A 16-year-old high school sprinter won the 400-meter state championship Saturday, May 31, in Clovis, California, in stunning fashion. Clara Adams finished with a time of 53.24 seconds. What should have been the crowning moment of her young career, however, quickly turned to controversy.
Why was Clara Adams disqualified?
Moments after the race Adams was disqualified for what high school officials called an “unsportsmanlike act” after spraying a fire extinguisher during her celebration.
“I worked so hard for that title, I feel robbed,” Adams told KSBW-TV in Monterrey, California.
Video circulating online shows Adams spraying the fire extinguisher on her track shoes in celebration. She does it alone, on the track’s infield and is immediately corralled by meet officials. She got the fire extinguisher from her father, who is also her coach.
“I told Clara, ‘You’re on fire.’ She did not do it in front of her opponents,” David Adams said after learning of the decision. “She wasn’t disrespecting anyone.”
What was the response from school officials?
California Interscholastic Federation officials did not find it amusing. They immediately stripped the 16-year-old Adams of her 400-meter title and did not allow her to run in the 200-meter race later that day. If Adams had run her qualifying time again, she would have finished second in that event.
“When she blew the fire extinguisher, the opponents were gone,” Adams said. “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 celebration by the North Salinas High School sophomore was a pre-planned attempt to pay homage to Olympic gold medal winner Maurice Greene, who famously did the celebration after a meet in May 2004.
Adams has seen her times shorten over the last couple of years. At a meet earlier this year in Arcadia, California, she won the 200 meters and finished second in the 400. At the time, she told Youth Runner Magazine she was looking forward to the state championships.
“I just know I can go sub-24 now,” Adams said. “Especially the time of the year that it is. I have 6 weeks or a little more until States. So I have time to improve, so that’s encouraging to me.”
Was Adams’ celebration the only controversy at the meet?
Some parents and track fans are calling out the perceived hypocrisy of the California Interscholastic Federation for allowing trans athlete AB Hernandez to compete in the same state championship meet. Hernandez, a 16-year-old from Jurupa Valley High School, won gold in both the girls’ high jump and triple jump and won silver in the long jump.
Hernandez shared the podium with other athletes due to CIF’s decision ahead of the meet to allow more girls to medal in events in which Hernandez qualified. That decision made national headlines, and President Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls’ teams.
Adams’ celebration is also generating more headlines. There is now a petition with over 2500 signatures circulating online that calls for Adams to be reinstated as the 400-meter state champion. Olympian Maurice Greene has said the same. California school officials have yet to respond.
