Teenage sprinter left in tears when stripped of her win due an ‘unsportsmanlike’ celebration.
Clara Adams, 16, from North Salinas High School in California, payed homage to American sprint icon Maurice Greene after winning the 400m event at the California state high school track and field championships.
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Adams took a fire extinguisher from her father and sprayed her spikes in a celebration first made famous by Greene, who was once known as the fastest man in the world.
Before Usain Bolt’s time, Greene held the world record for 100m at 9.79 seconds – becoming the first person in history to clock a time under 9.8 secs.
In 2004 the USA athlete went viral when he used the celebration after winning the 100m dash at the Home Depot Invitational.
“People just started calling me, ‘This girl who just ran the 400 did your celebration,’ I was like huh?” Greene explained of Adams.
Greene himself indicated that he was happy that she did his celebration and felt that she should get her title back.
“If it was away from everyone and not interfering with anyone, I would say reinstate her,” added the track and field legend.
Ultimately, her celebration was deemed unsportsmanlike by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and the 16-year-old was stripped of the state title she had just won.
Adams crossed the line with a time of 52.24 seconds, just one-hundredth slower than her state-leading time she achieved the week prior.
After the officials’ decision was announced, Adams tearfully spoke out on the incident to the Mercury News.
“I don’t know what’s going through my mind right now,” the teen shared.
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“I’m disappointed and I feel robbed. I am in shock. They [officials] yelled at me and told me, ‘We’re not letting you on the podium’. They took my moment away from me.”
Due to the CIF ruling, Adams was also not permitted to run in the 200m event, which she had been one of the favourites to win.
The dreams she had for the State Championship went up in smoke.
Adams’ father, David, believed that CIF officials ‘made it about them’.
He insisted by the time she used the fire extinguisher: “The opponents were gone.”
He told the Mercury News: “The crowd went crazy, they loved it, the CIF booth went crazy, they loved it.
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“But those few guys in those jackets took offence to it, didn’t like it, and made a decision based off emotions.”
In an interview with KSBW 8, whilst fighting back tears, Adams explained the impact the disqualification has had on her.
“Even if everything goes in my favour in regards to getting my title back, I’ll still never get that moment back,” she said.
“Like standing on the podium as a sophomore, I’ll never get that back.
“They took it from me.”
