Less than two weeks after winning the 100m final at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., Sha’Carri Richardson will potentially miss the Tokyo Games after reportedly testing positive for marijuana.
The first report from The Gleaner, a Jamaican daily newspaper, says Richardson could face a suspension up to three months for the positive test. The test in question was conducted at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Richardson was expected to run in the 200m at the Diamond League in Stockholm this weekend, but was omitted from the event’s entry list. She posted a cryptic tweet earlier on Thursday.
Richardson reportedly did not test positive for steroids, but for marijuana, according to Tyler Dragon of The Cincinnati Enquirer and later by Kevin Draper and Juliet Macur of The New York Times. According to The Enquirer, she is facing a 30-day suspension.
Richardson, 21, won the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials women’s 100m final in 10.86 seconds, but the positive test voids that result. Richardson could still potentially compete at the Tokyo Games in the 4×100 meter relay if selected by U.S.A. Track and Field, according to The Times.
Richardson showed promise as the United States’ biggest hope for a gold medal in the 100 meters in Tokyo. She burst onto the scene winning the 2019 NCAA title in a collegiate record of 10.75 seconds. She lowered that personal best to 10.72 in April for the sixth-fastest wind-legal time ever.
Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has the fastest time in the world in 2021 with a 10.63 from earlier in June. She is looking to win her third Olympic gold medal in the 100 meters after winning in 2008 and 2012.
The Tokyo Games are set to begin on July 23 and run through Aug. 8.
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