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The flamboyant American sprinter was expected to be one of the
biggest draws in Tokyo but her dreams were cut short due to a
positive test at the U.S. Olympic trials in June after she had
streaked to victory in the 100m.
Richardson's ban dominated the storylines ahead of the Tokyo
Olympics and while it cost her a potentially career-defining
moment she said some good came as a result.
"I'm glad for ... the attention I was able to bring to the
sport, whether it was negative or positive, for the simple fact
that people are now watching," Richardson said at the Diamond
League event in Portland, Oregon.
"I know a lot of track and field athletes wish we had more
attention in the sport, we wish people paid more attention."
Richardson will get a chance to prove her mettle on Saturday
given she will be part of a race that includes all three Tokyo
100m medallists -- Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann
Fraser-Pryce, and Shericka Jackson -- over the same distance.
The 21-year-old American said despite her lack of recent
competition she is ready to line up against six of the eight
women who raced in the 100m final in Tokyo.
"It's training, it's been going well regardless of the
situation, I have no complaints," said Richardson. "My talent
has not went anywhere, so just ready to get back on the track."
Richardson won the U.S. trials in June with a time of 10.86
seconds and was aiming to become the first American woman to win
the Olympic 100m crown since Gail Devers in 1996. Marion Jones
won in 2000 but was later stripped of her title for doping.
After news of her positive test surfaced, Richardson said she
used marijuana as a coping mechanism after learning about the
death of her biological mother.
During a press conference where she sat alongside the trio of
Jamaicans who swept the 100m podium in Tokyo, Richardson, who
swapped her orange hair for platinum blonde this week, said she
look forward to the challenge.
"Two of the women sitting here are two of the fastest women to
ever do this sport so I am honoured to just to be on the stage
with them but I am not starstruck," Richardson said in reference
to Thompson-Herah and Fraser-Pryce.
"I am eager to run against them and bring the best out of them
and I hope they can get the best out of me."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoEditing by Christian
Radnedge and Pritha Sarkar)
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