Richardson will not run in Tokyo

It's final. Richardson will not run at all in Tokyo. But let's start at the beginning.

Sha'Carri Richardson became internationally known when she ran a fantastic 10.75 s at just 19 years of age, winning the 2019 NCAA championships. She made the WA list of rising stars that year. I did not include her in mine since her participation in the US Trials was less than satisfactory. I was certainly wrong, since Richardson was undoubtedly a rising star (and I did include her in my 2020 list). 

This year, after a series of superb races, she dominated the 100 m in the US Trials, head and shoulders. She started with a 10.84 in the heats, followed by a wind-assisted (2.6 m/s) 10.64 in the semis and winning the final with a spectacular acceleration in 10.86 s (into a -1 m/s headwind). Her personal best is 10.72 s, form April.

And then disaster struck. She was tested positive for THC, which is the main psychoactive component found in cannabis. In short, she smoked a marijuana joint. Now it happens that THC is in the list of forbidden substances of the World Anti-Doping Code. However THC is neither performance enhancing nor a masking agent.

After learning of her biological mother’s death, Richardson used marijuana in Oregon, where it is fully legalised. And because of the moralistic view of WADA (who classifies it as a substance of abuse) Richardson's results in the Trials were invalidated. She did not mount a defence. She took responsibility and apologised. After successfully completing a counselling program, she accepted a one-month period of ineligibility. And she made a heartbreaking plea: "Please do not judge me. I am human. I just happen to run a little faster".

Jerry Brewer in the Washington Post wrote: "WADA may think it is keeping order. In Richardson’s situation, however, it robbed a 21-year-old of her joy during a difficult time and reintroduced us to the long, racist history of cannabis being used as a tool to demonise black people". 

D. Pound, who was the first president of WADA, recalled the rationale: the WADA people gave in to pressure from the US who forced the inclusion of recreational drugs in the list of prohibited substances. Over the years the governments' attitudes started changing but the WADA rules did not. The only thing they did was to reduce the punishment, down to a ridiculous low of a one-month suspension. This is pure hypocrisy: they simply do not dare come out and say "we do not penalise marijuana anymore".

In the case of Richardson the situation was complicated by the rigid and antiquated rule of qualifications through the US Trials. Having been disqualified in the Trials she cannot run the 100 m in Tokyo. On the other hand, concerning the relay, there are two discretionary positions (apart from the first four of the Trials) which can be filled by the choice of the team coaches. So, Richardson could have been allowed to run in the 4x100 m. But, no!

To tell the truth, I will not be very happy to see Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce win once more. Somehow I do not like her and I was looking forward to Sha'Carri Richardson deposing her. I guess that will have to wait till 2022 and the World Championships in Eugene.

PS There will be quite a few other absences from the Olympics. Most prominent are those of 400 m world champion S.E. Naser (whereabout violation) and 100 m hurdles world and olympic champion B. McNeal (tampering within the results management process). I will not miss them a lot (and the fact that Naser is absent will push S. Miller to double 200-400 m).

The two namibian 400 m prodigies C. Mboma and B. Masilingi have withdrawn from the 400 m, but remain entered into the 200 m. The reason is that they do not meet the WA eligibility regulations for female classification (meaning that their testosterone concentration is too high).

And this brings us inescapably to C. Semenya. She is pursuing her legal battle hoping to convince some court that she be allowed to compete against women. But the probability is slim and time is running against her (she's 30 this year). As far as the other two Rio 800 m medalists are concerned, M. Wambui has not been seen since 2019, but F. Niyonsaba moved to longer distances and will probably participate in the 5000 and 10000 m in Tokyo.

But the one I will really miss is O. McLeod. To my eyes he is one of the greatest hurdlers ever. He is definitely the fastest, although his technique is not up to par. As a consequence, frequently, he is out of a race, hitting hurdles hard or even falling. This time he crashed out in the finals of the Jamaican Trials, after having registered the best time in the semis. And, since, unfortunately, the jamaicans are mimicking the stupid US qualification procedure, McLeod will have to watch the Tokyo Olympics on his tv.