US track star Sha'Carri Richardson opened up on Friday about the recent positive test for cannabis that has thrown her Olympic dream into jeopardy.
Appearing on NBC's Today show with host Savannah Guthrie, Richardson apologized and said she had consumed the cannabis to cope following the death of her biological mother -- which she learned about through a reporter.
"I want to apologize for my actions," Richardson said. "I know what I did, and I know what I'm supposed to do -- what I'm allowed not to do -- and I still made that decision. I'm not making an excuse or looking for an empathy in my case, but ... being in that position in my life, finding out something like that, something that I would say one of the biggest things that's impacted me in my life, positively and negatively, when it comes to dealing with my mother, with the relationship that I have with my mother.
"So, that definitely was a very heavy topic on me. And people don't understand what it's like to have to -- or, some people do. We all have different struggles. We all have our different things that we're dealing with. But to put on a face, to have to go in front of the world, put on a face and hide my pain, I don't know. Who am I to tell you how to cope, when you're dealing with a pain or you're dealing with a struggle that you've never experienced before, or that you've never thought you'd have to deal with it? Who am I to tell you how to cope? Who am I to tell you you're wrong for hurting?"
Richardson, 21, won the 100m at the US Olympic trials in June, which were held in Oregon. Earlier this year, she ran the sixth-fastest time ever recorded. She competed collegiately for LSU, setting a new college record in the 100m as a freshman in 2019.
This week, the native Texan was handed a one-month ban for the positive test, which will preclude her from running in the 100m in Tokyo. She could still potentially run in relay races, which are scheduled to be held after he ban expires, if she's invited by Team USA.
However, Richardson suggested on Today that she would not compete in Tokyo.
"I greatly apologize if I let you guys down, and I did. This will be the last time the US comes home without a gold in the 100m," she said. "I'm 21, I'm very young, I have plenty of Games left in me to compete in, and plenty of talent that backs me up, because everything I do comes naturally to me, no steroids or anything.
"Don't judge me, because I am human -- I just happen to run a little faster," she quipped.
US Anti-Doping Agency executive Travis Tygart said Richardson's case was "heartbreaking." USA Track and Field said it would support the sprinter and ensure she has "ample resources to overcome any mental health challenges now and in the future."
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