LOS ANGELES — Long Beach star sprinter Clara Adams is suing the California Interscholastic Federation for stripping her of her gold medal in last year’s 400-meter race at the state finals due to her post-race celebration, in which she briefly sprayed her shoes with a fire extinguisher, attorneys announced today.
Read more Fear shadows Peru’s runoff vote as extortion and killings surge nationwide
At the time, Adams was a 16-year-old sophomore ranked No. 1 in the United States in the 200 and 400, running for North Salinas High School. The disqualification, for alleged unsportsmanlike behavior, captured the attention of national media, the NAACP and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, who declared Aug. 19, 2025 as Clara Adams Day in recognition of her achievements in sports, academics and community leadership, according to her attorney, Adanté Pointer.
“Clara’s celebration was harmless, brief and rooted in the history of her sport,” Pointer said in a statement. “Her sportsmanship is beyond reproach. She did not cheat, interfere with another runner, or threaten anyone. She won the race, the win was certified, and CIF took it away from her in a disgraceful act of public punishment intended to humiliate a teenage girl who had just won the greatest victory of her young career.”
The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Fresno, accuses the CIF of denying Adams her due process and First Amendment rights. It seeks restoration of her 400-meter title, correcting the records and expunging the disciplinary action, along with damages and legal costs.
A message seeking comment sent to Ron Nocetti, CIF’s director, was not immediately answered Tuesday.
Media reports said Adams was stripped of her state championship after CIF officials determined that her celebration before the race results were finalized was unsportsmanlike. She was disqualified from the meet and also lost an opportunity to compete in the 200-meter race.
Read more 3 Congress members decry conditions inside Adelanto ICE facility — while feds say they are misguided
Pointer says the teen’s gesture was an homage to Olympic sprint champion Maurice Greene’s similar, fire extinguisher celebration following a 2004 win in the 100 meters.
“Clara earned this win through her own sweat, training and focus,” Pointer said. “The CIF formally certified that the win was hers. Once they did that, that win, that gold medal, became her objectively earned property. They had no right to seize that property from her afterwards.”
Since the state finals, Adams’ family has moved to Long Beach. On May 23, Adams, now 17 and a junior at track and field powerhouse Wilson High School, set a CIF sectional record in the 400 meters of 51.98 seconds, and won the CIF Championship on Saturday with 52:28, her attorney said.
She also took the 200-meter title, running 23:40, and was on the relay team that set a national record in the 4×400 relay, giving Wilson its fourth consecutive state title.
Read more French Open: Andreeva and Kostyuk set up Russia-Ukraine semifinal clash