Yahoo Sports Sha'Carri Richardson will race at Prefontaine Classic in August after suspension
Sha’Carri Richardson’s return to the track is set.
Richardson, who will miss the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for marijuana, will compete in the 100 and 200 meters at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon in August.
“I’m looking forward to running fast and putting on a show,” she said in a media release.
Richardson to miss Olympics after positive marijuana test
Richardson was suspended for one month after she tested positive for marijuana.
She said she used marijuana ahead of the Olympics Trials in Oregon, where marijuana is legal, after learning of the death of her biological mother from a “complete stranger.” That news, she said, sent her into “a state of emotional panic.”
Richardson won her semifinal heat at the trials in 10.64 seconds, and then won the event in 10.86 seconds.
The 21-year-old was widely considered to compete for a gold medal in Tokyo in the 100 meters. She could have been eligible to run on the 4x100 relay team, but she was not selected. Adding her to the team, USA Track & Field said, would be “detrimental to the integrity of the [trials].”
Plenty of prominent figures in the sports world spoke out in Richardson’s defense, including Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The White House and President Joe Biden addressed the situation multiple times, too, and called for anti-doping rules to be reviewed.
The rest of the field for the Prefontaine Classic — the event is sponsored by Nike, which also sponsors Richardson — will be announced “in the coming weeks.” The meet will kick off on Aug. 21 in Eugene.
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