Overview

• Clara Adams was disqualified from the 400-meter state finals and barred from the 200-meter race after using a fire extinguisher to spray her cleats in celebration.
• Officials deemed her homage to Maurice Greene’s iconic “shoes on fire” moment unsportsmanlike despite initial positive reactions from the crowd and race announcers.
• Maurice Greene, civil rights leaders and lawmakers from both parties publicly urged CIF to reinstate Adams’s medal as unjustly revoked.
• Attorney Adante Pointer and NAACP representatives called the decision arbitrary and announced plans to pursue all available legal avenues.
• CIF has not publicly identified the specific rule Adams violated, prompting allegations of inconsistent enforcement and racial bias.