US sprint sensation tests positive for marijuana
NEW YORK — A United States sprinting sensation, whose talent saw her dubbed “the new Flo-Jo”, is set to miss the Tokyo Olympics after she reportedly tested positive for cannabis.
Sources told Reuters Thursday night that Sha’Carri Richardson — who is the fastest woman in America — had failed a drugs test during Olympics trials.
If the result of that test is confirmed, 21-year-old Richardson will almost certainly be suspended from Team USA, meaning she will not compete in the women’s 100m at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games, which are scheduled to start on July 23.
Richardson has yet to comment on the test result, but tweeted: “I am human” earlier on Thursday afternoon, which appeared to allude to the scandal.
Her Olympics-qualifying performance — which saw Richardson run 100 metres in 10,86 seconds in Eugene, Oregon, last month has been provisionally disqualified.
It remains unclear when Richardson took the drugs test that she later failed.
Richardson is now likely to be replaced by Jenna Prandini at the Tokyo Games. Prandini finished fourth in the 100 metre sprint that Richardson won.
Weed has been classified as a “substance of abuse” by the World Anti-Doping Agency since January 1 this year.
Using it can carry a ban of up to four years for athletes.
If a competitor can prove there was no benefit to their performance, their ban can be reduced to three months.
That means Richardson will miss Tokyo even if she can produce evidence her alleged cannabis use did not enhance her running ability.
The Jamaica Gleaner first broke the story, and reported that Dallas-born Richardson’s agent Renaldo Nehemiah had not returned requests for a comment.
Richardson clocked a time of 10,64 seconds 90 minutes before that run, but a strong tail-wind disqualified that performance from being recorded.
On April 10 this year, Richardson ran 100 meters in 10,72 seconds — the fastest wind-legal time for an American female athlete in almost 10 years. That result saw her crowned the fastest active athlete in the United States.