World record holder Usain Bolt has come out in support of sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson after the American was banned for 30 days for a positive test for cannabis. Richardson will miss the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games after she was excluded from the USA Team to Japan.
The 21-year-old is set to return to competition at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic – Wanda Diamond League at the conclusion of the Olympics and Bolt hopes the talented sprinter can learn from her mistakes, refocus and get her career back on track.
“Hopefully she can learn from this and just push on,” Bolt was quoted as telling Reuters when asked about the American failing a test for the banned substance last month at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
READ MORE: Sha’Carri Richardson left off USA Tokyo Olympic team
“I know she has gone through a lot, you understand, but I hope she can refocus and just push on and do her best because she looks like a really talented athlete,” he added.
Richardson who owns a season’s and personal best time of 10.72 seconds, was hoping to become the first American to win the women’s 100m Olympic title since Gail Devers won back-to-back crowns at Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996.
Meanwhile, despite several athletes and leading personnels calling for World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to remove Cannabis from the list of banned substances, Bolt says the rules are the rules and must be followed.
“I’ve always explained to people that the rules are the rules, the eight-time Olympic champion said.
“I’ve been saying this throughout my years, when it comes to drugs, I have nothing to say, but the rules are the rules. If they say you should do this and this is the rule, that is the rule.”
The Tokyo Olympic Games will get underway on July 23 with track and field starting on Friday, July 30.
