Olympics-Shakari Richardson was not selected for the U.S. Tokyo relay team Reuters

Amy Tennery

(Reuters)-American sprinter Shakari Richardson will not be selected for the U.S. 4x100m relay team to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after he tested positive for marijuana for a month.

The 21-year-old player won 100 million meters consecutively in the US Olympic trials in June and is expected to be one of the largest draws in the upcoming Japanese Olympics.

After the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) confirmed the suspension last week, her supporters had hoped that she would still be able to participate in the relay.

“We are very sympathetic to Shakari Richardson’s extenuating feelings and strongly commend her for her sense of responsibility-and will continue to provide her with support on and off the track,” USATF said in a written statement.

Richardson said in an interview with NBC last week that she used banned substances in response to the death of her mother.

Richardson’s agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Tokyo Women’s 100m Race started on July 30, two days after her ban ended, but she was unable to participate because her suspension erased her results in the trials.

Being selected for the relay team is her only chance to participate in the Olympics. Based on the opinions of USATF performers, the relay coach was able to select two athletes from the top four trial-finishers.

“All USATF athletes are equally aware of and must abide by current anti-doping regulations. If the rules are only enforced under certain circumstances, our credibility as a national regulatory agency will be lost,” USATF said.

The organization added that it believes that the World Anti-Doping Agency’s rules on THC, the main active ingredient of cannabis, “will be reassessed.”

“Although we express our heartfelt understanding of Shakari, we must also maintain fairness for all athletes who try to achieve their dreams by gaining a place in the U.S. Olympic track team,” it said.