High school track star stripped of title over unusual celebration as her father speaks out on controversy
A high school track star was stripped of her title following her bold celebration and claims officials 'took the moment away' from her.
Clara Adams, a sophomore at North Salinas High School, was competing in the California state high school track and field championships on Saturday.
She won her event, claiming first place in the 400m finals for the state title.
But her title was stripped away from her after celebrating in a way the governing body deemed 'disrespectful'.
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After crossing the finish line, the excited teen ran over to her father to celebrate her race win.
Her father, David, passed a fire extinguisher to her daughter, who sprayed her shoes as if they were on fire - a nod to US Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene who performed the same celebration following his triumph in the men's 100m in 2004.
Adams sprayed the fire extinguisher away from her fellow competitions but was 'yelled at' by event officials following the stunt.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) officials viewed her actions as unsportsmanlike and subsequently disqualified her.
Speaking after her disqualification, she told the Mercury News: "I don’t know what’s going through my mind right now.
"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."
David added: "When she blew the fire extinguisher, the opponents were gone.
"That was our moment of celebration, and CIF officials made it about them. The crowd went crazy, they loved it, the CIF booth went crazy, they loved it. But those few guys in those jackets took offense to it, didn’t like it, and made a decision based off emotions."
Sprint icon Greene caught wind of Adams' celebration and urged officials to reinstate her.
He said: "When I heard, cause it happened, and then people just started calling me, 'This girl who just ran the 400 did your celebration.' I was like, 'Huh? What?'
"If it was away from everyone and not interfering with anyone, I would say reinstate her."
Topics: Athletics
Nasir Jabbar