Sha'Carri Richardson has been suspended from competing in the Olympic 100-meter race after failing a drugs test.
Richardson, 21, secured her place at the Olympics after emerging victorious in the women’s 100-meter race last month, but her lawyer has now revealed that she's been suspended from the team after testing positive for THC - a chemical found in marijuana.
In an interview with NBC News, a U.S. Olympic source said that the 21-year-old failed a drugs test after winning the Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon, on June 19.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency reports that the 21-year-old is now banned from taking part in the 100-meter race, however, she could still potentially be allowed to compete in another Olympic event.
While marijuana is legal in Oregon, THC is banned from the competition.
"I want to take responsibility for my actions," she said on NBC's TODAY Show on Friday morning.
"I'm not looking for an excuse. Right now I’m just putting all of my energy into dealing with what I need to deal with to heal myself."
NBC News reports that it's not yet known if the Olympic hopeful will appeal the results of the drugs test.
The 21-year-old tweeted on Thursday: "I am human."
Richardson had caused many to hope that the US would receive its first gold medal in the women's race since Gail Devers in 1996 after she completed the 100-meter race in 10.86 seconds - which was one of five runs this season that she has made in less than 11 seconds.
She also caught the world's eye after completing a race and running into the arms of her grandmother, telling NBC in a post-race interview that she had received the news that her mother had died a week before the event.
She described the loss as "triggering" and "shocking."
But despite undergoing such a life-changing loss, she said that she knew she would "still have to go out and put out a performance."
"I know that I can't hide myself," Richardson said. "In some type of way, I was trying to hide my pain."
Vogue Magazine has described her as "the Flo-Jo of our time" because of her penchant for wearing long lashes, neon wigs, and bedazzled nails.
The AP has reported that the 21-year-old's sanction could be reduced from three months to one because she took part in a counseling program.
The threshold for what constitutes a positive test for marijuana was reduced in the wake of the London 2012 Olympics from 15 nanograms per milliliter to 150 ng/m. This was done to ensure that athletes are only punished for in-competition use and not what they chose to do in the months and weeks before events.
USATF put out a statement cited by the AP that said Richardson's "situation is incredibly unfortunate and devastating for everyone involved."
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it is now "working with USATF to determine the appropriate next steps."