Olympic hopeful and breakout star Sha’Carri Richardson will not be competing in Tokyo this summer after all.
The sprinting phenom – who attracted international attention for her standout performance in last month’s track and field trials, as well as her subsequent suspension for testing positive for marijuana – was left off the final roster for USA Track & Field’s women’s 4×100-meter relay team, which was released on Tuesday.
Sha’Carri’s omission from the list dashed her second and final opportunity to compete in an event in the 2021 Games. She had previously secured a spot in the women’s 100 meters, but she was forced to vacate her spot after her positive drug test resulted in a one-month suspension – a time frame that overlapped with the date of the race.
In a statement on Tuesday, USA Track & Field confirmed that her suspension would not be shortened in order to allow her to compete in the event.
“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 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track & Field if USATF amended its policies following competition, only weeks before the Olympic Games,” the organization said in part in a statement, per NBC News.
USA Track & Field added that they were “incredibly sympathetic” toward Sha’Carri’s “extenuating circumstances,” and that they “strongly applaud her accountability.”
In an interview with “TODAY” last week, Sha’Carri revealed that she had used cannabis – a substance banned during competition periods – after finding out from a reporter that her biological mother had died days before the Olympic trials.
“I know what I did, I know what I’m supposed to do … and I still made that decision,” Sha’Carri said. “I’m not making an excuse or looking for empathy in my case. However, being in that position in my life, finding out something like that … dealing with the relationship I have with my mother, that definitely was a very heavy topic on me.”
Sha’Carri Richardson (@itskerrii) joins us live for an exclusive interview to discuss the positive marijuana test that’s put her Olympic future in limbo. pic.twitter.com/iVBp3zhvja
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 2, 2021
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