U.S. Track & Field Star Sha’Carri Richardson is facing a 30-day suspension from participating in the Tokyo Olympics due to testing positive for THC, a chemical found in marijuana. The Today Show interviewed 21-year-old Richardson to share her reaction and apology to fans and haters about her status as an Olympian.
The premise of this commentary is not to solely examine the fault but to investigate the actions leading up to this devastating news first shared via Twitter by the Jamaican Gleaner and then discovered by U.S. sports reporter Tyler Dragon of the Enquirer.
On May 31, 2021, Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka shocked the world when she bowed out gracefully from competing in the French Open to focus on her mental health. Naomi shared with the world that speaking with the media before and during a competition is stressful and causes unnecessary anxiety when you’re trying to focus on your craft/career.
Richardson consistently explains that a reporter relayed the news that her mother passed away approximately one week before the Olympic trials. What were the intentions of the said reporter? Was this a setup? Or did the reporter do their job and go digging for clues and came across the information, not knowing it would send Sha’Carri into a spiral effect?
The reporter who spoke with Richardson is a prime example of why Naomi Osaka and other young athletes desire to be protected at all costs regarding the media because not all journalists are created equal. Although I am disappointed in Sha’Carri’s decision to use marijuana, I understand why she made this choice.
Do you remember what your life was like when you were operating on earth like a 21-year-old? The sheer fact that at this age, many of us were trying to figure out what we wanted to do with our lives, let alone figure out our position as an individual in the world. Imagine being placed on a pedestal on an extensive world stage and then dealing with the fact that your biological mother, a strained relationship according to Sha’Carri, has died, and a reporter gives you this news.
Isn’t it significant that Sha’Carri’s family, such as her grandmother Betty Harp and her aunt Shay, didn’t have the privilege or right to bring this news themselves? What would have happened if Sha’Carri never came into contact or met this reporter? Would the outcome be different or the same?
And to be honest, we all have triggers. The power comes in recognizing our triggers, identifying the action points to create a defense mechanism, and seeking help or therapy to cope with the results, so we don’t spiral out of control. Unfortunately, this is a skill that not many adults have mastered, let alone thinking a 21-year-old has any idea how to handle traumatic situations thrown at you at any given moment.
So when Sha’Carri states that she is human, she is right. I hope that she will recover from this loss, learn from her mistakes, continuously lean on her true family for support, then get back up and try again.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) released a statement in regards to the rules pertaining to Richardson’s suspension. Read the USADA document here. Please note that all hope is not lost and Sha’Carri Richardson has the opportunity to appeal the decision and/or after completing the suspension she may be able to compete in one team relay event.
NOTABLE FACTS REVEALED: Source USADA
- The substance found is 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (Carboxy-THC), a urinary metabolite of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, marijuana, and hashish.
- Richardson tested positive from a sample collected in competition at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on June 19, 2021
- The sample collected that tested positive is above the urinary Decision Limit of 180 ng/mL
- The suspension is a one-month period of ineligibility that began on June 28, 2021
