Sha’Carri Richardson is getting ready to make a big return. The 21-year-old track star will be competing in the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon this weekend and will face Team Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Shericka Jackson, as mentioned by PEOPLE. The three Jamaican stars won gold, silver and bronze, respectively in the 100m final of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Richardson was set to compete in the event before being suspended for a positive drug test.
“Sha’Carri is focused on running a good race since she last competed at the US Olympic Trials,” Richardson’s agent Renaldo Nehemiah told The Wall Street Journal. “She will be focused on executing her race to the best of her ability regardless of who is in the race.” Richardson won the 100m race at the U.S. Olympic trials on June 19. Shortly after the race, Richardson tested positive for THC and then went on to explain the situation on the TODAY show.
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“Honestly, I just want to apologize for my actions,” Richardson said. “I know what I did. I know what I’m supposed to do, I’m allowed not to do, and I still made that decision. Not making any excuse, or looking for any empathy in my case.” Richardson went on to talk about the loss of her biological mother and using marijuana to deal with the loss.
“We all have our different struggles, we all have our different things we deal with,” she said. “But to put on a face, and have to go in front of the world, and put on a face and hide my pain. Who am I to tell you how to cope when you’re dealing with a pain, or dealing with a struggle that you’ve never experienced before?”
A number of celebrities and public figures weighed on Richardson being suspended for the Olympics. Legendary gymnast Dominique Dawes spoke to Chris Cuomo on Cuomo Prime Time in July and said the Olympic committee made the right decision based on the rules that have been established.
“Well, Chris [Cuomo], like you said, rules are rules. And you’re speaking to an Olympic gymnast, and we are very particular and we are rule followers for most cases.” Dawes said, “I do think, you know, because it is a current rule, they need to follow the rule, and unfortunately that does mean that Richardson will not be competing in these Olympic games.”
