U.S. track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson will be suspended for one month after testing positive for THC, the main psychoactive component of marijuana.
More from NPR: Richardson said she used marijuana after learning that her biological mother had died just a week before the Olympic trials.
The result means she cannot compete in the 100-meter race at the Tokyo Olympics. She was seen as the U.S.’s best contender for a gold medal in the event.
“Don’t judge me, because I am human,” Richardson said in an interview with NBC’s Today show. “I’m you. I just happen to run a little faster.”
“Don’t judge me, because I am human… I just happen to run a little faster.”
Sha’Carri Richardson (@itskerrii) speaks with @SavannahGuthrie about her failed drug test. pic.twitter.com/aZKTDhYn6Z
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 2, 2021