Sha’Carri Richardson, the dynamic Olympic hopeful who was disqualified for the Tokyo Games, is still running — her life, that is.
The charismatic track star, who is billed as America’s fastest woman, scored a win after being barred from traveling to Japan due to a positive marijuana test. She is the star in a gripping Beats by Dre commercial that was scored and edited by Kanye West.
Richardson, 22, posted the ad spot for her 2.2 million Instagram followers and was aired during the NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.
In the minute-long film short, the camera scans over Richardson’s lithe and sculpted physique as she prepares to run a race. She is flossing a pair of Nike running shoes and stunts with a pair of Beats by Dre earbuds.
The commercial also served as a large platform for the controversial Kanye to tease his upcoming song, “No Child Left Behind,” which blares in the background while the spot plays. Toward the end, the words “Live Your Truth” appear on the screen as motivation for people to embrace their authenticity.
https://twitter.com/beatsbydre/status/1417659047420088321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Richardson was banned from the 100-meter individual race in Tokyo in June 2021 when the World Anti-Doping Agency and USA Track and Field suspended her after she tested positive for marijuana at the Olympic Trials.
Less than a week later, the USA Track and Field also decided to bar Richardson from the 4×100 relays, which begin on Aug. 5, even though her 30-day suspension would have been completed before that race.
Richardson admitted that she smoked marijuana to cope with the crushing loss of her biological mother.
“I understand the situation that’s going on,” Richardson told TMZ. “So, I’m accepting of it, and I just know what I have to do moving forward in my career.”
