California High School Track Star Stripped Of Her 400 Meter Race Victory Over “Unsportsmanlike” Celebration

California high school track star Clara Adams was disqualified after her 400 meter race victory over a celebration involving a fire extinguisher. The 16-year-old North Salinas High School sophomore performed a celebration made famous by icon track star Maurice Greene. She sprayed her shoes with the extinguisher after the race was over to signify that she ran so fast that her shoes were on fire. No competitors were nearby. People observing the race loved the celebration, but a few officials did not like it and chose to disqualify her.

Some say that the rules were violated and it left the officials with no other choice. However, if there are rules then the rules should be consistent and make sense. There have been at least two transgender athletes competing against, and dominating, girls in high school track on the west coast including A.B. Hernandez and Veronica Garcia. If biological males are allowed to compete against and consistently defeat biological females in a race simply because they call themselves transgender, then a simple celebration shouldn’t be enough to disqualify someone from their victory.