch.
Despite all of the stars, one of the preeminent events of the Games is track and field. This year, sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson is making her Olympic debut, Noah Lyles is attempting to win his first gold medal on the world’s biggest stage, and Jamaican track star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is looking to cap off her career with another win.
While we wait to see how the competition plays out, we wanted to take a look back at one of the Olympic Games’ most fashionable sports. From Florence Griffith Joyner’s iconic fits and Michael Johnson’s golden track cleats, to Ato Boldon’s goggles and Gail Devers’ signature nails, track athletes have been showcasing their style on and off the field for decades.
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Sha’Carri Richardson showed off her nails while traveling along the Seine River during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on July 26. Last month, Richardson told Nylon, “I’ve always been taught that anytime you leave your house, you should look your best. I feel that way when I compete, even though it’s on a larger scale.”
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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica in action while winning the Women’s 200-meter semifinal heat one at the Olympic Stadium during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games on Aug. 2, 2021, in Tokyo.
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Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (left) helps teammate Shericka Jackson (right) after the pair won silver and gold, respectively, in the women’s 200-meter final at the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field on July 21, 2022, in Eugene, Oregon. Fraser-Pryce is known for rocking colorful wigs during competition because, as she told Olympics.com, “I’m always looking for the brightest color. And sometimes I get [ideas]from the country that I’m in.”
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From left to right: Silver medalist Shericka Jackson of Team Jamaica, gold medalist Sha’Carri Richardson of Team USA and bronze medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Team Jamaica pose for a photo during the medal ceremony for the women’s 100-meter dash during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 at National Athletics Centre on Aug. 22, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary.
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Jackie Joyner-Kersee of the United States in action during the women’s long jump final at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Joyner-Kersee set an Olympic record of 7.4 meters.
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Dubbed “the best female athlete of the 20th century” by Sports Illustrated, Jackie Joyner-Kersee showcased peak 1980s style while winning six Olympic medals in track and field events.
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Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago (center) runs clear of Jamal Al-Saffar of Saudi Arabia (left) and Raymond Stewart of Jamaica (right) to win his men’s 100-meter dash heat at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta on July 26, 1996.
AP Photo/Doug Mills
Known for his style, Trinidadian sprinter Ato Boldon made a huge splash at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney when he wore a pair of Over The Top Oakley shades. While he initially didn’t want to wear them, he recently told GQ: “I put them on and I thought, ‘Oh my God, these things look insane.’ But there was a large part of me that was like, ‘This is going to be really, really cool.’”
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Allyson Felix of the United States reacts after winning the gold medal in the Women’s 4×400-meter relay final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on Aug. 7, 2021, in Tokyo.
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In 2021, Allyson Felix made her Met Gala debut. That year, the theme was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” which Felix told Forbes was relatable. “I feel that sense of pride every time that I get to wear the red, white, and blue on the track,” she said. “So a night that celebrates that in fashion, that I can also relate to, is an honor.”
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Florence Griffith Joyner sprints down the stretch during an Olympic race in Seoul, South Korea, during the 1988 Olympics.
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Florence Griffith Joyner was one of track’s most visible fashion icons, as this Jan. 26, 1996 photo illustrates. Her bold and colorful leotards were far ahead of their time. Affectionately known as Flo-Jo, Joyner began making her own track uniforms in high school. “Conventional is not for me,” she said in an interview. “I like things that are uniquely Flo. I like being different.”
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Gail Devers of the United States competes in a first-round heat of the 100-meter hurdles at the Summer Olympics on Sept. 24, 2000, at Olympic Stadium in Sydney. Devers won her heat.
AP Photo/Doug Mills
U.S. sprinter Gail Devers was not only known for her speed, but also her long, brightly colored nails. But the story behind them might be surprising. “The story behind my nails is that I used to actually bite them,” Devers told NewBeauty.com in 2021, saying a challenge from her dad finally got her to stop. “It wasn’t until he appealed to my competitive nature: He actually said he was going to grow his pinky nail out and I wanted to beat him and grow mine longer and I won. I don’t remember what I won, but, after that, my mom said, ‘As long as you keep them clean, you’re good.’ So, I let them grow.”
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Michael Johnson of the United States celebrates after he won the men’s 200-meter final in a world record time of 19.32 at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.
AP Photo/Doug Mills
Michael Johnson wore his signature gold spikes to close out the 2000 Olympic final’s 400-meter race in 43.84 seconds, becoming the first to successfully retain his 400-meter title. While Johnson was certainly prepared, his shoes gave him extra motivation. “I didn’t want to be standing there in gold-plated shoes with a silver medal around my neck,” he said after winning.
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Jamaica’s Usain Bolt crosses the finish line to win the gold in the men’s 200-meter final in National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus
Known for his big personality and signature move, Usain Bolt also crossed over into the world of fashion, walking the runway at PUMA presents Futrograde show during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 13, 2022, in New York City.
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Britni Danielle is the Senior Culture Editor for Andscape. A die-hard Lakers fan, she can’t wait for the day they win one more championship than the Boston Celtics.
Jessi Dodge is a photo editor at ESPN.
