USA Track & Field (USATF) has released a statement in support of sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson after she returned a positive test for marijuana at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials in Oregon last month.
Richardson has received a one-month ban for the positive test and is therefore set to miss the Tokyo Olympics, which will get underway later this month. The 21-year-old has already apologized for her actions during her appearance in an exclusive interview on the TODAY show on Friday.
USATF Willing To Help Sha’Carri Richardson
USATF released a statement on Friday in support of the Texan.
“Sha’Carri Richardson’s situation is incredibly unfortunate and devastating for everyone involved,” USA Track and Field wrote in a statement Friday.
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“Athlete health and well-being continue to be one of USATF’s most critical priorities and we will work with Sha’Carri to ensure she has ample resources to overcome any mental health challenges now and in the future.”
During her appearance on the TODAY show, Richardson, reminded everyone that “I am human,” noting that she used cannabis as a way of coping with the death of her biological mother who passed away a week before the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials.
“I want to take responsibility for my actions,” she told Savannah Guthrie in an exclusive interview Friday on TODAY. “I know what I did, I know what I’m supposed to do … and I still made that decision.”
“Don’t judge me, because I am human, I just happen to run a little faster.
“I apologize for the fact that I didn’t even know how to control my emotions or deal with that during that time,” she added.
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Richardson, who has posted three times faster than 10.80 seconds this season, including her personal best of 10.72 seconds, won the USA 100m title and was seen as one of the leading contenders for the gold medal in the event in Tokyo.
Although she will miss the matchup with the likes of Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Shericka Jackson, as well as Briton Dina Asher-Smith and Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou, among others, Richardson could be a member of the US 4x100m relay team.
