U.S. sprinter may have waged war against Team Jamaica — and the entire island — but Jamaica’s biggest track star says he welcomes her energy.
Speaking to REVOLT, Usain Bolt did not have a bad word to say about the 21-year-old track and field upstart.
“For me, I’ve always said one thing: rules are rules,” Bolt said, referring to Richardson’s 30 days suspension for smoking marijuana.
“They’re in place for a reason. That’s how I’ve always looked at track and field. Because as soon as you get your agent, or your coach, or the person they have around you, [he/she] has to explain to you that, listen, these are the rules of the sports that you’re in. You can’t do this. You can’t do that. You can’t take this, you can’t do that,” Bolt continued.
He added: “I know it must be tough on her. And I’ve always said you should have people around you now to explain it, to make sure this mistake doesn’t happen again.”
In Tokyo, Jamaican sprinters swept the podium — but fans were eager to see how Richardson would fare against Team Jamaica.
There was much hoopla in the run-up the event. Richardson lauded her grand return to the track. Richardson met Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Shericka Jackson on the track — but her re-introduction to the world stage took a turn for the worst.
She came in 9th with a time of 11.14.
“Coming out today, it was a great return back to the sport. I wanted to be able to come and perform, having a month off, dealing with all that I was dealing with,” she told NBC in a post-race interview.
” I’m not upset at myself at all, this is one race, I’m not done. Congratulations to the winners, congratulations to the people that won, but they’re not done seeing me yet. Period,” she said as Fraser-Pryce walked by.
She’s been firing shots at Jamaica ever since.
