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Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
High School Track Champion Disqualified for Spraying Her Shoes with Fire Extinguisher in Celebration
NEED TO KNOW Clara Adams won the 400-meter final at the California state championships but was disqualified and stripped of her medal due to her celebration The athlete sprayed her shoes with a fire extinguisher The celebratory move was an homage to a former Olympian who once did the same thing after a win A California high school athlete was disqualified and stripped of her gold medal after she celebrated on the track with a fire extinguisher. Clara Adams, a sophomore sprinter from North Salinas High School, lost her state championship title in the 400-meter final on Saturday, May 31 after she sprayed her shoes with the device, according to KSBW-TV. Advertisement "I worked so hard for that title," Adams, 16, told the station of the race, in which she finished first in 53.24 seconds. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) deemed her celebration 'unsportsmanlike' and she received a DQ — all of which does not sit well with Adams, her father and the man to whom she was paying homage, retired Olympic racing legend Maurice Greene. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Greene, 50, famously extinguished his own 'smoking hot' spikes on the track after he won the 100-meter dash in 2004. Advertisement "When I heard it happened, and then people just started calling me, 'This girl who just ran the 400 did your celebration,' I was like huh? What?" Greene told the station. "If it was away from everyone and not interfering with anyone, I would say reinstate her." Matthew Stockman/Getty Maurice Greene in 2004. Maurice Greene in 2004. The athlete's father, who also serves as her coach, David Adams, is similarly pushing back on the extent of Clara's punishment. "When she blew the fire extinguisher, the opponents were gone," he told KSBW. "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." Advertisement In footage from the race, David Adams is seen handing his daughter the extinguisher. The news station reported that he then climbed over the railing — which is also against the rules — to address CIF officials. 'I saw an official grab my daughter by the arm, they were yelling in her face,' Adams said. 'I'm a father now, I'm not coach any more.' According to the station, in the last 20 years of state championships, no other athletes have been disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct. Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Ex-Olympian hits out after high school track star was disqualified for copying his 'unsportsmanlike' celebration
Former Olympic champion Maurice Greene has called for the high school track star disqualified from a state championship for recreating one of his famous celebrations to be reinstated. Clara Adams, a runner for North Salinas High School in California, was stripped of her 400m state title at the weekend and disqualified from the meet as a whole after she celebrated in a way the governing body deemed 'disrespectful'. After finishing second in the preliminary heats, she crossed the line in first to take the gold for her own before running over to her father as he produced a fire extinguisher. She grabbed the extinguisher from her father and sprayed her shoes with it - as if to say that they were on fire - in a celebration reminiscent of Greene's after he won the 100-meter dash at the 2004 Home Depot Invitational. Though despite her father claiming it took place away from her competitors and that she 'wasn't disrespecting anyone', the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) decided the celebration was unsportsmanlike and stripped Adams' of her championship before throwing her out of the meet. And Greene - who won two Olympic gold medals in his own career - believes Clara's disqualification should be overturned if the celebration was performed away from her competitors. '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?' the ex-athlete told KSBW-TV on Monday. 'If it was away from everyone and not interfering with anyone, I would say reinstate her.' Adams crossed the line with a time of 52.24 seconds, just one-hundredth slower than the state-leading time she achieved the week prior. After being disqualified, she was prevented from competing in the 200m event later that day. 'I don't know what's going through my mind right now,' Clara told the Monterey Herald. '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, meanwhile, claimed they were 'on the other side of the wall' from the track while alleging that the decision to disqualify his black daughter was due to her race. 'We have protested the decision, I feel it was racially motivated,' he told the Herald. Adams' coach, Alan Green, called it 'a very unfortunate event', adding, 'We are all heartbroken. Clara ran an incredible 400 race and is the fastest 400-meter girl in the state. 'She was trying to have some fun at the finish line after the 400. It was interpreted as unsportsmanlike. 'What an incredible season and run. It's unfortunate.'
