Track star's positive drug test was for THC, may mean end of Olympic dream

OAKLAND, Calif. - Track star Sha'Carri Richardson has been suspended from competing for a month, following a positive drug test for THC, the compound in marijuana. It may mean the end of her Olympic dream and that has left spectators and elite athletes alike frustrated.

Track superstar Sha'Carri Richardson's style and her speed captured the attention of a nation.

Now, her downfall has as well.

The positive test came after the death of her mother. And now Richardson has accepted a one month suspension from the sport which will disqualify her from the 100 meters in the Olympics.

On Twitter she said, "I am human."

Olympic cyclist Juli Furtado calls it heartbreaking. She says marijuana was added as a banned substance when she was competing. She doesn't think it belongs there.

"I'm just so torn. I hate for her to miss the Olympics. I think the rule, I think it should be taken off the banned substances. And if they did some kind of appeal and she got to compete, I'd be thrilled," says Furtado, who competed in the 1996 Olympic Games.

In fact, other sports have loosened rules around marijuana use, the NFL, and Major League baseball among them.

But the World Anti-Doping Agency has not changed its stance.

"Sport has a long history of having antiquated rules and dragging their feet in changing them. And all the while they're slow to move, athletes become collateral damage," says Dr. Shaun Fletcher, a sports expert at San Jose State University.

He adds, "I think that she'll be one of those athletes that we'll take a look back and we're going to cringe that she missed out on this opportunity to make history potentially."

Medical experts say while marijuana may be legal in some states, and may not be considered traditionally performance enhancing, rules are rules.

"There's a lot of legal substances for everyone else but we hold our athletes to different standards," says Dr. Ryan Cudahy, a sports medicine doctor at St. Francis Memorial Hospital.

The Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative says if there's one bright spot, it's Sha'Carri Richardson's handling of her mistake. It's something they say can be an example for young athletes.

"Owned it publicly and apologized publicly, accepted the consequences and is already talking about how she's moving forward. I think is a great moment of grace," says Co-CEO Jennifer Smith.

There is a chance Richardson can still compete in the Olympics as part of a relay team. By that time her suspension will be over, and coaches have some discretion in choosing who competes.