Sha'Carri Richardson is not on the Olympic roster released by USA Track and Field, thus ending any hopes of being at the Tokyo Olympics.
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Sha’Carri Richardson is not on the Olympic roster released by USA Track and Field. This means the American champion’s positive test for marijuana will cost her a chance at running on the relay team in Tokyo. This is besides losing her spot in the 100-meter individual race due to the test result.
Richardson’s positive test meant her win at Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, will not count now. Her 30-day suspension will end before the start of the relays on August 5.
Still, this left open the small chance she could win a medal as part of the 4×100 relay team. But her name was missing from the 130-person roster USATF released.
The federation had two discretionary picks beyond the top four finishers in the 100-meter final at trials. But they chose not to offer a spot to the 21-year-old sprinter. Richardson was in fact expected to challenge for Olympic gold.
Asked about how Richardson felt her agent Renaldo Nehemiah said: “We haven’t spoken about it at all. It was actually not a topic we focused on.”
USATF said they were “incredibly sympathetic toward Sha’Carri Richardson’s extenuating circumstances” and “fully agree” that rules regarding marijuana should be reevaluated.
“So while our heartfelt understanding lies with Sha’Carri, we must also maintain fairness for all of the athletes who attempted to realize their dreams by securing a place on the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team,” the statement added.
Thus, this mean that the remaining relay spots were given to the sixth and seventh-placed finishers. Both of them moved up in the pecking order after Richardson’s DQ. They are English Gardner and Aleia Hobbs.
Richardson tested positive for marijuana after her victory on June 19. She said the stress of her mother’s recent death and the pressure of preparing for trials saw her smoke the drug.
“I was definitely triggered and blinded by emotions, blinded by badness, and hurting, and hiding hurt,” she said on NBC. “I know I can’t hide myself, so in some type of way, I was trying to hide my pain.”
Over the weekend, she also sent out two tweets. “All these perfect people that know how to live life, I’m glad I’m not one of them”. She also sent out “2022-2025 undefeated!”
Shortly after the 2012 Olympics, international regulators loosened restrictions on marijuana use. The threshold for a positive test is increased to a level designed to catch athletes only who were using it in the immediate hours before competition. Potential bans were reduced from two years to as little as the 30-day suspension that Richardson is serving.
Some professional leagues, such as the NFL, NHL and NBA, have greatly reduced enforcement of marijuana rules. They even acknowledge that the drug does not in any way help players perform.
Yet the Olympic world continues to test for and punish use in some cases. According to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, in addition to substances that aid any athlete to perfoem, the banned list can includes drugs that can pose health risks to athletes or violate the “spirit of sport.”
