Sha'Carri Richardson
American sprint athlete Sha'Carri Richardson looks unlikely to get the chance to challenge for the Olympic 100m title in Tokyo in four weeks' time, after she returned an adverse analytical finding for a prohibited substance.
The news comes less than two weeks after she won the American trials in 10.86 seconds (wind -1.0 m/s) on June 19.
According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules, Richardson could serve a ban of between one and three months.
Since January 1, this year, WADA classified the drug as a 'substance of abuse'.
It currently carries a maximum four year ban.
Sources with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on condition of not being named, revealed that traces of the substance were found in the 21-year-old's sample from a recent drug test.
A cryptic message on Richardson’s official Twitter account on Thursday, read: "I am human."
Calls and emails messages to Richardson’s agent, Renaldo Nehemiah, went unanswered Thursday afternoon.
WADA rules indicate that if an athlete can prove that the drug was used out-of-competition and that there was no sports performance benefit, their ban will be reduced from four years to a period of three months with no need to further examine the degree of fault.
WADA also stipulates that the ban can be reduced by a further month if the athlete is willing to undertake an approved treatment programme in collaboration with their national anti-doping body.
Richardson was aiming to become the first American woman to win the Olympic 100m title since Gail Devers in 1996, after posting 10.72 seconds in April - one of five legal sub-11 seconds clocking from the American this season.
It is understood that USA Track and Field has already reached out to fourth and fifth placed finishers in the US Olympic trials, Jenna Prandini and Gabby Thomas, to replace Richardson in the 100m event at the Olympics.
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