New York Post
04-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
Winning High school track star disqualified over celebration breaks down, says: ‘I feel robbed'
The California high school track star disqualified from the CIF State Championships for celebrating her win with a fire extinguisher broke down as she spoke of the moment her dreams went up in smoke. 'I worked so hard for that title,' a tearful Clara Adams, 16, told KSBW amid the ongoing controversy. The North Salinas High School sophomore was stripped of her state championship title over the weekend after she paid homage to an Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene just moments after winning her 400-meter event. 5 Clara Adams' post-race celebration resulted in her disqualification and the stripping of her state championship title. ksbw A viral clip showed the excited teen running over and taking a fire extinguisher from her proud father before she started spraying off her spikes. California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) officials ended up disqualifying the teen sprinter and stripping her of the title after deeming the celebratory stunt unsportsmanlike. Several people who appeared to be CIF officials could be seen watching on as looked on as Clara sprayed her shoes. One of them approached her soon after the celebration and led her away, the footage shows. 'I don't know what's going through my mind right now,' the teen told the Mercury News in the aftermath. '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.' 5 Her proud father, David, handed his daughter a fire extinguisher, and away from her competitors, she sprayed on her shoes as if they were on fire. Oceanside Dolphins Track Club/YouTube 5 Maurice Greene celebrates as teammates spray his feet with a fire extinguisher after winning the Men's 100 meter with a time of 9.86 during the Home Depot Invitational, the first invitational stop on USA Track & Field's 2004 Outdoor Golden Spike Tour on May 22, 2004 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Getty Images Her father, who is also her coach, is adamant his daughter did nothing wrong — insisting that she wasn't near any of her fellow competitors when she carried out the stunt. 'When she blew the fire extinguisher, the opponents were gone,' her dad, David, said in the KSBW interview. 5 Adams holding the fire extinguisher. @OceansideDolphins/YouTube '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.' The decision came just moments before she was slated to run in the 200-meter event, which she had been of the favorites to win. The ruling meant she wasn't allowed to compete. The decision to disqualify the track star immediately sparked widespread outrage. 5 Her father, who is also her sprinting coach, is adamant that his daughter did nothing wrong, and when she celebrated, she wasn't near any of her competitors in the 400m sprint. Oceanside Dolphins Track Club/YouTube Maurice Greene, the sprinting icon who made the celebration famous, was among those who urged officials to overturn the decision. '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?' Greene said. 'If it was away from everyone and not interfering with anyone, I would say reinstate her.' Under CIF's code of conduct, athletes are expected to 'be a good sport, teach and model class, be gracious in victory and accept defeat with dignity; encourage student-athletes to give fallen opponents a hand, compliment extraordinary performance, and show sincere respect in pre- and post-game rituals.'
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
‘Robbed': 16-year-old stripped of state championship over fire extinguisher act
The moment that 16-year-old Clara Adams' State Championship dreams went up in smoke was captured on video, as the controversy surrounding the teen's post-race celebration has made headlines across America. Adams, a sprinter from North Salinas High School in Salinas, California paid homage to a celebration made famous by American sprint icon Maurice Greene by taking a fire extinguisher from her father and spraying her spikes after winning the 400-meter event Saturday. CIF officials didn't take too kindly and disqualified her, stripping her of her state title. The teen could be seen standing in the infield of the track away from other participants as she bent over and started extinguishing her shoes with the fire extinguisher. Several people who appeared to be CIF officials looked on, with one almost immediately approaching her after the celebration and leading her away. The celebration was ultimately deemed unsportsmanlike and she was disqualified. The decision to disqualify Adams came moments before she was slated to run in the 200-meter event, and due to the ruling she was not allowed to run the race, which she had been of the favourites to win. A devastated Adams spoke after the disqualification after the officials handed down the decision. 'I don't know what's going through my mind right now,' Adams told the Mercury News. '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.' Adams' father, David, insisted that 'the opponents were gone' when she used the fire extinguisher and said that 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 offence to it, didn't like it, and made a decision based off emotions,' he told the TV station. Adams does have one big supporter in her corner, with Greene himself indicating that he was happy that she did his celebration and felt that she should get her title back. Greene used the celebration when he won the 100-meter dash in 2004 at the Home Depot Invitational. '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?' Greene said. 'If it was away from everyone and not interfering with anyone, I would say reinstate her.'
National Post
03-06-2025
- General
- National Post
High school track star ‘shocked' after being stripped of championship for tribute celebration
A high school track and field star in California is 'in shock' after being stripped of her state championship over a celebration this past weekend. Article content Article content North Salinas High School's Clara Adams was disqualified by officials after winning the 400-metre event on Saturday for using a fire extinguisher while paying homage to U.S. Olympic hero Maurice Greene. Article content After the sophomore crossed the finish line to win the race being held at Buchanan High in Clovis, Adams ran over to her father to celebrate. Article content David Adams handed his daughter a fire extinguisher, who then — away from her competitors — sprayed the device on her shoes as if they were on fire. Article content 'I told Clara, 'You're on fire,'' he told the Mercury News. 'She did not do it in front of her opponents. She wasn't disrespecting anyone.' Article content California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) officials at the meet didn't see it that way, immediately disqualifying Adams and saying the celebration was unsportsmanlike. Article content 'I don't know what's going through my mind right now,' Clara said. Article content 16-year-old Clara Adams was disqualified from the 400m state title after using a fire extinguisher in her celebration A reenactment of Maurice Green's iconic reaction from 2004 Are officials restricting athletes' expression on the track? — RoriDunk (@FitzDunk) June 3, 2025 Article content Article content '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.' Article content Article content It wasn't just that moment of victory, either. Because the disqualification was for an unsportsmanlike act, Adams was not allowed to compete in the 200-metre race at the meet — which she was one of the favourites to win. Article content 'That was our moment of celebration and CIF officials made it about them,' David Adams told local NBC affiliate KSBW. 'The crowd went crazy, they loved it, the CIF booth went crazy, they loved it. But those few guys in those jackets took offence to it, didn't like it and made a decision based off emotions.'
