American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson has made her first public appearance since testing positive for marijuana at the Team USA Olympic track and field trials in June.
Richardson, 21, walked the red carpet at the ESPYS Awards on Saturday evening in New York City.
The athlete had been expected to be a major draw at this year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.
She had previously accepted a one-month ban on participating in events after testing positive for cannabis, but the suspension was set to end before the 4x100-meter relay event, leading some to hope she could still compete.
American track and field sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson heads to the ESPYS on Saturday night
Sha'Carri Richardson appeared in public in at the ESPYS Awards in New York
She was expected to be one of the biggest draws at the upcoming Tokyo Games
But on Tuesday, USA Track and Field announced that it would not allow her compete in the relay either.
On Saturday evening, the sprinter appeared at the awards show held at The Rooftop at Pier 17 at the Seaport in downtown Manhattan.
Richardson ran the women's 100m race in 10.86 seconds at the trials in Oregon on June 19 but she was disqualified due to her failed drug test.
She was forced to accept a one-month suspension, which started on June 28 meaning she would miss the Games.
Officials on Tuesday announced that Richardson, 21, would not be selected to run in the 4x100-meter relay in Tokyo, after she was previously banned from the 100-meter dash over her marijuana use
Sha'Carri Richardson celebrates after winning the women's 100m in 10.86 during the US Olympic Team Trials at Hayward Field in Oregon last month
Richardson ran the women's 100m race in 10.86 seconds at the trials in Oregon on June 19 but she was disqualified due to her failed drug test
Richardson had previously spoken about using marijuana to cope with the loss of her biological mother who had passed away only the week before track trials.
'First and foremost, we are incredibly sympathetic toward Sha'Carri Richardson's extenuating circumstances and strongly applaud her accountability - and will offer her our continued support both on and off the track. While USATF fully agrees that the merit of the World Anti-Doping Agency rules related to THC should be reevaluated, it would be detrimental to the integrity of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track & Field if USATF amended its policies following competition, only weeks before the Olympic Games,' USA Track & Field said in a statement.
'All USATF athletes are equally aware of and must adhere to the current anti-doping
