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Sha’Carri Richardson will not attend the Tokyo Olympics

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According to the Olympic team list released by USA track and field, Sha’Carri Richardson was not listed as a contender for the 4x100m relay. Back in June Richardson secured her spot for the Olympics after coming in first at the track and field trials.

The American sprinter was suspended after testing positive for THC in her system last week.The women’s 4×100-meter relay is scheduled after the suspension ends, but Richardson was not selected for the relay pool.

“First and foremost, we are incredibly sympathetic toward Sha’Carri Richardson’s extenuating circumstances and strongly applaud her accountability — and will offer her our continued support both on and off the track,” a Tuesday statement from officials at USATF said.

“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,” USATF said.

Richardson’s agent, Renaldo Nehemiah, former world-record holder, said Richardson was devastated when she learned she would not go to Tokyo because of the drug violation and is now focused on competitions after the Olympics. He said Richardson did not petition to be included on the relay squad.

“I know I can’t hide myself, so in some type of way, I was trying to hide my pain,” she said on NBC’s “Today” show but this isn’t the end of her Olympic dreams.

“This is just one Game,” she said. “I’m 21, I’m very young. … I have plenty of Games left in me to compete in and I have plenty of talent that backs me up, because everything I do comes from me naturally. No steroid, no anything. This incident was about marijuana, so after my sanction is up I’ll be back and able to compete, and every single time I step on the track I’ll be ready for whatever anti-doping agency to come and get what it is that they need.” 

Last week, President Joe Biden said that while he was proud of the way Richardson handled her ban, “The rules are the rules, whether they should remain the rules is a different issue.’

Although Sha’Carri won’t be competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic games this is not the end of the track star’s career.  

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