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Sha’Carri Richardson: Outrage as journo implies sprinter's long nails are sign of steroid use

'In case you didn’t know very strong nails & hair can be a side effect of steroid use,' Claire Lehmann tweeted with a pic of Sha’Carri Richardson

An Australian journalist has been heavily criticized on Twitter after she suggested that Sha’Carri Richardson’s long nails are because of her use of steroids. Claire Lehmann -- the founding editor of Quillette -- tweeted: “Not sure whether the nails are real or fake, but in case you didn’t know very strong nails & hair can be a side effect of steroid use,” which left many angry with a few comparing her to a Karen.

The world was left shocked when the news came out that ace US sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson has been suspended for a month after testing positive for marijuana. The failed dope test has also cast doubt on her participation in the Tokyo Olympics. Richardson reportedly accepted the suspension and claimed to use marijuana to cope with the unexpected death of her mother while she was in Oregon for the Olympic trials.

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The 21-year-old said, “It sent me into a state of emotional panic. I didn’t know how to control my emotions or deal with my emotions during that time,” before adding: “I greatly apologize if I let you guys down, and I did.” Richardson also appeared on NBC on Friday, July 2, where she explained her tweet -- “I am human.” She said: “I just say, don’t judge me and I am human — I’m you, I just happen to run a little faster.” She also mentioned that she does not expect her critics to understand her situation. “They don’t necessarily understand, and I wouldn’t even call them haters,” the athlete stated.

After the shocking test result, USA Track & Field (USATF), the official governing body for the sport in the US, released a statement that read: “Sha’Carri Richardson’s situation is incredibly unfortunate and devastating for everyone involved. Athlete health and well-being continue to be one of USATF’s most critical priorities and we will work with Sha’Carri to ensure she has ample resources to overcome any mental health challenges now and in the future.”

Though a lot of people came out supporting Richardson and demanded her participation in the Olympics, Lehmann was definitely not one. She went on to tweet, “Look, people in track know who is and who isn’t on the roids. Just because they couldn’t ping her on it doesn’t mean they don’t know.” In a series of tweets, the 35-year-old added: “Flo Jo, obvious drug user, had the nails. She died in her sleep at age 38 because that’s what a lifetime of drug use does to the body (and why it’s supposed to be banned from elite sports). If the US sends an athlete to the Olympics they suspect is doping, they risk the entire national team being banned.”

Lehmann also took a few sentences from a report by The Irish Times while providing the link of it. She quoted, “Her coach is Dennis Mitchell. You may remember the name. You may even recall the sullied reputation. Finished fourth in the 100m final at the 1988 Olympics, the so-called dirtiest race in history. What came after was a career so tawdry…”

But her tweets filled with allegations against Richardson were not taken well by people on the internet as one user tweeted, “The whitest most Karenest tweet Ever.” The second one noted, “News Flash: NAILS are NOT REAL but your bias towards Black people just came on frontal display.” Shocked by her accusations, a person asked Lehmann: “Are you in society??? Are you truly unaware of the beauty industry? Did you think the lashes were real? The color her natural shade? That she was born w the tattoos? Do you get alarmed and confused if people change clothes bc you didn’t know if they were real or fake?” “How about we look at the test results and go from there, rather than making assumptions based on hair and nails. My hair is down past the small of my back now and my nails were fairly long before I trimmed them last night. I don't do steroids,” another added.