California high school sprinter stripped of state title due to 'unsportsmanlike' fire-extinguisher celebration
Clara Adams, a 16-year-old sophomore at North Salinas High, finished the 400-meter finals .28 seconds before her closest competitor, but was disqualified by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) due to her celebration. Following the win, Adams obtained a "small fire extinguisher" from her father in the stands. Adams then sprayed her cleats, implying they were on fire due to her blazing speed.
The CIF disqualified Adams from both the 400-meter finals and the 200-meter finals due to that celebration, which they deemed "unsportsmanlike."
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Adams told the Los Angeles Times she was "robbed," saying she was just having fun with the celebration.
"I was having fun,' Adams said, noting her win in the 400 marked her first state title. 'I'd never won something like that before, and they took it away from me. I didn't do anything wrong.'
She added: 'I worked really hard for it and they took it from me, and I don't know what to do.'
David Adams, Clara's father, said the CIF ruled "unsporting conduct" against his daughter. David claimed officials were "really nasty" to Clara.
Unsporting conduct can include "disrespectfully addressing an official, any flagrant behavior, intentional contact, taunting, criticizing or using profanity directed toward someone," per the National Federation of State High School Associations. David said that rule was cited as a "gray area" that the CIF used to justify the decision.
David said the celebration was a tribute to Maurice Greene, a former U.S. sprinter who used the same celebration at the Home Depot Invitational in 2004. Broadcasters laughed at Greene's celebration, which took place in the middle of the track.
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David argued Clara's antics didn't qualify as unsportsmanlike because she performed her celebration away from the track, per the Los Angeles Times.
"Looking at the film, Clara is nowhere near any opponent,' he said. 'She's off the track, on the grass. Her opponents are long gone off the track already, so she wasn't in their face. It was a father-daughter moment. ... She did it off the track because she didn't want to seem disrespectful toward nobody. And they still found a reason to take her title away. They didn't give her a warning or anything.'
The CIF and North Salinas High track and field head coach Alan Green did not respond to the Los Angeles Times when reached for comment.
David Adams threatened to take legal action against the CIF if the organization won't return his calls.
Following Clara's disqualification, St. Mary's Academy in Inglewood sprinter Madison Mosby was awarded the win in the 400-meter finals.
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