Clara Adams, a 16-year-old sophomore sprinter from North Salinas High School, was stripped of her gold medal in the 400-meter final at the California state championships on Saturday, May 31. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) deemed her celebration "unsportsmanlike" after she sprayed her shoes with a fire extinguisher.

The athlete's father, David Adams, who also serves as her coach, handed her the extinguisher and then climbed over the railing to address CIF officials. According to the station, he was seen yelling at the officials, prompting them to grab his daughter by the arm and yell in her face.

Clara Adams finished the race in 53.24 seconds, but her celebration was deemed unsportsmanlike by the CIF officials. The athlete and her father are pushing back on the extent of her punishment, claiming that the celebration was harmless and did not interfere with anyone.

Olympic Legend Maurice Greene Weighs in on the Controversy

Maurice Greene, a retired Olympic racing legend, famously extinguished his own "smoking hot" spikes on the track after he won the 100-meter dash in 2004. Greene, 50, told the station that he would reinstate Clara Adams' title if it was away from everyone and not interfering with anyone.

"When I heard it happened, and then people just started calling me, 'This girl who just ran the 400 did your celebration,' I was like huh? What?" Greene told the station.

Father-Daughter Duo's Emotional Reaction

David Adams, Clara's father, is pushing back on the extent of his daughter's punishment. "When she blew the fire extinguisher, the opponents were gone," he told the station. "That was our moment of celebration, and CIF officials made it about them."

Clara Adams' celebration was an homage to Maurice Greene's iconic moment on the track in 2004. The athlete's father believes that the CIF officials overreacted and took away his daughter's moment of triumph.

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