Sha’Carri Richardson overcomes wobbly start for win in first heat at Olympic trials
JIM: FOR ONE BREAKOUT TRACK STAR, THE ROAD TO THE SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES IN TOKYO HAS COME TO A SCREECHING HALT. SUMMER: SHA’ CARRI RICHARDSON FAILED A DRUG TEST AFTER COMPLETING HER QUALIFYING RUN, RECEIVING A ONE MONTH DOPING BAN. WESH 2’S KELSI THORUD REPORTS SOME PEOPLE ARE OUTRAGED KELSI: IT’THS E SHOCK OF THE SPORTS WORLD. SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON, THE BRKOEAUT STAR OF THE US TRACK AND FIELD OLYMPIC TRIALS, SUSPENDED FOR ONE MONTH AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR MARIJUANA. >> TO Y’ALL I APOLOGIZE FOR THE FACT THAT I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTROL MY EMOTIONS OR DEAL WITH MY EMOTIONS. KELSI: RICHARDSON WAS ONE OF THE FAVORITES TO WIN THE GOLD MEDAL IN THE 100 METER RACE, NOW SHE WON’T BE ALLOWED TO RUN IT AT ALL, AND IT’S UNCLEAR IF SHE’LL EVEN BE ALLOWED TO GO TO TOKYO. IN AN INTERVIEW ON THE TODAY SHOW, RICHARDSON SAID SHE SMOKED MARIJUANA IN OREGON SHORTLY AFTER LEARNING HER BIOLOGICAL MOTHER HAD DIED. >> THAT DEFINITELY WAS A VYER HEAVY TOPIC ON ME AND PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE TO, OR PEOPLE .DO KELSI: THE NEWS HAS SPARKED OUAGTRE AMONG MANY WHO ARGUE MARIJUANA IS MORE OF A RECREATIONAL DRUG THAN A PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUG AND IS ALSO FULLY LEGAL IN OREGON WHERE RICHARDSON WAS AT ETH TIME. WESH 2’OLS YMPIC ANALYST JOHN SINER TOLD ME HE UNDERSTANDS THE CONTROVERSY. C>>ERTAINLY AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE EASING OF THE RESTRICTIONS OF MARIJUAAN CERTAINLY HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, IT BECOMES IO NTA MORE GRAY AREA OF TOLERANCE REALLY. SO THE ANTI-DOPING MOVEMENT FOR SPORTS HAS NOT REALLY QUITE CAUGHT UP TO THAT. KELSI: BUT EVEN THOUGH TOLERANCE FOR MARIJUANA HAS RELAXED IN THE US, IT REMAINS ON THE WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY’S LIST OF BANNED SUBSTANCES. SINER TOLD ME HE NOT ONLY THKSIN RICHARDSON’S CASE WILL PUT MORE PRESSURE ON THE SPORTS WORLD TO LOOK AT THOSE RULES BUT THATT I WILL ALSO MAKE EVERYONE LOOK AT ATHLETES MENTAL HEALTH MORE TOO. >> THAT’S ONE BIG ELEMT ENTHAT I THINK WILL BE NEW TO THIS OLYMPIC GAMES IS THAT DISCUSSION ON MENTAL HEALTH OF ATHLETES MOVING FORWA
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Sha’Carri Richardson overcomes wobbly start for win in first heat at Olympic trials
Sha’Carri Richardson wobbled out of the starting block and raced with her right shoe untied but still won her preliminary 100-meter heat in 10.88 seconds Friday to open her quest to make the Olympics at the U.S. track trials. The 24-year-old sprinter, whose victory three years ago at trials was erased because of a positive test for marijuana, stumbled to her right at the start and was briefly in last place.Video above: From 2021: Sha’carri Richardson receives one month ban after testing positive for marijuanaShe overcame that mistake quickly to not only overcome the field but finish with the night’s best opening-round time. She’s back on the track Saturday for the semifinals, and if she finishes in the top two in that race, she’ll go for the title. The top three finishers in the final will head to Paris for the Olympics, where Richardson would try to add that title to the world championship she won last year.
Sha’Carri Richardson wobbled out of the starting block and raced with her right shoe untied but still won her preliminary 100-meter heat in 10.88 seconds Friday to open her quest to make the Olympics at the U.S. track trials.
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The 24-year-old sprinter, whose victory three years ago at trials was erased because of a positive test for marijuana, stumbled to her right at the start and was briefly in last place.
Video above: From 2021: Sha’carri Richardson receives one month ban after testing positive for marijuana
She overcame that mistake quickly to not only overcome the field but finish with the night’s best opening-round time.
She’s back on the track Saturday for the semifinals, and if she finishes in the top two in that race, she’ll go for the title. The top three finishers in the final will head to Paris for the Olympics, where Richardson would try to add that title to the world championship she won last year.
