NEED TO KNOW
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Clara Adams was stripped of her gold medal after she won the California state 400-meter final
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The 16-year-old sophomore discharged a fire extinguisher to celebrate her win
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Adams tells PEOPLE that her celebration was an homage to a former Olympic track star
The California high school track star who discharged a fire extinguisher to celebrate her first-place finish in the state’s 400-meter final is mulling legal action after she was stripped of her gold medal.
Clara Adams tells PEOPLE that before her race, she and her father, David Adams, came up with the idea to celebrate with the device as a way of paying homage to a past Olympian — and to add excitement to the event.
“We didn’t think about doing the celebration until we arrived in Fresno for the meet,” Clara, 16, tells PEOPLE about the 2025 CIF State Track & Field Championships that took place at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Clovis, Calif. from Friday May 30 to Saturday May 31.
“My dad and I were watching YouTube videos of old track meets and we started talking about how exciting track used to be compared to other sports, and that track is boring for most people to watch,” she continues, recalling, “We saw the video of Maurice Greene spraying his cleats with a fire extinguisher and thought that would be a good idea to do, but ONLY after I won.”
Greene, a four-time Olympic medalist and five-time world champion, famously extinguished his own “smoking hot” spikes on the track after he won the 100-meter dash during the 2004 Home Depot Invitational.
As a sophomore from North Salinas High School, Clara says she was viewed as “the underdog” going into the race. “My dad said that for me to win, my spikes would have to be on fire,” she tells PEOPLE.
In footage from the meet, David is seen handing his daughter the extinguisher.
After Clara discharged the device — away from the track and nowhere near fellow runners — she was confronted by California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) officials who she claims “overreacted by grabbing me and yelling in my face,” the athlete tells PEOPLE.
“As a dad, I still do not understand why the CIF officials berated my daughter, stripped her of her title, banned her from competing in the next race and ignored me when I attempted to get an explanation of what was going on,” David says, adding that he is also Clara’s coach.
He continues, “As a father I was angry about how they physically grabbed and yelled at her. I am still at a loss as to why they treated her and that way. She’s a kid and they treated her like an adult and gave her the maximum punishment without any warning or explanation.”
CIF officials deemed her celebration “unsportsmanlike” and she was disqualified from the race, preventing her from taking the podium. According to the CIF code of conduct, “taunting, boastful celebrations, or other actions that demean individuals or the sport” are not allowed.
A spokesperson with CIF did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Matthew Stockman/Getty
Maurice Greene celebrating his win in Carson, Calif. on May 22, 2004
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On June 10, the County of Monterey board of supervisors drafted a letter to CIF officials in support of the runner. “We believe reinstating Clara Adams’ 400-meter state championship title is not only justified, but necessary to uphold the principles of fairness, integrity, and justice,” they wrote, in part, adding, “Clara serves as a role model for youth in our county and across California, and she deserves to have her victory, and her winning-setting time rightfully restored.”
Now, the father and daughter, along with their attorney, Adante Pointer, are poised to take legal action should the entity not reinstate her title.
“CIF’s rules and regulations are byzantine and outdated,” Pointer tells PEOPLE. “Nevertheless, we were hopeful they would do the right thing without us having to bring this issue into a court of law as it is clear they did not follow their own rules and regulations which irreparably harmed a young budding track star by robbing her of the state title without proper justification or cause.”
He adds, “CIF did not follow their own rules which led to Clara being denied a crowning achievement as the state of California 400-meter champion. This may cost her scholarships, NIL deals and other opportunities now and into the future. Not to mention the emotional distress associated with the track meet officials physically grabbing and yelling at her. She can never relive that moment.”
As for Clara, a few weeks’ time has helped her gain a bit of perspective. “I feel a lot better than when it first happened,” she tells PEOPLE. “A lot of doors have opened for me since the incident. It feels great to have people in my corner, I appreciate the overwhelming support. Even today, I have mixed emotions because I wish I had my title.”
Read the original article on People
