USADA Catches Sha’Carri Richardson for Testing Even in Paris Amidst Nike’s Olympic Shoot

With the doping fiasco, Sha’Carri Richardson nurtures an older connection. The former LSU sprinter was at her peak in 2021 when, through a doping charge, her dream of participating in the Tokyo Olympics took the back seat. Her repeated plea to the US Anti-doping Agency (USADA) during that period couldn’t save her from facing a suspension. However, after the hard learning process, Sha’Carri Richardson has become quite vocal regarding free and fair participation in track and field sports.

Albeit, USADA’s fresh policy on minimizing the doping issue came under her flak. The sprinter is in Paris right now, shooting for Nike in the austerity of the Paris Olympics. Based on the new policies, Sha’Carri Richardson is yet again on her turn to give a test on the anti-doping schedule recently while being in Paris. However, her expression remains unique this time. 

Amid the auspicious moment of her statue being put up in Paris by Nike, the 100m reigning champion shared a glimpse of the procedure on her IG story, captioning, “Clean Sports[emoji]”. Previously, Sha’Carri Richardson had already been in the testing procedure when she was in her Easter festivity moods. At that time as well, she updated her fans about the situation through her social media posts. So how did did she react to the fresh test?

As per her IG story, barring any discomfort on her face, the 24-year-old displayed her cheerful face while participating in the grueling test procedure. The only spoilsport could be the occurrence of all those tests while Sha’Carri was celebrating her phenomenal journey through the lenses of Nike. Nonetheless, this all-of-a-sudden doping test could come only after the introduction of fresh policies Sha’Carri had been critical about. 

Is this because of the new ‘whereabouts’ policy? 

Last year, the USADA added a few new components to the whereabouts program under the anti-doping rules. As per the modified rules, the athletes must have to keep testers up to date to give a certain view of their whereabouts. In such a way, the USADA or World Athletics will be hassle-free to track any athlete for the out-of-competition drug tests. However, as per the rule, an athlete may face a penalty if he or she fails to inform authorities about three whereabouts notes. On that estimate, Sha’Carri Richardson registered her displeasure on the decision. 

In her statement, the Dallas native added, “I just feel like (this update) was not made in the best interest of the athlete, going as it is into the Olympic year, very, very crucial, so nothing unnecessary should be added on top of our plates.”  However, over time, she seems to have come to terms with the policy, standing to keep the sport fair.

Read more: Paris Olympics: Why Is Sha’Carri Richardson and Team USA Outfit Under Protest by Fans?