Sha’Carri Richardson and Her Presently Uncertain Journey to…
Sha’Carri Richardson makes some lofty claims when he speaks.
“It is me.”
“I am who I claim to be.”
“Skill is skill. If you know it, you move quickly.
Her stage presence has been as audacious. Richardson, 21, is the fastest woman in America after winning the 100 meters at the U.S. track and field Olympic trials in Oregon last month. She gained notoriety for her quickness, her outspoken personality, and her billowing orange hair, which was inspired by her favorite athlete. Not only was her time of 10.86 seconds the quickest she had ran this year, but it also made her an immediate favorite to win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, which get underway this month.
Yet her place on the team is in jeopardy because of her marijuana use, putting her at the center of debate and discussion about the drug and the fairness of the rules of the sport as it searches for its next big track star in the United States.
Although many states and countries are loosening restrictions on marijuana, it is categorized as a performance-enhancing drug in track in some cases and its use is banned within 24 hours of an event. The primary reason for its prohibition is that it can be used to relax athletes ahead of competition, which can in turn enhance performance. On the “Today” show on NBC Friday morning, Richardson apologized. She said she had used the drug to deal with the pressure of competing on the biggest stage of her career and to cope with the news that her biological mother had died, which she said she had learned from a reporter during an interview just days before her event on June 20.
