Sha’Carri Richardson is one of the most vocal and proactive athletes in the world. The 2023 National Athlete of the Year speaks about several issues that athletes face despite just wanting to win for their country. SCR has lately been seen being vocal about the authoritative bodies of track and field. But, instead of getting solutions, a new problem has sprouted in front of her.
The USADA has been issuing several new rules and regulations to prevent athletes from doping to win. While these new changes are being brought in a bid to remote fairness, Sha’Carri Richardson argues that they are very unfair. Notably, just like Sha’Carri, another athlete has now joined SCR and pointed to a new arbitrary rule introduced by the body.
USADA makes a new enemy after Sha’Carri Richardson
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American long-jumping athlete Tara Davis-Woodhall recently added a tweet to her official X account addressing a new regulation brought forth by USADA. She wrote, “usada making up random rules now?? “undefined test” which means they can come and hour before and an hour after your testing window… make it make sense… they’re just trying to catch folks at this point.”
usada making up random rules now?? “undefined test” which means they can come and hour before and an hour after your testing window… make it make sense… they’re just trying to catch folks at this point
— tara davis woodhall (@tar___ruh) January 20, 2024
Notably, Woodhall was also caught by the USADA for cannabis use, just like Sha’Carri Richardson. She was even stripped of her national title, which she won in 2023 because of the cannabis content in her bloodstream. While Woodhall has also joined the battle against USADA, Sha’Carri vented her frustration about the authoritative body just a few days back.
Last month, USADA had asked all athletes to give complete information about their whereabouts by 15th December. But, the notification was released very late. Speaking about this, Sha’Carri Richardson said, “There are many concerns even as an elite athlete myself I’m worried about because this will impact my career if I don’t understand what to do.” The arbitrariness of USADA also led to the development of a rift in its ties with the UFC. In fact, even a USADA report pointed out the absurdity of the way the body operated.
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When the UFC parted ways with USADA
UFC had a collaboration with USADA to ensure that its fighters don’t dope their way to the top. However, after several disagreements, that partnership has now been dissolved. Following this, the anti-doping body released a report showing which UFC fighters appeared for the most drug tests. Surprisingly, the fighter to top the list was Paulo Costa, with 36 tests.
WATCH STORY – Sha’Carri Richardson Charges On NBC and US Track and Field Authorities Due to The Exploitation of The Athletes
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This annoyed several fans since Costa didn’t fight a single bout in 2023. Yet, USADA kept testing him despite the fighter being out of commission because of elbow surgery. This split between two bodies seems to add more weight to the claims of Sha’Carri Richardson. Will SCR see the end of these arbitrary rules before the Olympic trials?
ALSO READ – “Make Them Pay for Doubting You!”: Internet Supports Sha’Carri Richardson as She Gets Real on Instagram