Overview

• Sixteen-year-old Clara Adams was stripped of her girls’ 400-meter title at the May 31 CIF State Championships after spraying her spikes with a fire extinguisher in celebration.
• CIF officials maintained the unsportsmanlike-conduct ruling and also barred Adams from competing in the 200-meter race where she was a favorite.
• Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene publicly urged the federation to reinstate Adams, arguing her tribute did not interfere with other competitors.
• An online petition demanding Adams’s reinstatement has garnered more than 1,700 signatures from students, coaches and community members.
• Critics say the decision conflicts with the CIF’s own sportsmanship code and contrasts with past leniency for similar celebratory gestures by elite athletes.