DONT CALL IT A COMEBACK - SIMONE BILES & SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON RETURN STRONG AFTER ADVERSITY

BY AJ WOODSON

The news that the American sprinting star Sha’Carri Richardson faced disqualification from the Olympics after testing positive for marijuana quickly drew an outsized reaction across the country. And for many people that reaction was: “Wait, you can be kicked out of the Olympics for pot?”

Richardson won the women’s 100-meter race at the U.S. track and field trials in Oregon. She was a favorite to win a medal in Tokyo, and with her colorful hair, vivacious personality and blazing speed she seemed poised to be one of the breakout American stars of the Games.

But under the rules, her positive test invalidated her result in the trials, keeping her out of the 100 at the Games. Her month suspension may end in time for her but she wasnt selected to compete in the 4x100 meter relay team in Tokyo, either.

Richardson apologized shortly afterwards and said in an interviews that she had used marijuana to help cope with the death of her biological mother a week before the trials. She said she learned about her mother during an interview with a reporter.

Marijuana is legal for recreational use in more than a dozen states, including Oregon, where the trials were held. It is legal for medicinal use in many more. But it is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of prohibited substances. The drug is banned on race days, but not outside of competition.

In 2021, Simone Biles, 26, won seven Olympic medals, including four golds, before taking a mental health break after the unexpected loss of a family member during the Summer Games. 23-year-old Sha’Carri Richardson had her Tokyo Olympic dreams dashed after a positive marijuana test. They both caught some negative press from mainstream media that couldn’t understand and some fans who want their heroes to be invincible. But guess what these women are human like the rest of us.

Simone Biles made it look so easy until it wasnt. She showed little signs the she was carrying a lot when she walked into the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo. As the face of the U.S. Olympic team, she was shouldering her country’s gold medal hopes. As the greatest gymnast of all time, she was toting expectations for athletic dominance and repeated brilliance. As an outspoken advocate for female athletes, she was lugging around the pressure to make her fans proud.

In making the stunning decision to withdraw from the team final competition, Biles acknowledged the tremendous pressure she had been facing as the “head star of the Olympics” and said she needed to focus on her mental health.

“We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day, we’re human, too,” Biles said, according to The Associated Press. “We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.”

Biles, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, said she was not in the right state of mind to continue the competition.

“I’m a fan.”

Those were the words of four-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles about the newest athletics star set to take on the world at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, American sprint sensation, Sha’Carri Richardson.

Biles was watching along with plenty of other U.S. track fans as Richardson blazed her way to victory in the 100m on Saturday (19 June), assuring her a spot in Tokyo and a place on the world stage.

The only question: Is the world ready for Sha’Carri? Perhaps not. Long story short Richardson was disqualified and not allowed to compete Fast foward to 2023, you can’t keep a good woman down, both of these sistahs came back to attack with a vengance.

Before Simone Biles began the first routine of her anticipated return this month, the moment held significance: The biggest star in gymnastics had decided to compete again after a two-year layoff following a profoundly public disappointment at the Tokyo Olympics. By the time the U.S. Classic ended, with Biles winning comfortably, her status as the world’s most dominant gymnast seemed restored and secure.

After two years away from competitive gymnastics, Biles participated in the 2023 U.S. Classic on August 5 and proved she’s still the top woman to beat. Earning her a gold medal, Biles’ all-around score of 59.1 was an astonishing five points higher than the silver medalist. She also won the balance beam and floor titles and successfully completed a Yurchenko double-pike vault, a move she is the only female gymnast to land in competition.

Sha’Carri Richardson wins 100, claims fastest woman in world title proclaiming, “I’m not back, I’m better” this season. She put an exclamation point on that statement at the 2023 track and field world championships Monday, August 21st in Budapest, Hungary. The charismatic sprinter is officially the fastest woman in the world. Richardson ran a 10.65 to win her first ever world title in the women’s 100 meters. Her time set a championship record, breaking the mark held by Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce by .02 seconds.

While Jamaican rivals Shericka Jackson, the world’s top-ranked sprinter, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, a 10-time world champion, were expected to win, Richardson blew past them despite starting from the outside lane. Jackson and Fraser-Pryce dominated at the Olympics and humiliated Richardson during a post-Olympic race in 2021.

Simone is the most decorated American gymnast, with more than two dozen Olympic and World Championship medals, Sha’Carri is the faster women in the world. Despite the adversity and these sisters are here to stay and it’s time the world put some respect on their names!!!