Aimee Walker
Sha’Carri Richardson has been left of the US Olympics team following her marijuana drama.
The star sprinter isn’t on the list for the US track and field team that will compete in the 2021 games in Toyko, according to the USA Track & Field (USATF).
The news comes a month after the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced that the 21-year-old was suspended from the team after she tested positive for THC, a chemical found in marijuana.
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A statement from the USATF said: “First and foremost, we are incredibly sympathetic towards Sha’Carri Richardson’s extenuating circumstances and strongly applaud her accountability – and will offer her our continued support both on and off the track.
“While USATF fully agrees that the merit of the World Anti-Doping Agency rules related to THC should be reevaluated, it would be detrimental to the integrity of the US Olympic Team Trials for Track & Field if USATF amended its policies following competition, only weeks before the Olympic Games.”
In an interview with NBC’s Today on July 9, Richardson revealed that she took marijuana after she learned from a reporter that her biological mother had passed away.
“I was just thinking it would be a normal interview and then on the interview to hear that information come from a complete stranger, it was definitely triggering. It was nerve shocking because it’s like, who are you to tell me that?” she said.
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The athlete added: “From there, just blinded by emotions, blinded by bad news, blinded by just hiding hurt, honestly for the fact that I can’t hide myself, so at least in some type of way, I was trying to hide my pain.”
Following Richardson’s confession, the USATF commented that its credibility would be lost if rules were ‘only enforced under certain circumstances’.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the USADA have banned marijuana, as they argue it ‘poses a health risk to athletes, has the potential to enhance performance and violates the spirit of sport’.
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